[Freedombox-discuss] Energy efficient Intel server

[eugen@leitl.org (Eugen Leitl)]

On Tue, Mar 27, 2012 at 08:38:37PM -0700, Dave Taht wrote:

> This uses the phrase 'energy efficient' in a way I'm not familiar.

ARM has reasonable energy efficiency but low absolute performance.
E.g. N40L has a TDP of 15 W, but it does offer useful horsepower
http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu_lookup.php?cpu=AMD+Turion+II+Neo+N40L+Dual-Core
if compared to current Atom or current ARM. Ability to stick 8 GByte
ECC memory is also not something you'll get with an ARM or
Atom box.
 
> The dreamplug boxes draw 5w. What phrase can be used to distinguish the two?

There are definite advantages for fanless low-power operation -- e.g. when you're
running on battery-buffered solar power. In a typical home setting, the difference 
between 5 W and 18 W is neglible.