A little help with some choices for OCing

[AzuthZero]

I haven't built a rig in almost 4 years, so I'm extremely out of touch with what hardware is good anymore. I'm looking to build a system that'll last 1-2 years and will handle everything I throw at it. My main problem is finding a good OCing MB.

Here's what I'm looking at so far and my reasoning.


CPU: Q6600 (doesn't seem much more expensive than duals and should add some longevity to the system)

RAM: These or the G-skill pair

HSF: Vendetta 2 or Xigmatek with a bolt thru kit (not using those darn push pins)

MB: Here's where I'm stuck. I've done a little looking and was leaning to the Asus P5K Deluxe, then I saw that Intel chipsets don't support SLI, which isn't any good for me. So I need some help finding something between $100-$150 that'll get my Q6600 above 3Ghz.

Case: Not sure here too, need to make sure I can fit the HSF in since those things are huge, just looking for something reasonable

GPU: Thinking 2x8800GT or waiting till next month when Nvidia releases their new parts.


Any advice at all would be appreciated, like I said, I'm pretty far out of the loop these days. I'm upgrading from a Athlon 64 3000+, 6800 Ultra system, so I'm expecting a pretty massive performance boost. Will be nice to finally be able to crank some video settings.

Also, I wasn't sure if this was the right forum or not. I put it here since most of my questions revolve around OCable parts and I remember the other forums used to move incredibly slow.

 

[Tempered81]

I'm sure someone would recommend a good board for the quad. I'd say a nice P35 & wait a month before you buy the GPU. Your other choices look pretty nice :thumbsup:

 

[chuckm]

Are you sure you need SLI? For those coolers, you need a case very close to 8" wide.

 

[AzuthZero]

Well, I think I can get by without SLI if I wait the month for the new GPU's. Mostly just wanted an option for an SLI board in just in case. And yeah, I figured I'd need a pretty wide case for those coolers.

 

[DSF]

How big is your monitor, and how high do you like to crank the video settings? That'll tell you whether or not SLI is worth it.

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

I bought the same memory for my e8400 build. I can't get it to run at T1 or N1

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

Originally posted by: DSF
How big is your monitor, and how high do you like to crank the video settings? That'll tell you whether or not SLI is worth it.

Yes, SLi wouldn't be worth it in low resolutions. I think its 1600x1200 and below for 1 card but its totally up to you.

 

[AzuthZero]

I have a 22" LG, 1680x1050 Resolution I believe. And I don't need to be able to crank say, Crysis to maximum, but I would like to be able to run Age of Conan, Bioshock, basically anything that's come out this past year and coming year at high settings. I just haven't been able to do much PC gaming since my computer is so behind the times, and I need to correct that.

That said, I think I'm pretty set on holding off for the new cards atm, so a non-SLI board will do. At the very least, the 8800s/9800s should drop in price. And thanks for the replies, especially about the RAM, gonna have to look at another brand then, maybe OCZ, there's has always run well for me.

EDIT: Forgot to mention, I've been doing some further reading and it seems the G0 stepping is the Q6600 that everyone is raving about. Is it worth trying to find one of these specifically, and if so, where would be a good place to grab one? If there's not a huge difference, I might just buy it at newegg and see what I get. I'm mostly just expecting 3Ghz, anything over will be a nice bonus. I generally tend to be unlucky with chips.

 

[myocardia]

Originally posted by: AzuthZero
EDIT: Forgot to mention, I've been doing some further reading and it seems the G0 stepping is the Q6600 that everyone is raving about. Is it worth trying to find one of these specifically, and if so, where would be a good place to grab one?

Unless you buy a used Q6600, the G0's are all that have been available for a very long time now.

 

[Scottae]

What I think... and use for best Overclocking DFI p35 chipsets for the money they may still be a little expensive.. but they have 3 different flavors of this chip set the UT LT and Dark... but some others really like the Gigabyte DSQ something...

NM you want SLI?

well simple 780i mobo nvidia refrence Design will be fine.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16813188024

or the Evga 750i SLI FTW edition

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16813188026

 

[aigomorla]

can someone answer a question?

Well a 9800GX2 owner, can you use dual monitors and have SLI working on it?

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

I'm not totally sure about the 1T setting as I haven't raised the voltage at all (2.0v) I've read its possible by other purchasers but I'm not about to push any voltages.

They are good ram sticks and at a good price from its competitors.