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Processor: (3.40 GHz) 4-Core Intel Core i7-6700 Processor

Memory (RAM): 32GB (2x16GB) DDR4 PC4 U Memory (for i-series/Core Processors)

Graphics Card: Integrated Graphics (with i series processors only) +$0.00

Drive 1: 3TB HDD SATA 7.2k 3.5" Hard Drive

Drive 2: 3TB HDD SATA 7.2k 3.5" Hard Drive

M.2 Storage: 512GB M.2 SSD NVMe Drive

Price: $291.95

My main concern with this option is energy usage. The CPU’s TDP is 65W, the CPU in my current server’s TDP is 35W.

It does have a few advantages over my current setup:

  • More RAM 8 → 32
  • Better CPU, passmark score 4766 → 8091, threads 4 → 8
  • Ability to use RAID, current setup only has the capacity for 1 drive.

Is this a good option or is there a better option? I’ve also been considering using an external drive enclosure with software RAID, but I heard that could be unreliable.

EDIT: Is the price good? Shipping is quite expensive (about $100), so I’m only planning on buying it if the deal is good.

    • AtemuEnglish
      2•1 year ago

      Well, unlike us, they’re obviously living in a country which massively subsidises energy cost. But it seems they either haven’t done the math properly or their measuring device is broken because even they shouldn’t be paying pennies per month.

      You can do the calculation for yearly cost yourself; it’s not too hard. The two variables you need are energy pice and power.

      Let’s say you’ve got 30W idle power draw at 0.4€/kWh. That comes out to ~105€/year if you ran it 24/7.

      You can plug in arbitrary values yourself: https://numbat.dev/?q=1+year+*+30W+*+(0.4€%2FkWh)⏎

      • qazOPEnglish
        2•1 year ago

        Thanks. I haven’t measured the amount of watts yet (I will soon) but online people mention the i5-6500T using 8W at idle. That would be about €30/y and is indeed a lot higher than a couple pennies.