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I'm building a very low power HTPC. I'd like to make it as efficient as possible. The components I've chosen (a low power Atom mobo/CPU, a single SO-DIMM and an SSD) should idle at around 10W if not less.

However, all the PSUs I see list only their efficiency with 20+% load, which is usually much more than that. Benchmarks seem to likewise never measure those very small power draw numbers.

I don't want to pay hundreds to save a tiny bit of power, but are there affordable PSUs that advertise their efficiency at such low loads?

My case has a standard ATX power supply, but some of the smaller form factors might fit too, as long as they have the standard connectors.

Hassassin
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  • What's your price range? Would you prefer non, semi, or fully modular? What 80+ certification would you prefer? (Bronze, silver, gold, platinum or titanium) – DJMcMayhem May 22 '16 at 19:10
  • @DJMcMayhem, $100 or not much over – let's say <$150. Modularity doesn't matter (though it's nice). The more energy efficient the better, but only the efficiency at the load mentioned matters. – Hassassin May 23 '16 at 04:46
  • What's your peak power draw? If it's not too high, you might be able to use a Mini-ITX power supply. – Mark May 23 '16 at 20:07
  • @Mark, it will be low, miniITX should be fine, but even if you have a ~200W PSU (the lowest I can find) its 80+ rating will tell nothing about its efficiency with a 10W load. – Hassassin May 24 '16 at 14:17
  • I can easily find 60-watt power supplies, and I might be able to go lower. What's your peak power draw? – Mark May 24 '16 at 18:31
  • @Mark 60W would be okay, I think. 50W might suffice but it's a bit close to the top draw which is over 40W, so even a couple of USB devices could tip it over. – Hassassin May 29 '16 at 06:12

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