The idea of a “green computer” conjures up different ideas to different people, but one of the more common associations is that a green computer is a boring, ugly, wimpy, and slow computer. That used to be a fair assessment as many of the designs for green computers were built upon low-end or low-energy systems that essentially sipped electricity due to their limited computing abilities. That is no longer the case and one can certainly build a high-performance green computer using the following “greenprint.”

In an earlier post, I provided a blueprint for a business-class desktop computer – essentially a workhorse for basic office computing needs. In the following greenprint, I outline the components needed to build a green workstation that is not only quiet and beautiful, but that also embraces high-performance, high-efficiency, and low energy consumption. The workstation outlined here is not intended to be the most energy efficient system available, rather it walks the fine line between high-performance and high-efficiency. Additionally, this guide is intended to be a theoretical framework for assembling a green workstation. The system, as outlined below, has not had total power consumption measured. Rather, the components selected in this post were chosen based upon estimated and known power consumption metrics. I will be making another post with recommendations for pushing the energy efficiency envelope at a later date.

PROCESSOR: Intel Xeon L5520
The arrival of Intel’s Nehalem architecture set a new standard for price/performance in computer processors. The Core i7 series of desktop processors are simply untouchable in terms of performance, but they come with a huge cost in terms of energy – their TDP, or heat dissipation measured in watts, is rated at 130W. Intel’s latest generation of Xeon processors are also built around the Nehalem architecture, but they all have lower TDPs which correlates to lower overall energy consumption. The Intel Xeon L5520, while not the fastest Xeon, is still a very capable processor that will excel in all desktop or workstation applications. The L5520 is a quad-core CPU with 8MB of L3 cache and and overall speed of 2.26GHz. However, the real attraction to the Xeon L5520 is that it has a TDP of 60W. Given that these CPUs are already highly binned, i.e. selected for specific properties, one could likely undervolt them to further reduce the energy required to power and cool them, yet still maintain their rated performance characteristics.

PROCESSOR HEATSINK: Noctua NH-U12P SE2
Intel’s Xeon processors built around the Nehalem architecture do not ship with stock heatsinks so one will have to purchased separately. Though there are myriad heatsink manufacturers and designs, I keep coming back to those made by Noctua, both for the design of the heatsinks and for the fans they include with the heatsinks. The NH-U12P SE2 includes (2) of Noctua’s NF-P12 fans which are renowned for the amount of air they move and their acoustic profile. There simply is not a better fan made.  Given the low TDP of the L5520 processor, one could run the heatsink fanless, without either NF-P12 fan, and instead use the extra fans on the rear exhaust vents of the computer case.  If you are uncomfortable with running the heatsink fanless, then using one NF-P12 fan will more than suffice to keep the Xeon L5520 processor cool.

MOTHERBOARD: Supermicro MBD-X8STE-O
The arrival of Nehalem CPUs brought about a new socket architecture as well – the LGA 1366. A very solid LGA 1366 motherboard to use as the foundation for the greenprint workstation is the Supermicro MBD-X8STE-O. In addition to being RoHS compliant, the MDN-X8STE-O is built around Intel’s X58 northbridge and ICH10R Southbridge, holds up to 24GB of triple-channel DDR3 memory, and has plenty of expansion possibilities with 3 PCI Express 2.0 x8 slots, one PCI Express x4 slot, and twoPCI slots. There are 6 SATA ports with with support for RAID 0,1,5, and 10 configurations. There are also twin gigabit network ports powered by Intel’s 82574L chipset. Though the MBD-X8STE-O has built in video, I am going to suggest a separate graphics processor below.

MEMORY: Corsair XMS3 TR3X6G1333C9 DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666)
For the workstation greenprint being designed here, I suggest 6GB (3 x2GB) of DDR3 1333 from brands such as Crucial, Kingston, Corsair, or Mushkin. The Corsair TR3X6G1333C9 6GB kit is a perfect addition to the green workstation design. The Supermicro MBD-X8STE-O motherboard can support up to 24GB of DDR3 1333 memory so if your work demands additional memory, and you have the budget to support it, then by all means load up, but be sure and opt for ECC memory when utilizing that much memory.

VIDEO CARD: XFX PVT94GZAH2 GeForce 9400 GT
The MBD-X8STE-O motherboard has on board video powered by a Matrox G200eW chipset with 8MB of DDR2 memory.  If all you are doing is basic 2D work, this is perfectly accpetable.  However, if you graphic demands are more powerful, I would suggest disabling the Matrox option in the BIOS and utilizing a dedicated graphics card instead. Yes, this goes against most principles of green computing, but the performance difference if you are doing anything beyond simple 2D work is worth it. The XFX PVT94GZAH2 has 1GB of DDR2 memory and is powered by nVidia’s GeForce 9400 GT GPU running at 800MHz – plenty of power. It also has a D-Sub, DVI, and S-Video out connectors as well as support for DirectX 10 and OpenGL 2.1. The best feature of the XFX PVT94GZAH2 is that it is fanless meaning less power is required and no noise is emitted. Depending upon how the system will be used, additional reductions in energy usage and heat production could be obtained by underclocking the card’s processor.

BOOT DRIVE: 160GB Intel X-25M SSD
Since we are aiming for energy efficiency, quiet, and performance all in the same system, the best option for the main system drive is a solid state drive (SSD).  For a drive that will be used as the boot/OS and applications drive, there is only one choice – Intel’s X25-M series of SSDs.  Right now, Intel is shipping the second generation (G2) of the X-25M line of SSD and they are available in two sizes 80GB and 160GB.  I am suggesting the 160GB, if you have the budget, because one can always use more space.

HARD DRIVE: Seagate Barracuda LP ST32000542AS 2TB
The X-25M specified above is solely for the system and application files. For data storage, Seagate is now shipping their Barracuda LP or “Low Power” line of hard drives. These drives boast a 44% reduction in power consumption, whisper-quiet operation, reduced heat output for better overall system thermal profile, and RoHS compliance. The 2TB edition of the Seagate Barracuda LP line should hold all of the data that you can throw at it, but there are also 1.5Gb and 1.0Gb options as well.

OPTICAL DRIVE: Sony Optiarc AD-7240S-0B
Unless you have a specific need for a Blu-Ray drive, a basic DVD drive with writing capabilities will be perfect. The Sony Optiarc AD-7240S-0B is rated at 24X DVD write speeds, has an industry standard 2MB of cache, and uses a SATA interface which improves overall airflow and cooling within the case due to less cable clutter.

POWER SUPPLY: SeaSonic S12II 430W (80 Plus Bronze Rating)
There are only a handful of PSU manufacturers that I use and recommend and these include Antec, Corsair, PC Power & Cooling, and SeaSonic. Given the nature of the system being built here, a PSU that both energy efficient and quiet is mandatory and the SeaSonic S12II 430W PSU is a solid starting point. This green workstation, if built as outlined above, does not need an excessive amount of power as it is only running one video card and a minimum of peripheral components. A 430W PSU has plenty of extra headroom if the system were ever to be expanded so the starting recommendation for PSUs is the SeaSonic S12II 430W PSU. This component was chosen as it has an 80 Plus Bronze rating under full load, plenty of connectors for all of the devices it will be powering, and a 120mm quiet cooling fan.

CASE: Silverstone TJ09 or Cooler Master ATCS 840
Selecting a case for this green workstation build is where personal preferences definitely weigh in regarding aesthetics. Nonetheless, other factors such as number and location of fans, expansion bays, build materials, etc also weigh into the equation. I am certainly a fan of clean lines and simple designs as evidenced by the two cases I am recommending – either the Silverstone TJ09 or the Cooler Master ATCS 840. Both of these cases are aluminum, full tower ATX cases that are available in either a silver or black finish. Additionally, the Silverstone TJ09 is also available with the option for a side window should you want to show of your components or your über-tidy cable routing handiwork. The build and finish on both cases is impeccable and the well thought out interiors allow for great thermal management due to the ability to cleanly route cables and maximize airflow from front to back of the case. Either case would be ideal for this green build – it truly comes down to the users preference.

Silverstone TJ09

Cooler Master ATCS 840

One further power saving and noise reduction step would be to run the workstation with a single 120mm exhaust fan running in the rear, in addition to the PSU exhaust fan.  This is a great place to use the extra NF-P12 fan from the Xeon L5520 heatsink.  Though both cases have front intake fans, in either case these intake fans could be unplugged or reomved entirely from the final build.  The system, as specified above, simply will not generate enough heat to need active intake fans running.

KEYBOARD AND MOUSE: User’s choice
Trying to recommend just one keyboard and mouse for use in a green workstation is simply not possible. There are too many options and aesthetics that weigh into a selecting the primary means of interacting with your computer. Now, having said that, I would steer away from any wireless keyboard and mouse due to the batteries involved and periodic connectivity issues. Keep it simple and get a wired mouse and keyboard that suit your specific needs. If it was my choice, I would be selecting the DAS Professional Keyboard and any suitable wired mouse from either Microsoft or Logitech.

OPERATING SYSTEM: Microsoft Windows 7 Professional (64-bit)
Given the amount of RAM in this system, and the presence of the Intel X-25M SSD, I would be selecting Microsoft Windows 7 64-bit edition. Regardless of which OS is selected, I would ensure that is a 64-bit OS so that all of the available memory is utilized.

There you have it, the ‘greenprint’ for building a high-performance, energy-efficient workstation. Obviously, this article represents my professional opinion and experiences, but I encourage and welcome your comments should you choose to leave them in the feedback section below.

‘wimpy’ image credit: summitcheese