Need a low power PC for running VM's

[Predator]

So my old gaming PC (built 6 yrs ago) is now in the loft gathering dust, but I've decided I need something I can leave on 24/7 to run VM's that doesn't draw a lot of power and ideally in a small case.

More than happy to spec something new, but here's the gaming pc spec for reference (old grfx card died).

• Intel Core i5-3570K 3.40GHz (Ivybridge) Socket LGA1155 (will overclock up to 4.6Ghz)
• Asus Z77 Maximus V Gene Intel Z77 Motherboard
• G.Skill RipJawsX 16GB (4x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz RAM
• Aero Cool Dead Silence Gaming Orange Mini Tower Windowed
• AeroCool X-Vision 5-Channel LCD Fan Controller
• Corsair Professional Series AX 860W '80 Plus Platinum' Modular Power Supply
• Corsair AF120 Quiet Edition Low Noise High Airflow Fans
• Creative Sound Blaster Z High Performance Gaming Sound Card
• Corsair M4 128BG SSD Drive

Any comments or advice would be gratefully received. TIA.

 

[bremen1874]

To some extent it’s going to depend on what VMs you want to have running and the resources they’ll require.

 

[Predator]

Hi mate. To start off with, just basic stuff like Splunk on Ubuntu and possibly a Unifi NVR for security cameras. Going forward, I'll want to use it for some microsoft training.

 

[bremen1874]

I’d run the old gaming machine for now with anything unnecessary removed.

You could build something more power efficient but the payback time would be very long.

 

[Armageus]

With that Motherboard potentially you have a lot of scope for underclocking/undervolting the CPU to save power, but depends how small you want to go case wise (i.e. do you want an ITX case instead)?

PSU is decent, but probably sized too big to get great efficiency at idle loads, so could be worth looking at something smaller.

 

[Predator]

Cheers guys. It would be nice to consider a Mini ITX with a couple of SSD's and 32GB RAM to future proof it. Just need to get an idea of how much it's gonna cost me to keep on 24/7.

 

[bremen1874]

It'll depended on the spec and how busy it is.

If you can get an idea of the wattage draw the calculation is easy enough.

100W @ 12p per unit would cost £105.12 per year.

 

[LuckyBenski]

It'll depended on the spec and how busy it is.

If you can get an idea of the wattage draw the calculation is easy enough.

100W @ 12p per unit would cost £105.12 per year.

Is 12p per unit realistic these days? Haven't paid an electricity bill in 6 years but 20p was a conservative estimate back then.

 

[bremen1874]

I've just checked and I'm currently paying 11.657 per unit. VAT to go on top but still roughly 12p.

 

[LuckyBenski]

I've just checked and I'm currently paying 11.657 per unit. VAT to go on top but still roughly 12p.

VAT on 11.657p makes it ~13.9p but yeah, pretty reasonable considering the time gap

 

[bremen1874]

12.24p actually. The VAT on gas and electricity is charged at 5%.

 

[MrWhippy]

Or rent a cloud server from somewhere like Hetzner. From 2.49 euros per month, cheaper than the electric you'll pay and no hardware cost.

 

[Predator]

Or rent a cloud server from somewhere like Hetzner. From 2.49 euros per month, cheaper than the electric you'll pay and no hardware cost.

Cheers mate, will have a lookie

 

[EsaT]

2½ euros per month is certainly cheaper than power consumed for even for idling.
For PC itself without monitor doesn't require really special parts to get idle consumption to 50W class.

PSU is decent, but probably sized too big to get great efficiency at idle loads, so could be worth looking at something smaller.

That PSU would be insanely oversized for PC without heavy power hogging GPU usage.
With CPU only load power draw would stay below 15% of PSU's rating even under full load.

Heck, they don't make retail PSUs small enough to be optimal for power draw.
Though best 80+ Titaniums handle also low loads relatively well.

 

[Predator]

I used to run dual cards originally, hence the spec. Seems a shame it’s not used anymore, but hey ho.