Netgate Discussion Forum
    • Categories
    • Recent
    • Tags
    • Popular
    • Users
    • Search
    • Register
    • Login

    Power consumption of a dell optiplex as a Pfsense Router

    Hardware
    5
    12
    10.6k
    Loading More Posts
    • Oldest to Newest
    • Newest to Oldest
    • Most Votes
    Reply
    • Reply as topic
    Log in to reply
    This topic has been deleted. Only users with topic management privileges can see it.
    • O
      OpenWifi
      last edited by

      Hello guys, i need your help...I have been wanting to purchase a small form factor router such as the J1900 and SG-3100, but to no avail since the J1900 is not available in any stores in my area until i import, which is expensive. The SG-3100 is also very very expensive for me to buy.Currently i have an HP desktop that i have made my pfsense router but it consumes about 55W, which i think is too much for a router. I need your help since i am thinking of buying a dell optiplex 780 and change it to my router to conserve the space and energy requirement. So has anyone used the optiplex before as a router and what is its energy requirement as a pfsense router ?

      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
      • R
        rok1
        last edited by

        Dell Wyse 5070 Extended. Add a multi port nic install pfsense then call it a day.

        provelsP 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
        • O
          OpenWifi
          last edited by

          But does the Wyse have an extra Pci-express bay for the dual port Nic ?

          1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
          • R
            rok1
            last edited by

            yes, the extended does.

            Example here:
            https://www.ebay.com/itm/Dell-Wyse-5070-Extended-Thin-Client-J5005-1-5Ghz-4GB-DDR4-16GB-ThinOS/123786006900?hash=item1cd2389174:g:A0AAAOSwDM9c7yYr

            1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
            • stephenw10S
              stephenw10 Netgate Administrator
              last edited by

              How are you measuring the current power consumption?

              Steve

              O 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
              • O
                OpenWifi @stephenw10
                last edited by

                @stephenw10 i have an inverter charger that has a digital wattage meter, and consumption by the PC is at about 55W

                1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                • provelsP
                  provels @rok1
                  last edited by

                  @rok1 said in Power consumption of a dell optiplex as a Pfsense Router:

                  Dell Wyse 5070 Extended. Add a multi port nic install pfsense then call it a day.

                  What a great featured little box. Pick up a used Intel i340 dual/quad card for $20-25 and you're done. Plenty of CPU, memory and disk. And AES-NI, too.

                  I bet the Dell Optiplex 780 would still pull 40-45w at idle. This, probably 15w.

                  Peder

                  MAIN - pfSense+ 24.11-RELEASE - Adlink MXE-5401, i7, 16 GB RAM, 64 GB SSD. 500 GB HDD for SyslogNG
                  BACKUP - pfSense+ 23.01-RELEASE - Hyper-V Virtual Machine, Gen 1, 2 v-CPUs, 3 GB RAM, 8GB VHDX (Dynamic)

                  O 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                  • O
                    OpenWifi @provels
                    last edited by

                    @provels have you ever used it b4 ?

                    provelsP 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                    • provelsP
                      provels @OpenWifi
                      last edited by

                      @OpenWifi No, but it's Dell, Intel, and an enterprise-quality item, not some Ali Baba slapped together junk.

                      Peder

                      MAIN - pfSense+ 24.11-RELEASE - Adlink MXE-5401, i7, 16 GB RAM, 64 GB SSD. 500 GB HDD for SyslogNG
                      BACKUP - pfSense+ 23.01-RELEASE - Hyper-V Virtual Machine, Gen 1, 2 v-CPUs, 3 GB RAM, 8GB VHDX (Dynamic)

                      O 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                      • O
                        OpenWifi @provels
                        last edited by

                        @provels hahaha. You surely dislike alibaba

                        provelsP 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                        • provelsP
                          provels @OpenWifi
                          last edited by provels

                          @OpenWifi Not so much Ali Baba, but same with Amazon, Ebay, etc. Lots of junk and counterfeits sold by third parties. Selling platforms don't care as long as they get their %. Post a link to the Optiplex 780 you are looking at.

                          Peder

                          MAIN - pfSense+ 24.11-RELEASE - Adlink MXE-5401, i7, 16 GB RAM, 64 GB SSD. 500 GB HDD for SyslogNG
                          BACKUP - pfSense+ 23.01-RELEASE - Hyper-V Virtual Machine, Gen 1, 2 v-CPUs, 3 GB RAM, 8GB VHDX (Dynamic)

                          1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                          • U
                            uncarvedblockhead
                            last edited by

                            I'm running pfsense on an Optiplex 3020 with a i5-4570 and a quad i340 NIC, 8GB of ddr3 low voltage and a 120gb ssd. With Power D set to "adaptive" it pulls 22 watts average while being used, and peaks at 35 watts when booting or doing a full pfBlockerNG-devel reload. I've been very happy with it.

                            1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                            • First post
                              Last post
                            Copyright 2025 Rubicon Communications LLC (Netgate). All rights reserved.