I'm surprised the amount of times I have watched this video and many of your older videos and yet still here I am watching them again. Please make more content like this! (I prefer it so much compared to the SBC related content)
I have never, ever suggested here that all users are like me. But I have reacted to literally hundreds of comments here that have said something like "this PC is useless for anything "(which it not true), and "this PC is useless because it cannot play the latest games", which the vast majority of PC users do not play. This PC does everything that probably 90 per cent of PC users ever need -- ie it runs office apps, a web browser, e-mail, PhotoShop and even audio editing very well indeed.
This video is now over 8 years old - and yet Christopher looks exactly the same - He hasn't aged in eight years! I bet there is an oil painting somewhere changing over the years instead..... :-)
The only thing I noticed these days (in comparison) is higher quality video and his presenting is a bit more natural now. Goes to show that when you have great content and a great format, there's no need to change!
Now this I totally agree with :-) Like putting up "carbon neutral buildings" and such (yeah, right). We need to live differently -- more locally, more energy efficiently, repairing more things rather than replacing them so often, etc -- rather than convincing ourselves that there are quick-fixes that allow us not to change anything. Have a look over on my ExplainingTheFuture channel . . .
Yes, I use this PC almost every day. I wrote my last three books on it, and am currently 1/3rd through another. Plus I do most of my e-mail and web browsing on it, and use it to write my websites and presentations. The only things I use another PC for are video editing and 3D graphics.
You are right that there is no disk inside an SSD, and hence it may have been cleared for me to say "solid state drive". However, the very first SSDs (created by Psion in the 1990s) were termed "solid state disks", I guess using the logic that the word disk even by then meant "storage medium" as much as "round spinning thing". :)
Not with an Atom processor with a passive heatsink this big -- it has run fine for several years now. (Note that passive cooling is not that uncommon -- eg some high-end Xeon servers use a passive heatsink.
The difference of the Chris 6 years ago and the Chris now. He's now lively with more energy speaking. I noticed it by him saying Explaining Computers.com.
This machine is for office apps, web design and surfing, for which it works very well indeed. For example, I've written three books on it, saving several megawatts of power. But for other work -- like video editing and 3D graphics, I use a Core 2 Quad.
Yes, yes, yes! You are right! I have tried to explain this here so many times! :) Static grounding is relative, and as you say it is the potential difference between yourself and the components you handling that matters. Bravo! :) Connecting yourself to the case also offers some level of static charge dissipation.
The last time I worked this out (the build was a couple of years back) the cost was about £225 / $340, plus an operating system. For the work I use it for (office apps, web browsing, e-mail and that kind of thing) it works well as a desktop, and is very responsive given the SSD. My Dad runs MS Flight Simulator on the current version of the motherboard no problem. I have used this PC most days for over 2 years, often leaving it running 12 hours plus, and have not had any over heating problems. :)
Although the Pi 3 is using an ARM processor meaning that only Linux would be supported. This PC uses an Intel Atom processor can run windows, albeit an older version.
Hi, does anyone know whether it's still possible to build a PC with an Intel Atom, or even a Qualcomm Snapdragon (since today Window works on ARM too)? Thanks.
Thank you for replying so quick, one of the nicer benefits of having a smaller channel is you have less comments to sort through. You are always the channel I turn to for computer help/info.
It would be great to see a follow up on this video, now 10 years later! Intel is selling a fantastic line of small form factor and low power PCs with their NUC-line of desktops. You can even get them with ultra low voltage laptop-class CPUs. Also, OEMs have started to incorporate AMDs new Renoir laptop CPUs into similair designs. I think this would make for a great video -- many people will be more than happy with such a level of performance for their everyday tasks, but are perhaps not yet aware of their existence.
@@ExplainingComputers Ha what a coincidence that I left a comment just days before you repurposed it after all these years! Secretly I was hoping that the new silent Green PC build would be replacing your i3 as it replaced the original Green PC.
Have come here after watching your pc build with same mini itx casing on october 2020. Really impressed how you maintain machines neat and clean which doesn't look depreciated after 10 long years.. Forget to mention your camera lens which is 40 years old....
I totally agree with you. Christopher has the most patient and understandable tech speak on the net. He ought to be a teacher in IT. Very professional and non patronising.
Here I am watching again...there certainly is something charming in your videos. The clarity, formality, and uniformity, all add up to making memorable and most valuable content
Trying to build an efficient computer shouldn't mean using very weak hardware. The slight extra cost of power is displaced by the convenience of better performance.
ExplainingComputers What sort of processing performance can you draw from a low-power, passive-cooling, PC? Can it exceed the performance of a gaming laptop?
***** This computer using only around 30W while doing intensive tasks, while in a gaming laptop only the processor using around 30-50W usually, the more (physical) power, the more (computing) performace
You need two intel xeon 16 core processors, two xeon phi gpu, 1tb ddr4 ram, 1000W led strip for case modding and 500W fans x20 for your own supercomputer.
The ventilation in a laptop or netbook is often very poor -- there simply isn't the space for a large passive heatsink as fitted here. Love the Panda icon! :)
Remember that most desktop PCs are in companies, and don't have separate graphics cards that can add significantly to power usage. I've put a power meter on a lot of such desktop PCs, and 80-150 watts typical usage (so a power supply rated a good 300w to allow for stability in booting/etc) remains common. Given recent developments in chip technology, a lot of desktops now use less than 100w most of the time.
I agree that I am citing the power use of the PC only (no monitor), as that is what I am comparing the Atom PC here with. On the "80-150w" claim, my point is that most PCs are what you call "pure working PCs". People here do not seem to realize that most PCs are used in companies or for non-gaming purposes at home.
Just becuase your max wattage output of your psu is 650 watts doesnt mean your computer pulls 54 amps out of the wall. Plus yur gpu might not even need 54 amps my gtx 780 pulls about 48 amps from the wall on full load
well anyting from AMD uses a shit ton of power and heats like a volcano (aswell 3 in crossfire sounds like a jet taking off) look up "12 delta fans" lol
Well they're quite quiet. And also to mention, they run at around sixty degrees Celsius under full load thanks to some risers. Btw they are fairly cheaper than nvidia Cards I am also even planning to get water Cooling
The monitor here, while it may not look it, is an early 15" TFT model (I think from the bezel people assume it is a CRT). It uses about 20 watts. You are right that a modern laptop would use less power (though I would not want to work 50 hours a week on a laptop!). :)
That was the most useless grounding I've ever seen. First of all you already had your hands on the motherboard before grounding yourself. Second, just connecting yourself to the case is useless when the case isn't connected to a ground, that's the same as just touching the case or the table it's sitting on: useless. If you want to ground the case for example you need to connect it to a grounded power outlet (don't turn on the power), or you should just connect the wristband to the ground in the power outlet
I think this would work fine. This PC just needs standard ATX power, s othe 12 volt PSU you have found should work no problem (though with the PSU outside of the case).
Most PCs sit in offices running business apps that don't demand a lot of them (eg running word processors and handling e-mail). PCs used for gaming, video editing and such require a lot more power to run thier dedicated graphics cards, lots of hard disks, etc. Similarly for servers. Also, power supplies have to handle the peak power drain at boot/etc.
As most of the power is used by the chipset (and even the SSD), there is very little variance. With the OS running and idle, power usage falls to about 18 watts as a minimum, and rises to about 21 watts at load. So it really is -- surprisingly -- around 20 watts most of the time.
The top grill gets warm to the touch, but not very hot. I've not had any temperature problems with this PC in over two years of use. If you want something really small, checkout Pico ITX.
My most recent books -- "A Brief Guide to Cloud Computing", "25 Things You Need to Know About the Future" and "Seven Ways to Fix the World" -- are all on Amazon and other online retailers. Happy reading! :)
CRTs use a lot more power than equivalent size LCD screens. The monitor you see in the video is an LCD one -- just an early model with a large bezel! :)
Any 2.5" HD will fit fine in this case, so you can use an old one as you say no problem. However, the modern version of this board (follow the link in the video description for info) can only use SATA drives . . .
Adding RAM will not burn out your CPU or motherboard. More RAM in your machine will inevitably produce a little more heat, but unless your PC is already suffering major overheating problems/instability, there should be no problems. And the new RAM should significantly improve performance. Good Luck! :)
OS wise, if you are into computing and like to experiment, Linux is worth considering. But as you will probably get pre-installed I would use it (if junking all the bloatware and probably Aero before you fit the SSD). But I would installed Open Office rather than MS Office -- though I personally do all of my writing in Google Docs/Drive. Good Luck! :-)
I built a PC using the next generation version of this motherboard (dual core 1.8GHz Atom) for my Dad and he runs Windows 7 with Aero turned on and it works fine.
All kinds of office work, e-mail and web browsing -- or in other words, what 95 per cent of computers are actually used for! :) I've now written two books on it.
Very good question. Probably yes, and there are no rare earth metals being milned to make the HD motors, and making highly toxic pollution in the process (not that chip manufacture is an environmentally pleasant thing to be doing!).
Thanks for your kind comments. This video was shot with a Sony V1 shooting progressive DV-CAM. For the close ups, a +2 CU lens was fitted. The sound was recorded using an Audio Technica tie-clip mic connected via an XLR (balanced audio) cable. Sorry not to show a Linux installation (or indeed any OS installation). But this shoot was a very long day with so many setups to constantly change around the tripod and lighting. So it ended when I had had enough! :-)
Yes, obviously all computers consume resources and are not green in absolute terms. But in the IT industry the term "green PC" is widely used to refer to computers that use significantly less energy than conventional models.
I've just bought an Acer Aspire One 725, which uses a dual core Fusion chip from AMD -- see my "Laptop SSD Upgrade" video for more on this. If you stay Atom (and I like Atom, so feel guilty for going AMD!), anything with a D525 chip I think works well -- though the graphics on the AMB fusion chip are impressive. So something like an Asus EeePC 1215 is a good bet. It just depends how large a screen you need.
Yes, you are right, a graphics card is necessary for some tasks -- and hence I have a graphics card on the Core2 Quad -- and I'm just about to upgrade it. Video soon! :)
I forgot how I stumbled upon these videos but they have a certain charm to them and are truely informative with a very strange 90's feel to them, I don't know if this is intentional or as a joke but after seeing that monitor and keyboard it definitely has to be. I wouldn't doubt if that mouse has a ball in it either.
old, but I've always loved the idea of doing away with unnecessary consumption and efficiency is great, for many reasons. I plan on getting a PC that uses very little power. TBH never really cared about high performance when it doesn't take much to be quite nice, only going to be more true as time passes. When Raspberry Pi equivalents are available that do desktop stuff and youtube vids fantastically that's all I will own probably lol.
All computers will only take one type of RAM -- these days either DDR2 for older motherboards, or DDR3 for newer ones, and you cannot mix these (they will not physically fit anyway). So if one PC has DDR2 and one DDR3, you cannot share the RAM I'm afraid. Technially it is good to be grounded to exchange/fit RAM -- though many people do not bother these days, and most of the time get away with it! :)
It would probably be Mini-ITX with a Intel Core processor. Pico or Nano ITX would be pushing it! Though I recently saw Microsoft Flight Simulator running well on a Mini ITX machine.
Don't feel bad if you have a gaming system and use its power. But if you were using an i7 for word processing, web browsing and e-mail (and that happens a lot) you should perhaps think of using more environmentally appropriate hardware . . .
I ended up with an Atom D2550 - Three times the power for halv the energy use and x86-64 support. It has now been working perfectly fab. since the fall of 2016 ...
You sadly cannot change the CPU on this motherboard (the Atom chip is pre-fitted). The RAM on the latest version of this board I think could go to 8GB. :)
Same here, RU-vid algorithm suggested this 10 years old video, and it was a good suggestion indeed. That 4:3 monitor made me feel weird... Yes, Christopher looks the same but sounds different, rather shy I would say.
