I've been pondering ways to add some CPU power to my existing Pi4 setup.  It occurs to me that with the current prices for a new Pi4, other alternatives such as a refurbished PC, or non-Pi SBCs are viable.  So there are two main questions that I have...
1) What level of PC microprocessor would provide a rough equivalent to a Pi4 running wsprdaemon?
2) Is there an SBC alternative to the Pi that is popular in the wsprdaemon community?

That's pretty much my approach - used SFF computer - except the
Thinkcentre is an older CPU (i5-6500 vs i5-9500) and I spent $100 more
after shipping.

I'm not sure what I got, if anything, with the 'upgrade'.

So how long does the 6500 take to grind through the FST4W at the top and
bottom of the hour?  And is it really 30 watts at the wall ... pardon me
I'm suspicious ... that thing's got a 210 watt power supply (and
processor a TDP of 95w)?

The Dell I bought I has a 200w PSU, TDP of 65w, and despite that lower
number it momentarily jumps to about 120w when it starts a heavy run. 
If you averaged the power use over the decoding cycle it would be closer
to 30w (or maybe 40 or 50w), since the big spike doesn't last long, but
at least according to my wattmeter for a hot second or two it's drawing
well over a hundred watts.

Or maybe I need a better wattmeter.

EH


On 7/14/22 6:40 AM, Chris Wilson wrote:
> Hello Rob,
>
>   Wednesday, July 13, 2022
>
>   I fully concur with Rob, I took his advice and bought one of these, and I too use the dummy monitor plug (you can make your own with some resistors if you're so inclined) and access it remotely. I was so impressed with the build quality and performance of these mini PC's I bought two more for other jobs! Thanks Rob, the Raspberry Pi 4 is pricing itself out of the market due to shortages, but without this situation and Rob, I wouldn't have discovered these Lenovo Thinkcentres. It's been wsprdaemon'ing for months now, without a hitch.
>
>
> Best regards,
>   Chris      mailto:chris@...
>
>
> RR> For up to 30 receive channel and all modes, used Lenovo Thinkcentres with
> RR> i5 processor have worked well for a number of us.
> RR> They consume 10W idle and 30W during heavy decodes and can be had used on
> RR> eBay for $100-$200, e.g.:
> RR> https://www.ebay.com/itm/325267507292?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=LSUppAM2S06&sssrc=2047675&ssuid=b06Tnno2QA6&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY
> RR> Be sure to get one that includes all the parts, but don't pay for Windows OS
> RR> It is easy to install Ubuntu 20.04 LTS on them from a DVD or from a USB
> RR> stick.
>
> RR> You don't really need the desktop version of Ubuntu, but I installed it
> RR> anyways and you can remotely connect to the desktop from a RealVNC client.
> RR> But VNC connections only worked on my TC with a monitor attached to it, so
> RR> I use these dummy VGA plugs instead:
> RR> https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B0746HMLLG/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
>
> RR> On Wed, Jul 13, 2022 at 5:25 AM Bruce KX4AZ <bruce@...> wrote:
>
>>> I've been pondering ways to add some CPU power to my existing Pi4 setup.
>>> It occurs to me that with the current prices for a new Pi4, other
>>> alternatives such as a refurbished PC, or non-Pi SBCs are viable.  So there
>>> are two main questions that I have...
>>> 1) What level of PC microprocessor would provide a rough equivalent to a
>>> Pi4 running wsprdaemon?
>>> 2) Is there an SBC alternative to the Pi that is popular in the wsprdaemon
>>> community?
>>>
>>>
>>>
>
>