I am currently planning to replace my 2 year-old VIA Nehemiah-based home server which so far is quite stable. It is currently functioning as a 24/7:
- Samba file server
- FTP server with web front-end
- Web server (hosting my test projects)
- SSH tunnel
- torrent client/server
- squid proxy for local caching
- and web proxy for those times when you need to access block sites.
- the setup has outgrown my needs and now I’m in the market for low-power motherboard+CPU combination.
- I already have an atom-based netbook, the Asus eeePC 1000H and so far I’m quite satisfied with its performance as my mobile companion. So I’m leaning on the atom side on what is has to offer for the desktop/low-power server use. There is the Atom 270 for the ultimate low power usage of 4W, the single core Atom 230 and of course it’s dual core brother, Atom 330 with 8W TDP.
I have collected and compiled this list as somebody might be interested to know, save you time and energy since it has taken a while to piece them together from different sources. They are usually priced around 80-100 dollars.
Intel N270 Single Core Atom (1x 1.6Ghz)
- MSI IM-945GSE (previously known as the MS-9830)
- ultra-low power and mini-ITX form factor platform for solid embedded applications
- eliminates risk of fan’s failure by wide heat sink as fanless design solution.
- based on the Intel® AtomTM processor N270
- Mobile Intel® 945GSE Express chipset
- Intel® GMA950 (Graphics Media Accelerator) with full support for DirectX 9c and OpenGL 1.4.
- MSI enhanced I/O connectivity covers dual Intel® Gbit LAN,
- 6 RS-232 ports,
- DVI and VGA interface for dual displays.
- support various scenarios like digital signage, POS, KIOSK and automation
Intel 230 Single Core Atom (1x 1.6Ghz)
- Gigabyte GA-GC230D(Atom) Single Core
- Supports 45nm Intel Atom 230 Processor
- Integrated Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950 (Intel GMA 950)
- All solid capacitors design
- Integrated High Definition audio
- High speed 10/100 LAN connectivity
- Integrated SATA 3Gb/s interface
- Mini size for flexible use
- Jetway NC91-230-LF
- INTEL®945GC + ICH7 Chipset
- Support INTEL® ATOM N230 CPU
- (45nm,FSB 533MHz,1.6GHZ,512KB L2 Cache)
- Build-in INTEL® GMA 950 Graphics Core
- Supports 10m/100m LAN
- Supports DDR2 533MHz
- Integrated Serial ATA2 3Gb/s
- Integrated ALC662 HD Audio CODEC with 6-CH
- ITX Form Factor(17cm x 17cm)
On September 2008, Intel announced a new dual-core processor (unofficially code-named Dual Diamondville) branded Atom 330 of the Atom 300 series to be used in desktop computers. It runs at 1.6 GHz and has a 8 W TDP rating. Its dual core comprises two Diamondville dies next to each other on a single package (substrate).
Intel Atom 330 Dual Core (2x 1.6Ghz)
- Intel D945GCLF2 mini-ITX
- Dual Core Atom CPU
- TV-Out (S-Video)
- 4x Rear USB 2.0
- VGA, Serial and Parallel
- 1x DDR2 533/667 RAM
- 1 x Gbit LAN
- Realtek High Definition Audio
- Power: 24 Pin ATX, P4-connector
- RoHS compliant
- ECS P945GC
- custom design board using mini-DTX form factor up to 170x170mm.
- Intel 945GC and ICH7 chipset Intel Atom 330 CPU dual-core 1.6 GHz, 2x512KB (1MB) of L2 cache
- FSB 533MHz system bus support up to 1x2GB (DDR2 533/400)
- Integrated Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950 ( GMA950 )
- 2 X SATAII and 1 x IDE channel (for 2 IDE devices)
- VIA VT1708B 6-channel High Definition audio CODEC
- 10/100 Fast Ethernet LAN using ATHEROS AR8012 10/100 Mbps PHY
- Jetway NC92-330-LF
- INTEL®945GC + ICH7 Chipset
- Support INTEL®Atom Dual-Core 330 CPU
- Built-in INTEL®GMA 950 Graphics Core
- Supports 1x Gigabit LAN
- Integrated ALC662 HD Audio CODEC with 6-CH
- ITX Form Factor(170mm x 170mm)
- Support Daughter board Expansion
- Foxconn 45CSX / 45CTD (soon to be release)
- Intel® AtomTM dual-core 330 processor mounted onboard
- 533 MHz (FSB)
- DDR2 533 MHz x 1 DIMM, Max. 2GB
- 1* PCI
- 2* SATA II
- 5.1 channel HDA, Realtek® ALC662
- 10/100M LAN, Realtek® RTL8100C
- 6 USB 2.0 ports
Some of the boards here has been reviewed by mini-itx.
[...] Unfortunately, the ARTiGO A2000 it is too expensive and underpowered for my requirement so I am building my own home server powered by Intel Atom 330 Dual Core. You can view the result of my research on the list of available atom motherboards on this post. [...]
What about the AMD200+?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_AMD_Athlon_64_microprocessors
What about the AMD200+?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_AMD_Athlon_64_microprocessors
None of these motherboars are well featured …
A “logical” design for a “server” should be as :
-dual CPU ( Atom 330 )
-dual GBit ethernet ( Intel, Broadcom )
-NO fans
-solid capacitors
-1 or 2 PCIe ( or PCI ) slots
-any sound support
-DLX format
-low power ( as can be )
On such a board I’d like to play Centos/Solaris OEs.
In the (near) future the chipset should be replaced by a new/modern one that supports 2xDIMMs ( for at least 4 GB RAM )
Thanks for your work kramfs! It’s well done !
Happy New Year to everyone surfing around and waiting for a new, more up-to-date design ( be it ITX or DTX )
None of these motherboars are well featured …
A “logical” design for a “server” should be as :
-dual CPU ( Atom 330 )
-dual GBit ethernet ( Intel, Broadcom )
-NO fans
-solid capacitors
-1 or 2 PCIe ( or PCI ) slots
-any sound support
-DLX format
-low power ( as can be )
On such a board I’d like to play Centos/Solaris OEs.
In the (near) future the chipset should be replaced by a new/modern one that supports 2xDIMMs ( for at least 4 GB RAM )
Thanks for your work kramfs! It’s well done !
Happy New Year to everyone surfing around and waiting for a new, more up-to-date design ( be it ITX or DTX )
Very informative article, thank you very much!
Very informative article, thank you very much!
My question is can I upgrade my intel Atom processor n270 to an intel core dual? I am very new to the technical aspects of pcs and would like to upgrade the performance on my acer aspire A0d150 10”. I upgraded the ram 2gig and the hard drive 500 gigs. It is a small compact laptop. I would like to make it last a few years and would be willing to invest in the intel dual core processor if it is compatible and would increase performance. I would like to research more on how to physically install the processor and if it would be worth it/or possible. Please let me know what you think.
I would love to since I also have an Asus eeePC 1000H but the answer is no, you cannot upgrade the Atom 270 processor in your Acer netbook because as with all Atom-based systems, it is soldered into motherboard.
BTW, thanks for dropping by…
My question is can I upgrade my intel Atom processor n270 to an intel core dual? I am very new to the technical aspects of pcs and would like to upgrade the performance on my acer aspire A0d150 10”. I upgraded the ram 2gig and the hard drive 500 gigs. It is a small compact laptop. I would like to make it last a few years and would be willing to invest in the intel dual core processor if it is compatible and would increase performance. I would like to research more on how to physically install the processor and if it would be worth it/or possible. Please let me know what you think.
I would love to since I also have an Asus eeePC 1000H but the answer is no, you cannot upgrade the Atom 270 processor in your Acer netbook because as with all Atom-based systems, it is soldered into motherboard.
BTW, thanks for dropping by…
Hi,
I am also looking for a Atom based home server board (running P4 2.8GHz at the moment). Since I need it only for low power NAS/torrent/printing functions I am not really disappointed with the lack of DVI/HDMI or lack of power to play 1080p video. I am rather looking for a powersaver that is able to stream 1-2 HD streams, since it is common, that my two kids choose different movies to watch at the same time on plasma and on some laptops. I need a board that would be able to stream those (15-20)*2 Mbps (or 8MB/sec) reliably while taking care of torrents and OS overhead. MSI board with single core Atom seems suitable, kind of.
I also have eee pc 1000h and just tested its ethernet speed. It is capped at 11MB/sec, due to 100Mbps NIC. Now, I wonder, if Atom has power to serve Giga NIC well. OS overhead would be minimal with FreeNAS, I guess.
With your requirements, atom-based system should be fine. I ended up with Intel D945GCLF2 with Gbit NIC since it was readily available in my area. It is capable of multiple HD streaming and while downloading around 2-3 torrent at the same time. I also installed vmware server in it and with 3 CentOs guest running at the same time with no noticeable performance degradation.
Although I haven’t done an extensive test, I’m quite happy with its performance.
Hi,
I am also looking for a Atom based home server board (running P4 2.8GHz at the moment). Since I need it only for low power NAS/torrent/printing functions I am not really disappointed with the lack of DVI/HDMI or lack of power to play 1080p video. I am rather looking for a powersaver that is able to stream 1-2 HD streams, since it is common, that my two kids choose different movies to watch at the same time on plasma and on some laptops. I need a board that would be able to stream those (15-20)*2 Mbps (or 8MB/sec) reliably while taking care of torrents and OS overhead. MSI board with single core Atom seems suitable, kind of.
I also have eee pc 1000h and just tested its ethernet speed. It is capped at 11MB/sec, due to 100Mbps NIC. Now, I wonder, if Atom has power to serve Giga NIC well. OS overhead would be minimal with FreeNAS, I guess.
With your requirements, atom-based system should be fine. I ended up with Intel D945GCLF2 with Gbit NIC since it was readily available in my area. It is capable of multiple HD streaming and while downloading around 2-3 torrent at the same time. I also installed vmware server in it and with 3 CentOs guest running at the same time with no noticeable performance degradation.
Although I haven’t done an extensive test, I’m quite happy with its performance.
Thanx. I also did some testing yesterday on my 1000h connected to router via ethernet. 2HD movies and 2 DVDs played well, with 20% cpu utilization and 25-45% network capacity utilization. Some graphs here http://solnyshok.blogspot.com/2009/04/using-asus-eeepc-1000h-as-home-server.html
Thanx. I also did some testing yesterday on my 1000h connected to router via ethernet. 2HD movies and 2 DVDs played well, with 20% cpu utilization and 25-45% network capacity utilization. Some graphs here http://solnyshok.blogspot.com/2009/04/using-asus-eeepc-1000h-as-home-server.html
Hi, thanks again for your help. I ordered DualCore Intel board.
Hi, thanks again for your help. I ordered DualCore Intel board.
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