Considering building a new PC?

[panoramarts]

I have currently AMD Fx-55 2.6 ghz (2 year old), Asus A8N SLI MotherB (2 year old), 512x2 G.skill, BFG 8800 GTX (6 months old) ANtec true power 2.0. Koolance water blocks installed to CPU and MB chip (internal system atatched to casing). I build this to do OCing but it dint go well system was unstable @ 2.9ghz ... couldnt do more.. anwyaz. Currently I am not into Ocing. The system gets very hot (hate koolance products) reaching 49 C when playing BF 2142 or Crysis. The system shuts the game down at 43 C. I have fans intake and exhaust installed (they are supported by secondary PSU. Though i will get into ocing later on but for i am busy considering that.
Question is should I consider about building a new PC or improve upon the old one. Dust is big issue with the damn casing hard to clean because of internal water cooling... never buy koolance. Idle temp is 34 C. And i am chicago freezing outside in winters. I feel getting rid of processor and invest in Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz... and some great OCing friendly board. NEED suggestions its been year getting back to computer hardware... iam totally clueless.

 

[Pyrokinetic]

Welcome panoramarts! Sounds like you could use a case with better airflow. Whether or not you should upgrade is only a question you can answer. Upgrading a socket 939 system at this point would probably cost you more than building a new AM2 one.

Going Intel or AMD depends on your preference and budget. The Intel chips perform better and OC more, but overall, a mid-to-high end AMD system will be as inexpensive ( if not cheaper than) a lower-end Intel system -- hence my own AM2 590 SLI motherboard.

I personally do not see much value in watercooling anymore, given the cost versus the performance gain over the better heatpipe coolers available (especially the Thermalright coolers). Just get a case with great airflow such as the Antec 900 or Cooler Master Stacker series.

Suggestions depend on your budget; Anandtech has some really great buying guides:
http://www.anandtech.com/guides/showdoc.aspx?i=3157
http://www.anandtech.com/guides/showdoc.aspx?i=3163

 

[o1die]

49c isn't that bad. If all your games and software work well, I would leave it alone. Intel will be changing sockets next year or early 09 with nehalem. Am2 won't be enough of a performance upgrade. The q6600 may not be enough of a performance boost for gaming, only multitasking.

 

[GuitarDaddy]

I would wait on a full rebuild until the nethlam platform and the new highend nvidia GPU's


You could add a little life to that 939 rig for pretty cheap

3600+ x2 $40
2x512 Gskill ddr400 $49


The 4000+ should overclock to similar speeds of your FX55. I did a the same to my sons gaming rig(8800gts 320mb) a couple of months ago and it was a well spent $115 upgrade IMO. The newer games like bioshock and supreme commander that see benifiets from dual core showed noticable improvement.

 

[panoramarts]

I was thinking the same I would wait probably 6 months or so. Though iam impressed by q6600 ocing performance, fx-55 is nothing near it. By the way how is 45nm chips by intel are beneficial? Does Intel include ocing options on their Motherboards?

 

[gingerstewart55]

Intel themselves, just started putting OC'ing options on their own motherboards.....they started doing that with the BAdAxe motherboards.....the X975 boards. They apparently will be continuing this with the Bonetrails and Skulltrails....their enthusiast boards, or extreme boards.

Most Intel chipsets, on the other hand, have always been very stable when overclocking, going way back to the Celeron 300 days. Different Intel chipsets OC better than others.....but how well a particular chipset/motherboard OC's depends a lot upon the manufacturer of the motherboard and that company's engineering expertise. ASUS, Gigabyte, Abit, among others, are all good manufacturers for high quality and stable OC'ing platforms. And theirs normally run a bit faster than Intel-branded boards, which typically have been built for stability, reliability, and compatibility instead of overclocking prowess.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

Thanks for your summary, Ginger. I knew all that, but you said it well.

 

[panoramarts]

thanks for the info. I am selling of my old rig...soon & be listing on ebay.
I need to make a choice here and need your help. Proccessor, motherboard and Memory combination. I have two processors in my budget Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz AND Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 Conroe 2.4GHz. I will be using stock air cooler and might upgrade to after market air coolers like thermalight. And a motherboard not more than 150.00$.
What I do on computer: Photoshop CS3 mainly, Photomatix, Antivirus, GAMES (battlefield, crysis). I already have a BFG 8800 GTX 768 MB card. Having four cores is it useful practically or Two is enough?

 

[Pyrokinetic]

Whether or not you need four cores depends on how you use your computer; two cores would would be adequate I think, but you also might enjoy the multitasking freedom of four cores.

However, the Q6600 retails for about $255 and an E6550 (a better choice than the older E6600 -- 1333 FSB vs 1066 at nigh the same CPU frequency) goes for $170. Whether or not the price difference matters is how bad do you want four cores? Unless you are a real power user and multi-tasker, four cores may be a bit much as two of the cores may be idle much of the time. The savings of the price difference would also cover the cost of a Thermalright Ultra 120 and fan.

As for a motherboard, the Intel P35 chipsets are probably the best balance of value and performance. Important note though -- you have one 8800GTX -- if you ever want to run two in SLI, you will have to consider an Nvidia chipset; however, only the 650i boards can be had for under $150 (not the better 680i or new 780i). But, unless you have a huge monitor (a 27" or 30") one GTX should be just fine.

As for good P35 boards, I would stick with DFI, Abit, ASUS, or Gigabyte.

Regarding memory, you will need DDR2 800. Memory is cheap right now so get at least 2GB (2 x 1GB sticks) or 4GB (2 x 2GB -- note that a 32-bit OS will not be able to utilize all 4GB - only get 4GB if you plan to use a 64-bit OS). Since you use Photoshop in certain situations it can bump up against the 32-bit 2GB barrier; read up on it:
http://www.anandtech.com/showdoc.aspx?i=3034&p=5

As for what memory, Crucial Ballistix, Corsair XMS, Patriot, Mushkin and others are safe choices for the most part.

 

[panoramarts]

I am not going to go for SLI. I made choice of
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz -----270$
GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3P Rev 2 LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX----130$
Patriot Extreme Performance 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 800----40 (after rebate)
any suggestions are welcome

 

[BlueAcolyte]

That seems to be fine.

 

[panoramarts]

Can anyone comment on E6850 overclocking capability compared to Q6600??

 

[j0j081]

Originally posted by: panoramarts
Can anyone comment on E6850 overclocking capability compared to Q6600??

the e6850 is generally thought of to be a ripoff. the e6750 overclocks very well and is compared to the q6600.

 

[myocardia]

Originally posted by: Pyrokinetic
Whether or not the price difference matters is how bad do you want four cores? Unless you are a real power user and multi-tasker, four cores may be a bit much as two of the cores may be idle much of the time.

I'm thinking you know nothing about Photoshop. And note that CS3 is more optimized for quads than CS2 was, although I can't find any benchmarks done by a review site using CS3, since it came out a good while after the Q6600 did.

 

[panoramarts]

Originally posted by: j0j081

Originally posted by: panoramarts
Can anyone comment on E6850 overclocking capability compared to Q6600??

the e6850 is generally thought of to be a ripoff. the e6750 overclocks very well and is compared to the q6600.

Is there any source available on the internet which compares both processors overclocking potential on air. Can some one elaborate on them.

 

[Pyrokinetic]

Originally posted by: myocardia

Originally posted by: Pyrokinetic
Whether or not the price difference matters is how bad do you want four cores? Unless you are a real power user and multi-tasker, four cores may be a bit much as two of the cores may be idle much of the time.

I'm thinking you know nothing about Photoshop. And note that CS3 is more optimized for quads than CS2 was, although I can't find any benchmarks done by a review site using CS3, since it came out a good while after the Q6600 did.

I'm thinking you made an assumption, and you end up only making an ass out of u and mption (Samuel L. Jackson - "The Long Kiss Goodnight")

I own Adobe Suite CS2, and do use it - but not daily. Saving twenty seconds on load time on a program I use on a casual basis is not a reason for me (or perhaps someone else) to go shell out the cash for a quad. However, if someone uses such a program on a continual basis, then yes, your point is valid. To assume that I am ignorant is rude. I was only trying to help panoramarts get the best value for his dollar.

 

[panoramarts]

http://www.xbitlabs.com
Shows that Q6600 performs better than E6850 when overclocked. My Gut was leaning toward Q6600

 

[panoramarts]

I am staying with decision of Q6600. I already bought Patriot ddr2 800 (2x1GB). Now is the motherboard. I Need no SLI or RAID (but if raid is there doesnt matter). I like few boards:
GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3P Rev 2
ABIT IP35 Pro
ASUS P5K DELUXE (kinda expensive, may consider)
GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS4 Rev. 2.0 (really like this board)

Need suggestions... price cant go above 170$

 

[myocardia]

If you get any of those four boards, you won't be disappointed. If I were you, I'd just choose which one to buy based on price and features (that you'll use).

 

[corsa]

He started out thinking heat was his big issue....43c? yea right..talk about crappy O/C going to 2Gb of ram would have been night and day :light: .....now hes building a new pc .....nobody has asked what is his PSU or Case :thumbsdown:

 

[panoramarts]

Case: Koolance dont remember heat dissipation PC2 case (Two 80mm fans on top). Motherboard ASUS A8N-SLI MB chip fan is broken so installed MB waterblock. Waterblock also on CPU. Two rear intake fans 112 CFM, 4800 Rpm. Two Front exhaust fans 80CFM. BFG 8800 GTX has a stock cooler. Rams G.skill 512x2 DDR 400 (2-2-2-5 FL). Two PSU installed one supports five fans. Other for computer components. One that supports components is Antec True power 550 Watt

 

[MaKeOuT]

those were some pretty high load temps on the C2Q cores at mid 80's Celcius at 3.6GHz. yea, it outperformed the dualie at that OC but runs way too hot even with that huge cooler. Right now, I'll take the C2D...my next build...Then I'll start checking into quads because atleast all new games and apps will be utilizing all cores. thats a 50% OC on that quad, thats quite a bit dont ya think? how long will it last running under load like that?

 

[abs0lut3]

Dunno...

I was going to recommend MSI P35 Neo2-FR just because it comes with ICH9R and supports RAID 5 standard. Not that you could not do that with WinXP Pro at software level...however the thought of that you can on hardware level at 100AR makes it a good buy.

 

[Peelback79]

I'd highly recommend the GA-P35-DS4 Rev 2. I used that same board to build my first computer a few weeks ago. It was plug it all in, push power, and tadaa! Recognized my G.Skillz memory, hard drive and everything. Installed Vista (Which I kinda regret not staying with XP Pro) and it's been solid ever since. Not a single BSOD but I haven't done anything in way of oc'ing....yet.

 

[v8envy]

If he's got the same Koolance case I do then it's a modified 600 watt PSU, most of that being on the 3 and 5 volt rails. I'm surprised that thing hasn't given up the ghost driving an 8800GTX after two years.

The koolance cases require modified PSUs. They reverse the airflow through the PSU to exhaust it out the top vents. It's a slick engineering solution, I really love my case. But the PSU may well be an issue.