DDR2-800 with GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3R?

[Mansooj]

Heya,

So I'm going to build a new machine after several years. Reading around here (gotta love this place's knowledge base), my tentative base for the build will be:

GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3R
Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 Wolfdale 3.16GHz

Now, I have some unopened DDR2-800 ram I got early this year, but the intended use never materialized. The specs for the Giga mobo state: Memory Standard DDR2 1366+/1066, and FSB of 1600/1333MHz

Not being as savvy about this stuff as I'd like, I wonder if the older 800's will be able to keep things at a decent mark or if I should/need to get faster RAM to match the specs.

This older ram is: Corsair 4GB (2x2GB) DDR2 SDRAM DDR2-800 (PC2 6400). Not the best possible, even then, but it was price/performace-fitting for my ultimately aborted plans.

I'm not averse to paying for brand new RAM what with the prices as they are, but figured I'd find out if these are good enough for typical use. I will probably want to overclock a bit, possibly to 3.2G, which I read is reasonable for the E8500. Machine use will be primarily grunt work, with some video, general graphics (not photoshop), and some modern, but not super-cutting edge games.

If new RAM is considered a very good idea, here, what would you recommend as being efficient (performance/cost-wise) for this mobo/CPU combo?

Thanks up front for any advice.

-M

 

[CalvinHobbes]

That ram will work fine with that motherboard and CPU

 

[Mansooj]

Great! I can reroute the ~$50 toward the cost of a new case.

Thanks for the confirmation. Oh, one thing I forgot to include in the OP:

These Corsair XMS2 modules I already have are listed as 5-5-5-12, and 1.9V. Are either of these numbers of any concern wrt the more modern CPU/mobo noted above? I'm iffy on the latency...seems a bit high, but not sure if it matters outside any higher OC'ing plans, which I don't have (at the moment, anyway).

-M

 

[DSF]

The latency doesn't matter in any real way. I'd keep the RAM you have.

This was my sample build in another thread. All you'd need to do is pick a case. If you don't intend to play cutting edge games, you can also step the video card down a notch or two.

Originally posted by: DSF
You said you're deciding between 22 and 24". Be aware that a 24" monitor is 19x12, not 16x10.

Either way, I'm still rocking an OC'ed Allendale and 8800GT from a year ago, and have not had problems playing anything. If I were in your position I'd go with a Core2 setup, a 22" monitor, and a single spiffy graphics card. Considering that you're reusing a case you like, the whole package should probably come in under $1000, including monitor. (But not including an OS.)

This would likely be my setup:
CPU: Intel E8500 - $188
Nice, fast dual core. The gains from quad core are small at this point, although they are growing slowly. If you're planning on upgrading the platform in two years I don't know if there's a point in spending much extra for quad right away.

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3R - $105
Nicely featured motherboard for the price. Will overclock fine if you decide to down the road.

CPU Cooler: ZeroTherm ZEN - $14 AR
If you're not overclocking you don't really need an aftermarket heatsink, but this is a crazy price on a pretty good unit.

RAM: 2x2 GB Corsair DDR2-800 - $25 AR.
DDR2-800 is all you need. If you intend to overclock the chip past 3.8GHz you might step up slightly here.

Video: ASUS 4870 1GB - $245 AR
OR
EVGA GTX 260 Core 216 - $248

Both cards are strong peformers. It comes down to looking up benchmarks in the games you expect to play at the resolution you'll use. The EVGA card has a lifetime warranty and a free game copy of Far Cry 2 if you need a tiebreaker.

Hard Drive: WD Caviar 640GB - $75
The sweet spot in terms of price/performance.

Optical Drive: Samsung SH-S223F DVD Burner - $25
Not a ton of difference between optical drives.

Power Supply: Corsair 650TX
Great PSU for $65 with free shipping from buy.com. Plenty of power for this computer and whatever you decide to do in two years.

All told, that's just under $750 before shipping. Leaves you room in the budget for a good 22" monitor.

 

[Mansooj]

DSF,

Thanks for your reply and taking the time to quote from your own related thread.

Your layout is very similar to what I've jotted down. I've tagged a 4850 vid card, though, since I'm not thinking I'll need anything beefier for some time.

I planned on a Xigmatek HDT-S1283 CPU cooler after a reference to a frostytech.com review, and it's only $27 after rebate, but that ZeroTherm you have lined up is all but impossible to pass up considering it's a quality cooler, as well (plus free shipping--I'm in!).

Fortunately, I already have a nice Samsung 22" monitor that's working fine, so that's one less expense.

I notice you don't have a sound card/NIC listed...you going with onboard? I figured I'd go with the onbard LAN unless I have issues with it, and grab a mid-range sound card (Audigy of some sort, I guess).

Good luck on your build. Good luck on my build, too.

 

[zerocool84]

Originally posted by: Mansooj
DSF,

Thanks for your reply and taking the time to quote from your own related thread.

Your layout is very similar to what I've jotted down. I've tagged a 4850 vid card, though, since I'm not thinking I'll need anything beefier for some time.

I planned on a Xigmatek HDT-S1283 CPU cooler after a reference to a frostytech.com review, and it's only $27 after rebate, but that ZeroTherm you have lined up is all but impossible to pass up considering it's a quality cooler, as well (plus free shipping--I'm in!).

Fortunately, I already have a nice Samsung 22" monitor that's working fine, so that's one less expense.

I notice you don't have a sound card/NIC listed...you going with onboard? I figured I'd go with the onbard LAN unless I have issues with it, and grab a mid-range sound card (Audigy of some sort, I guess).

Good luck on your build. Good luck on my build, too.

The onboard sound on GA-EP45-UD3R is very good. If you want to get better sound get an X-FI since the onboard sound is as good or better than Audigy.

 

[DSF]

Onboard sound on most mid-range to high end boards is pretty good these days. I don't have any complaints, but I'm also playing with some mid-range headphones.

Honestly, I couldn't give you a fair comparison, my last PC used onboard as well. I'm satisfied, but then again I haven't really heard the difference.

 

[Mansooj]

Thanks both for your comments. I'll likely start off with the onbard and see what it tells me. One less potential problem with getting the rig running, anyway. Can always get a sound card if needed.

-M

 

[California Roll]

Look at the system in my sig, loving it so far.

I use the same spec ram that you do, no prob at all.

Onboard sound on this board is spectacular.