Another Help Me Build thread....

[3LEMENT0]

Well it's time to build a new machine again as my aging OC'ed AXP-M is not running as fast as I would like anymore. My x2 laptop is faster in multitasking and running my test databases/development software. I'm planning to turn the AXP-M to a data center now so my new build will be for gaming only.

Goal:
Overclock to the maximum STABLE speed with no crazy cooling, just air cooling.
Gamers machine which will be carried to LAN parties and probably be converted to a data center after 3 years.

Note: I have co-workers who game so it's not unusual to have LAN parties once a week with them.

I already have:
Case - Antec ninehundred (900)

Please help me pick the good stuff.
PSU - - Corsair Modular PSU

HSF - Scythe Katana Cu

CPU - 6400 for higher multiplier

MB - Gigabyte S3/DS3 possibly

Memory - 2Gig DDR2 800 - Crucial Ballistix/Buffalo Firestix + Thermaltake Memory cooler

NB HSF - cooler master NB cooler

Video Card - a friend of mine will sell me his old ati x300 PCIe for $20 to use while I wait for the R600. Waiting until R600 is released or there is a major price drop on the 8800. But final buy date will be late April to May on the video card.

HDD - WD SATA drive/Seagate SATA

OS - WinXP Pro

 

[Roguestar]

For >3Ghz, Corsair 520W PSU is more than enough even if you got an 8800, E6400 or E6300 depending on budget (6400 has higher multiplier so may be a little easier to overclock, will go to 3.2Ghz on even DDR2-800 valueRAM), Gigabyte 965P S3 ftw (no memory issues with mine and BIOSes fixing it were released ages ago), DDR2-800 of good brand (not corsair as it's not great for overclocking) or something from this thread (http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview.aspx?catid=28&threadid=1966035), Zalman 9700/TT Big Typhoon/Tuniq Tower/Scythe infinity (though I think the zalman is the lightest if you're worried about moving your PC a lot), X1950Pro until more D3D10 cards come out, get a WD SATA.

http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview.aspx?catid=28&threadid=1947261

 

[3LEMENT0]

thanks I'll get the 6400 then
for HSF I think the Scythe infinity seems to be a good performer but not as heavy as the tuniq. I also saw the rosewill RCX which looks like a good tower cooler and it is high enough that it won't hit any caps on the MB.
I'm leaning on the S3 for now then if the issues have been resolved.

 

[Roguestar]

My S3 does 460Mhz FSB no problem as you can see in my sig.

 

[theprodigalrebel]

A budget would be nice to know.

PSU: The new Silverstone OP650 that just came out looks nice. First Review Has the 8-pin PCIe connector + 2 6-pin connectors, 54A on a single 12A rail and the price is nice.

CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E4300

MB: Gigabyte DS3 or the S3 to save $20. The Biostar P965 board is nice but their website scares me a little - no drivers, BIOSs etc. available for download? Guess you have to look around for links elsewhere. BTW, the ASUS P5B Deluxe has a pretty elegant heatpipe cooling system that works pretty well so you won't necessarily have to buy parts for after-market cooling.

Memory: G.Skill 2GB DDR2 800 F2-6400CL4D-2GBHK They are not Micron D9s but OC pretty well. VR-Zone

HSF: There is no single great HSF - noise, installation problems, too freakin large, too freakin heavy (2lbs+), price...it's a mess. Some like the type that cool board components by blowing air down on the board, others like the towers that direct air towards the exhaust. Max stable OC will most likely call for a tower-style heatsinks. I'll let someone else call this.

Oh, one question: E4300/E6300s seem to overclock to the same limits, right? (Assuming you aren't limited by memory/board) I recommended the E4300 based on this 'assumption' but I think I'm mostly right. Edit: Found this thread.

Video-Card: Your logic seems fine to me. Price drops, product refreshes and whole new arrivals in the near-yet-they-seem-so-distant-future.

 

[3LEMENT0]

Oh No Budget, maybe $1K but as any OC'er is after it will be the best in Price/Performance. So I wouldn't buy a $500 Vid Card to support 2999 X 2999 if my monitor can only top at 1280 x 1024.

Oh yeah, I'm replacing my old LCD to NEC 90GX2

 

[theprodigalrebel]

Cool, BTW, Tuniq Tower 120 is 800g (without fan, info from their website) and the Scythe Infinity is 960g. So the Infinity might be out if weight is a major concern for you. The members of this forum are somewhat divided over the matter 'would a company market a super-heavy HSF if it could potentially damage/flex your motherboard beyond its limits?' - lots of difference of opinion on that matter.

I don't claim to know any better in that matter but just thought you should know about the Infinity's weight.

 

[3LEMENT0]

thanks I thought Scythe infinity was smaller, maybe just coz of the pics. I'll have it open ended for now.

 

[3LEMENT0]

The big typhoon looks nice, heavy though. I have to remove that from the list of HSF.

Note: I have co-workers that are gamers too so it's not unusual to have LAN parties once a week. So I need the HSF to be stable when mobile, and my car's suspension is kind of stiff because it handles well so the case will rock and roll on turns when in the car. It does have the net thing on the trunk to keep it steady but it won't keep it isolated.

 

[theprodigalrebel]

Hope this helps

 

[3LEMENT0]

oh man, work filter blocked the site though. I'll check it out when I get home.

 

[3LEMENT0]

coolmaster hyper 6 looks like a good candidate thanks prodigalrebel..

 

[3LEMENT0]

PSU - Modular Corsair or Seasonic from 500-700W range
HSF - CoolMaster Hyper 6+/ Zalman 9xxx might be lighter though
CPU- 6400/4300
MB - DS3 or S3
Memory - 2 Gig OCZ Platinum (any issues with DS3/S3 with this one?)
Video Card- generic for now, 8800 or comparable ATI by April-May time frame
Monitor - LCD NEC 90GX2 recommended on the Video forums

Thanks again for the help.
Will post the build and OC soon.

 

[Roguestar]

What kind of memory, specifically? This thread has some rather excellent price-performance deals:
http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview.aspx?catid=28&threadid=1966035

 

[3LEMENT0]

thanks Rouge, I was initially looking at the OCZ Platinum XTC Edition because on my last OC build I used OCZ too and had great success with it. I'll read through the thread and reconsider, the G Skill and Crucial Ballistix looks good...might go with them.

 

[engiNURD]

The Scythe Ninja isn't as heavy as the Tuniq or Infinity, I believe.

 

[3LEMENT0]

Originally posted by: engiNURD
The Scythe Ninja isn't as heavy as the Tuniq or Infinity, I believe.

Yeah I'm looking at it and the Scythe Katana Cu too. Thanks.

I'll be ordering stuff this week already so I'll do more research on the weekend. I might end up with Katana Cu though just coz of the size and it seems to perform well from reviews of the non Cu version. I hope the Cu one performs better.

 

[GreenGhost]

I'm getting a similar system. I bought the Cooler Master Mystique from SVC. Very nice. Looks better than in the pics. I thought the waves were weird, and I initially discarded it. For $30, I'd give it a try.

 

[3LEMENT0]

Originally posted by: GreenGhost
I'm getting a similar system. I bought the Cooler Master Mystique from SVC. Very nice. Looks better than in the pics. I thought the waves were weird, and I initially discarded it. For $30, I'd give it a try.

I'll check it out too. Thank you.

Update: I'm moving my AXP-M machine into my business as there is a need for 2 extra machines.

So now I'd have to add 1 HDD SATA - backup and 1 DVDRW to my current build.

I'm targeting a 500 gig seagate/maxtor and whatever sata DVDRW is available.

 

[3LEMENT0]

I have my list set and I will post the OC results when I'm done.
Thank you for the help prodigalrebel, rougestar, enginurd, greenghost.

Case - Antec ninehundred (900) - available

Please help me pick the good stuff.
PSU - - Corsair 620 Modular PSU - TBDelivered

HSF - Scythe Katana Cu for the weight - TBDelivered

TIM - Shin Etsu x23 - TBDelivered

CPU - 6400 for higher multiplier (just waiting for the price drop that folks have been saying, was it March or April?)

MB - Gigabyte DS3 (making sure rev 3.3 is out and stable) looking at ABIT and ASUS too just in case.

Memory - 2Gig DDR2 800 - Crucial Ballistix/Buffalo Firestix (will order together with cpu and MB)

Thermaltake memory cooler

NB HSF - cooler master NB cooler - TBDelivered

Video Card - a friend of mine will sell me his old ati x300 PCIe for $20 to use while I wait for the R600. Waiting until R600 is released or there is a major price drop on the 8800. But final buy date will be late April to May on the video card.

HDD - WD SATA drive/Seagate SATA (will get with MB/CPU)

DVDRW - whatever SATA DVDRW is available (will get with MB/CPU)

 

[Roguestar]

Why go for a new revision of the DS3 when you could get a tried-and-tested, cheaper S3?

By the way, if the X300 runs anything other than minesweeper I'll be impressed.

 

[3LEMENT0]

LOL! the X300 will be good enough so I can start o'cing the rig while I wait for the ATI/AMD vs. NVIDIA battle once R600ish is released. Though right now I'm looking at the 8800GTS and if ATI/AMD doesn't release anything to compete with it i'd likely get one.

Does the S3 get updated as frequently as the DS3? The bios DS3 seems to get updated a lot though so I was leaning toward it coz of the frequent updates. - Actually I remember the S3 is the same as the DS3 except for the capacitors I think.

also I read some folks having issues in the long term with the gigabyte DS3/S3 board II think I read it at Toms or HardOCP). Something to the effect of running stable for a few months then suddenly showing the symptoms of the cold boot issue.

Originally posted by: Roguestar
Why go for a new revision of the DS3 when you could get a tried-and-tested, cheaper S3?

By the way, if the X300 runs anything other than minesweeper I'll be impressed.

 

[engiNURD]

Almost 3 months here with the DS3, no cold boot issue, rev2.0 F7 BIOS. The Nine Hundred is $60AR at Fry's. Intel price cuts are rumored to be April 22nd.