can I expect a decent overclock?

[fonyx]

anything I should consider changing? I haven't bought it yet and I'm sort of new to this whole overclocking thing, thanks in advance


Intel Core i7 920 Quad Core 2.66GHz,8MB,4.8GT/s,Tri-Channel
CPU Cooler Thermaltake Core i7 1366 6 Heatpipe SpinQ Cooler (CL-P0466)
Memory 1 OCZ DDR3 PC3-12800 Gold Low-V 3GB Kit (OCZ3G1600LV3GK)
Motherboard ASUS P6T Deluxe (Intel X58, SLI&CrossfireX,Tri-Channel DDR3)
Hard Drive 1 WD VelociRaptor 300GB 16MB 10KRPM SATAII (WD3000HLFS)
Video Card 1 EVGA GF GTX 260 Core 216 Superclocked (896-P3-1267-AR)
Case Antec Nine Hundred Ultimate Gamer Case
Power Supply PC POWER & COOLING Silencer 750 Quad (Black) (S75QB)-MIR

 

[ther00kie16]

SpinQ doesn't seem to cool as well as TRUE (Thermalright Ultra Extreme) so go for that
Is that a 3x1gb kit? Unless you are using xp 32-bit, you should look for at least 2x2gb (tri-channel offers minimal performance gain as of now).
Everything else looks good though you are missing an optical drive.
Any reason for going with i7? It'll overclock great and all but most people agree it still costs too much (x58 and ddr3 mostly).

 

[anindrew]

Hi fonyx!

That looks like a pretty sweet system you're planning to build. I put a very similar system together earlier this week. Same CPU, case, power supply, and video card as you. I am not familiar with the Thermaltake SpinQ, but it appears to be a similar design to the Zalman 9700. I went with the Noctua NH-U12P SE1366 CPU cooler (now in stock at newegg), which comes with two very nice 120mm fans. So far, I have only OCed up to 3.2Ghz (160 x 20) on my i7 920 and the cooler keeps the CPU ~30C idle. I would imagine the SpinQ works pretty well, too. Make sure it can fit in the Antec. My Noctua cooler fits, but just barely. Another option is the Cooler Master V8, which gets rated very well. Choices depend on the prices you find and what your budget is.

A very important factor is for what you use your computer. Considering the video card you bought (same one I bought), I would imagine you're planning to play some games at high resolutions (1920x1200) with all the settings cranked up. That won't be a problem at all with that setup. While 3GB of RAM would do well, my understanding was that most gamers/enthusiasts were going with 6GB. Again, budget does come into play, but it is something to consider. Also, the one review of the memory kit you have chosen on newegg seems to imply there might be an issue with it and the Asus P6T. Since it is one review, take it with a grain of salt, but also be cautious. I went with the 6GB G.Skill 1600 8-8-8-21 kit and it has given me no problems at all on my Gigabyte GA-EX38-UD5.

 

[fonyx]

I'm on XP SP3, and supposedly more than 4gb can't be addressed, so a 6gb kit would be pointless for me I think
but thanks for the input

 

[ther00kie16]

you'll have only about 3gb available but if you ever upgrade to 64-bit, you'll want at least 6gb of ram. in that case, you should look into starting with 2x2gb kit and adding a 3rd 2gb stick later on

 

[Kraeoss]

welcome to the forums fonyx gl and hf with overclocking that machine