Intel I3-4130T 2.90 3 LGA 1155 Processor BX80646I34130T

With a 35w max TDP, this processor allows me to do what I need day-to-day without ramping up my electric bill. It works well, and even comes with a slim heatsink/fan (HSF) that I decided I would try. It seems to work well, and be fairly quiet too.

This is a low power (35 W TDP) processor from Intel. Its base clock speed of 2.9 GHz, which is essentially guaranteed with the stock cooler, is surprisingly fast. In single-threaded performance, the i3 trails faster Haswell SKUs by only about 33%. These characteristics make the i3-4130T an ideal fit for entry level PCs and small form factor setups like HTPC.One interesting niche that hasn't been mentioned by other reviewers is the low power server. This i3 is one of the cheapest Intel processors to support error correcting (ECC) memory. This makes it suitable for high reliability systems that have minimal compute requirements, such as NAS. I use this processor in combination with a SuperMicro X10SLM motherboard to operate a 4 disk ZFS array. The support for AES-NI and ECC, combined with a 35 W TDP, make the i3 an efficient choice that delivers sufficient performance for storage applications.

If you need a low power CPU for basic office work this is excellent. The integrated graphics is the slightly lower performing HD4400 rather than 4600 of most Intel Haswell CPU's. Only very light gaming at ~1366x768 is possible.I paired this CPU with:Gigabyte Z87n-Wifi Motherboard Gigabyte LGA 1150 Intel Z97N IWi-Fi-Bluetooth HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Mini ITX DDR3 1600 Motherboards GA-Z97N-WIFICrucial M500 ssd I had lying around [OLD MODEL] Crucial M500 240GB 2.5-inch Internal SSD CT240M500SSD116gb of Crucial Ballistix Tactical LP DDR3 Ballistix Tactical Low Profile 16GB Kit 8GBx2 DDR3-1600 1.35V UDIMM 240-Pin Memory Modules BLT2K8G3D1608ET3LX0An FSP 300W SFX PSU FSP Group Mini ITX Solution / Micro ATX / SFX 300W 80 Plus Certification Power Supply (FSP300-60GHS)There are also better T-series i3 processors available that have significantly better performance than this one. The low power Haswell Refresh i3 CPU's (i3-43XXT series) will handily beat this one. I purchased this particular one because it was available, at a good price from a third party Marketplace seller here on Amazon.

Runs about 78 f in my case. Pretty snappy. Handles Plex media server fairly well. Handles 4 HD IP cameras well. Does not have the muscle to do both things at one though. Plenty of power and runs cool enough for a htpc.

Extremely powerful CPU that I purchased to use in a HTPC build. It runs cool and near silent, and the integrated graphics are able to play everything I throw at it. The best part is that it sips power. Highly recommended.

I was looking for a low wattage but still decent performing processor to upgrade an older linux server I keep running 24/7. So far things have been great. Even the stock cooler is pretty quiet which is a nice bonus.My setup is a vanilla debian install and I've yet to have a single problem. If you're looking for low wattage but decent performance at a decent price then I say look no further.

Pros: 35W TDP is very nice. The integrated graphics are even really good for general tasks.Cons: I was going for a REALLY quiet mini-itx build, But the OEM fan is rather loud. The PC is VESA mounted on the back of the monitor, and you can hear the bearings. I replaced fan with a rosewill RCX-Z775-LP. Now you can't even hear it even running stress tests

This processor fills a rare niche. It has nearly double the performance of CPUs like the 53 watt Intel Haswell G1820 while having a TDP of only 35 watts. You also get several other features not found in the lesser Celeron and Pentium (non-i3) processors. Most of Intel's lower power versions of CPUs are OEM-only and not available retail. This is one of the rare exceptions.So if you want higher-end performance while saving power (and heat), the 4130T is a good choice. It's an especially ideal choice for a higher-end HTPC or other application where cooling, power consumption, and/or fan noise is an issue.It's not clear if Intel will even offer any lower-end socketed Broadwell (5th generation) processors at all. Most of them are BGA (soldered in) versions for laptops and possibly a few high-end quad core desktop socketed versions. So waiting for something around this price in the Broadwell family might be misguided. It's buy the 4130T now or wait for the 6th gen chips which might not be socketed at all.