First build, any problems and overclocking potential?

[Sczee]

Hi I'm about to buy a new computer but before I pay for anything I'd like to know that everything I'm going to buy are sensible choices and what speed I could overclock to. The components are:

CPU: E6300
Motherboard: Asus P5B Deluxe
Memory: Corsair XMS TWIN2X2048-6400C4 (2x1024MB DDR2-800 4-4-4-12)
Hard Drive 1: Seagate 320GB 7200.10
Hard Drive 2: Seagate 300GB 7200.7 (I already have it)
Graphics Card: ATI X1950 Pro
Optical Drive: Gigabyte GO-W1616B - http://www.gigabyte.com.tw/Products/ODD...x?ProductID=2097&ProductName=GO-W1616B
Power Supply: ThermalTake 700W ToughPower - http://www.thermaltake.com/product/Power/ToughPower/W0106/w0106.asp
Case: Gigabyte Poseidon - http://www.gigabyte.com.tw/Products/Chassis/Products_Spec.aspx?ProductID=2149
Monitor: ViewSonic VX922 (I already have it)
Speakers: Logitech Z-5500 (I already have them)

I'd like to be able to easily overclock (i.e. not drastically shorten the life of anything by doing it) to 2.8 GHz (400MHz FSB). Is this possible with stock cooling and this setup? Or would getting an E6400 be more of a guarantee of getting 2.8 GHz. Is the RAM good enough/overkill, could I get away with 5-5-5-12 timings (still DDR2-800)? If I go with the 5-5-5-12 RAM and an E6400 I'd save $10. Would this be a good idea or should I go for 4-4-4-12 and the E6400 and pay the extra $60 it'd cost me? Basically my CPU + RAM options are (in order of price):

- E6300 + cl5 RAM - save $70
- E6400 + cl5 RAM - save $10
- E6300 + cl4 RAM - my current selection
- E6400 + cl4 RAM - add $60

Obviously the latter combination is the best, but how much better would it be. As I said I want to overclock to 2.8 GHz +. Which is the cheapest of these combinations with which I could do that easily? And could I do it with stock cooling?

Also I'd like to upgrade the GFX card in the future to something like a 8800 GTX. Would this be possible in this setup (i.e. would it fit)? And if you think I am wasting money anywhere please tell me because I am on quite a tight budget (this is about the max I am willing to pay, its 2325 New Zealand dollars for what I have left to buy).

I'm not sure about the PSU either. 700W seems like overkill even if I got a 8800 GTX and I could save $40 by changing to a 600W ToughPower model but the 600W model has only a combined output of 48A on its 4 12V rails where as the 700W model has 56A. I don't really know what these numbers mean in a practical sense so could someone tell me if I need 56A or if 48A is enough.

Oh yeah and the only thing which I'm likely to use the computer for which will actually need all of the processing power is games.

Thanks

One other thing, I have Logitech Z-5500 speakers which I love so should I get a sound card? I can get a Creative Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS for $140 (NZ$) which I could get later on (almost definitely not at the same time as the rest of the system). How big is the difference between integrated sound and this sound card?

 

[stogez]

I would go with the E6400 and CL5 RAM as that would make your overclock easier since you wont need high FSB. You could go down to the P5B-E or the Gigabyte DS3 motherboards unless you really need the deluxe.
You can easily get away with lower PSU as well. 550-600w should be more than enough for that system and a 8800 card.
Integrated sound these days is very good. A sound card would give you couple extra FPS in games though. You can probably pick up the Audigy2ZS for much less. Check the FS/FT forums 😉

 

[emilyek]

seasonic or corsair psu
6400
DS3 or S3
Cas 5 ram
8800 series card

 

[Noubourne]

2.8Ghz is POSSIBLE with stock cooling, but I wouldn't call it a sure thing. Throw a few bucks at a decent HSF why doncha?

 

[Noubourne]

Oh and dude your current selection is the one I would make.

Except the stock cooling.

 

[Sczee]

Originally posted by: stogez
I would go with the E6400 and CL5 RAM as that would make your overclock easier since you wont need high FSB. You could go down to the P5B-E or the Gigabyte DS3 motherboards unless you really need the deluxe.
You can easily get away with lower PSU as well. 550-600w should be more than enough for that system and a 8800 card.
Integrated sound these days is very good. A sound card would give you couple extra FPS in games though. You can probably pick up the Audigy2ZS for much less. Check the FS/FT forums 😉

Ok that sounds like a good idea with the CPU and RAM as the RAM would be running at DDR2 700 I think (8x350MHz = 2.8 GHz and 2x350MHz = 700MHz) so I wouldn't need the higher quality RAM. Would I be able to get 350 MHz FSB with stock cooling and an E6400? Could I go higher, say 3.0 GHz (8x375MHz = 3.0GHz) with stock cooling and the 5-5-5-15 RAM?

I like the features of the P5B (eSATA/Firewire etc) so I think I'll stick with that. So the 48A on the 12V rails in the 600W ToughPower is enough? (The 550W model is more expensive than the 600W one at the vendor I'm looking at)

The sound card will cost me $140 because its New Zealand dollars and NZ$ really suck. But I'll wait on that and see what the integrated sound is like (has to be better than my laptop anyway).

Also I have a question about the Optical drive. The one I have at the moment in my laptop is really crap and burn errors on to DVDs and stuff so I'd like a good reliable drive. Does anyone know anything about the Gigabyte model I listed above? Or should I go for the DRU830A Sony drive (search for DRU830A at http://www.sony.co.nz/products/search.asp)
It will cost me an extra $35 but I'm willing to pay the extra if its going to be more reliable.

 

[stogez]

Like noubourne said, try to get some aftermarket cooling. It will keep the temps down when overclocking and give your processor longer life 🙂
I think both those boards hit pretty high FSB but you never know. Thats why I said E6400. The higher multi really helps. Its average to hit around 3.1-3.2 ghz on the C2D these days.
I think you'll be more than happy with the onboard sound if you're just looking for it to sound better than your laptop 😉
Look for BenQ or NEC drives for your DVDRW

 

[Sczee]

Originally posted by: Noubourne
Oh and dude your current selection is the one I would make.

Except the stock cooling.

How about this HSF http://www.silentpcreview.com/article285-page1.html. It gets a pretty good review and only costs me $58. What sort of speed could I overclock to using this.

And by saying you like my current selection do you mean I should stick to the E6300 and cl4 rather than getting an E6400 or cheaper RAM? Would the cl4 make much of a difference over the cl5. It would if the FSB speed gets much over 400MHz but if I get an E6400 that's unlikely to happen. So getting the E6400 and cl5 makes more sense to me. Please point out where I'm wrong if I am.

I can get an Enermax Liberty 620W PSU for an extra $52 over the 700W ThermalTake. Would this be a good decision?

And to stogez New Zealand seems to have practically no BenQ or NEC DVDRW drives anywhere so I can't get either of those brands. The Sony model I mentioned above looks like it would be good, has anyone had any experience with Sony DVDRW drives?

Cheers

 

[Sczee]

Considering the above comments I have the following changes to my build:

CPU: E6400 --- change (+ $63)
Motherboard: Asus P5B Deluxe
Memory: Corsair XMS TWIN2X2048-6400C5 (2x1024MB DDR2-800 5-5-5-15) --- change (- $70)
Hard Drive 1: Seagate 320GB 7200.10
Hard Drive 2: Seagate 300GB 7200.7 (I already have it)
Graphics Card: ATI X1950 Pro
Optical Drive: Sony DRU830A DL --- change (+ $30)
Power Supply: Enermax Liberty 620W --- change (+ $52)
CPU Cooler: Arctic Freezer Pro 7 --- change (+ $58)
Case: Gigabyte Poseidon - http://www.gigabyte.com.tw/Products/Chassis/Products_Spec.aspx?ProductID=2149
Monitor: ViewSonic VX922 (I already have it)
Speakers: Logitech Z-5500 (I already have them)

This now comes to $2457 (NZ$) where as the original system was $2318. Are the changes worth it? I'm still not sure about the RAM. Is the cl5 good enough to overclock the E6400 to 2.8 - 3.0 GHz? And does anyone know anything about Sony DVDRW drives?

Thanks