H/W Recommend for small, energy-efficient?

[JdeFalconr]

First and foremost apologies for what I'm sure is an often-asked question. I don't see any consolidated source of hardware info around here like a sticky post.

I'm looking to build a new OPNSense box for home use in the spectrum between the Reasonable and Recommended spec (https://docs.opnsense.org/manual/hardware.html, probably tending towards Recommended. Low energy use is preferred, otherwise I'd be using an old PC. Like everyone I want to eat my cake and have it too and want costs at a minimum.

Something like this appliance (https://www.amazon.com/Firewall-Micro-Appliance-Gigabit-Barebone/dp/B01KLECNDG/ref=sr_1_9?keywords=micro+firewall+appliance&qid=1567974011&s=gateway&sr=8-9) looks perfect. However despite reviews on that one I'm wary of no-name devices unless the community can vouch for them. Does anyone have a similar recommendation? The Zotac CI325 looks decent but it has extra bells and whistles and a higher electrical footprint as a result.

Thanks for your help.

[2Gnu]

Another option to consider is the Fitlet2.  This is what I'm using for OPNsense.  https://www.amazon.com/fitlet-fitlet2-J3455-Barebone/dp/B078V6MT9D
More money than the link in your post, to be sure.
Differences between the CPUs:
http://cpuboss.com/cpus/Intel-J3455-vs-Intel-Celeron-J1800
The J3455 also has the AES instruction set which I wanted for OpenVPN.  The J1800 does not.
https://ark.intel.com/content/www/us/en/ark/products/78866/intel-celeron-processor-j1800-1m-cache-up-to-2-58-ghz.html
The Fitlet2 carries a 5-year warranty and their support has been excellent.
Quiet, runs cool and has been reliable.
Sounds like a commercial but just a happy home user, hoping it helps someone else.

[opnfwb]

Another vote for the J3455 platform. I purchase an Asrock j3455m board, a PicoPSU, and a quad port Intel NIC. The system idles around 8-10watts and runs without any fans. It also is compatible UEFI booting OPNsense.

Here's a link to the board I purchased: https://asrock.com/mb/Intel/J3455M/

[JdeFalconr]

Another vote for the J3455 platform. I purchase an Asrock j3455m board, a PicoPSU, and a quad port Intel NIC. The system idles around 8-10watts and runs without any fans. It also is compatible UEFI booting OPNsense.

Here's a link to the board I purchased: https://asrock.com/mb/Intel/J3455M/

Thank you! I'm liking where you're going. Could you kindly point me towards the PicoPSU you purchased? There are quite a few out there - some rather expensive it looks like - and I'd want to make sure to get the right one.

[JdeFalconr]

Another option to consider is the Fitlet2.  This is what I'm using for OPNsense.  https://www.amazon.com/fitlet-fitlet2-J3455-Barebone/dp/B078V6MT9D
More money than the link in your post, to be sure.
Differences between the CPUs:
http://cpuboss.com/cpus/Intel-J3455-vs-Intel-Celeron-J1800
The J3455 also has the AES instruction set which I wanted for OpenVPN.  The J1800 does not.
https://ark.intel.com/content/www/us/en/ark/products/78866/intel-celeron-processor-j1800-1m-cache-up-to-2-58-ghz.html
The Fitlet2 carries a 5-year warranty and their support has been excellent.
Quiet, runs cool and has been reliable.
Sounds like a commercial but just a happy home user, hoping it helps someone else.

Thank you, I appreciate the info very much. I thought I'd checked that processor for AES-NI but as it turns out I was looking at the wrong chip's specs. So much for that cheap one. I've heard a number of references to Fitlet2 so that looks like a good possibility, albeit more expensive as you mentioned.

[opnfwb]

Thank you! I'm liking where you're going. Could you kindly point me towards the PicoPSU you purchased? There are quite a few out there - some rather expensive it looks like - and I'd want to make sure to get the right one.

I purchased a completely overkill 120w PicoPSU here: http://www.mini-box.com/picoPSU-120-120W-power-kit
I bought it because at the time with a coupon code it was the same cost as a lesser 90W model. You could easily get away with a 90W on this system and be fine.

You'll have to weigh other costs. For instance, I already had RAM, a case, and some spare SSDs laying around. I also had an assortment of dual and quad port NICs. So for me, I made more sense to just get a board and PicoPSU and put everything together. If you have to buy all of those components, the Fitlet2 is a compelling choice because it's just plug-and-play out of the box.

Either way, the J3455 is an excellent and powerful router platform.

[JdeFalconr]

Thank you! I'm liking where you're going. Could you kindly point me towards the PicoPSU you purchased? There are quite a few out there - some rather expensive it looks like - and I'd want to make sure to get the right one.

I purchased a completely overkill 120w PicoPSU here: http://www.mini-box.com/picoPSU-120-120W-power-kit
I bought it because at the time with a coupon code it was the same cost as a lesser 90W model. You could easily get away with a 90W on this system and be fine.

You'll have to weigh other costs. For instance, I already had RAM, a case, and some spare SSDs laying around. I also had an assortment of dual and quad port NICs. So for me, I made more sense to just get a board and PicoPSU and put everything together. If you have to buy all of those components, the Fitlet2 is a compelling choice because it's just plug-and-play out of the box.

Either way, the J3455 is an excellent and powerful router platform.

Thank you! That's very helpful. Yeah I'm thinking I agree with you about the J3455. I'm kind of amazed at how much a Mini-ITX case costs; they're not too far off from the cost of the motherboard itself, not to mention that PicoPSU.

Speaking of the power supply, how did you calculate the power needs and know that you could get by with just the 90W version? I'm not questioning you, rather I'm just trying to understand. 

[opnfwb]

Speaking of the power supply, how did you calculate the power needs and know that you could get by with just the 90W version? I'm not questioning you, rather I'm just trying to understand.

Some of this is a little bit of testing and some of this is just my own back of the napkin math.

A quick breakdown:
Asrock J3455M board - ~15W TDP processor and minimal device load (disabled soundcard, onboard NIC, etc.)
Intel Quad Port NIC - 5W max when all ports are running a 1GB/sec
120GB SATA SSD - ~1W maybe? and no wattage for spinup time unlike a hard disk

So in theory, I should see around 25W max if I somehow manage to use all the CPU and have full gigabit traffic on all of my ports and somehow manage to use a lot of I/O activity on the SSD. Yes, it COULD happen but in my use case, it's unlikely.

Now, if I run some openssl speed tests to tax the processor, I see around 16W max usage. This is measured at the outlet with a watt meter. In most cases when the CPU isn't maxed out I see 8-12W of usage, so average out it's around 9-10W consistently. Most of the time the CPU usage remains quite low.

Because of these factors I believe it's possible to support this platform with a much smaller power supply than the one I purchased. A smaller power supply may even end up being a watt or two more efficient as well.

Also on more thing regarding an ITX or mATX case. Yes, they are expensive. However you can mount an mATX board in a full size ATX case if you have a spare one laying out. This is not space efficient but if you are storing the router somewhere out of sight (like a basement), it may not matter very much. In my case I used a left over ATX case and it's been fine. If space is at a premium, then the Fitlet2 is even more compelling due to its packaging.