Heatsink? Penryn?

[sammyunltd]

Hi. I'm looking forward to buy a new computer soon and I have a question regarding overclocking in C2D.

I'll probably buy a Q6600 or a E6850 (depends if the Penryn are coming at the end of January or not) ---- or a Penryn.

If a mild-to-medium overclock is to be done (like from 2.4 to 3.0 GHz), is a heatsink needed or does the default one do the job?? My case will be an Antec P182 and I plan to add one additional 120mm fan. I want everything to stay as cool as possible so that's why I'm asking.

Also... regardin Penryn (Wolfdale and Yorkfield), are they really worth it. I mean, my current computer is C-R-A-P. Pentium IV 1.7 GHz and 512 MB SDRAM. It's 6 years old. I really want to change it ASAP so is it worth the wait, performance-wise (but also price-wise)?

Now, I'm going to do a lot of multi-tasking but not really demanding. Internet, iTunes, Word or Excel, MSN, Google Talk... all these open at the same time, and throw in some games too. Which of the processors will give me the best performances there, a Dual Core or a Quad Core? Q6600 or E6850? Like I said, there will probably be a mild overclocked involved so...

Also, about the future. I don't really know a lot about Nehalem, other than it will be different from Penryn and Conroe. Thus, Nehalem platforms won't be compatible with Penryn and Conroe? In other words, if I buy an X38 board, will it be compatible down the line with Nehalem?

Thank you a lot!
and
Merry Christmas in advance

 

[aigomorla]

1. I hear reports from people who can get 3.0ghz off stock voltage on a Q6600. Some even downvolting it. So the stock cooler should be fine as long as you dont play with the voltage too much. However, when you play games, or something loads it, and it gets hot, the stock cooler can sound fairly loud. If budget is absolute must, a 21 dollar Artic Freezer7 might be a good option.

2. Wolfdale, and Yorkfield are definitely worth it. If you grab a nice penryn with 12meg cache, it will outbench a kentsfield clock per clock. However, seeing how you probably dont do much which would require intensive CPU power, i dont think you'll honestly see a difference between both of them clocked @ 3.2ghz. Artic Freezer should allow you to pull off 3.2ghz on a G0 kentsfield and Yorkfield.

<forget the dualcore, go quadcore, its a better investment seeing how you dont change parts very often>

3. X38 WILL NOT SUPPORT Neha. I hear there rolling new sockets out for it. So no your processor upgrade path dies @ yorksfield. <sorry i have to comment on this. If your buying an X38 board and rolling a stock cooler on it, ima have to shake my head on this comment>

And according to people who understand neha's arch. Its supposed to spank yorkfield hardcore. But neha isnt supposed to be out for a while, and now after amd getting owned by kentfield even, i doubt intel will release it @ promised date. So if you play the waiting game, something much better will be scheduled to release, and you'll end up waiting for that even and never upgrade.

In Short, if you want to desperately upgrade, grab a G0 Q6600, with a nice cooler, and middle to upper class enthusiest [errr i butchered that spelling] board. Get decient quality ram, with a nice stable psu.

Then grab a nice video card, like a 8800GT or a 8800GTS 512MEG <NOT the 640 or the 320>

Then that should most definitely hold you out to whatever you throw at it for the next couple of years. [Maybe even longer if you overclock it very nicely]

 

[sammyunltd]

Thank you, but since it will be my first "build" (my present computer is a HP), I will be upgrading up once or twice before building a second one, so I might change all my stuff in 18 to 24 months, when Nehalem will be well established.

My question now, I'm desperate, but not that much. I mean, I want to play games badly and I want to multi-task, but I don't want to wait 2 months. If you tell me the Yorkfield are delayed until February or March, then I think I will go for the Q6600 G0.

About the chipsets, what is best? Go for P35 or X38? I know the major difference is that X38 enables PCI-Express 2.0 but is that really worth it?
I will probably go for a 8800 GT and use the step-up program when the next GPU will be out.

 

[aigomorla]

Originally posted by: sammyunltd
Thank you, but since it will be my first "build" (my present computer is a HP), I will be upgrading up once or twice before building a second one, so I might change all my stuff in 18 to 24 months, when Nehalem will be well established.

My question now, I'm desperate, but not that much. I mean, I want to play games badly and I want to multi-task, but I don't want to wait 2 months. If you tell me the Yorkfield are delayed until February or March, then I think I will go for the Q6600 G0.

About the chipsets, what is best? Go for P35 or X38? I know the major difference is that X38 enables PCI-Express 2.0 but is that really worth it?
I will probably go for a 8800 GT and use the step-up program when the next GPU will be out.

You wont see much of a performance difference between a X38 and a P35. DDR3 is not worth its performance right now, so you should just keep on DDR2. You can get 2gigs for fairly cheap right now after rebate.

Just make sure you dont skimp on the power supply. A good power supply can mean a whole lot in stability and also longivity in your system.

And im very sure you wont notice any difference between a 3.2 kentsfield vs a 3.2 yorkfield in the applications you listed out.

 

[sammyunltd]

So I should still go for a P35? I know I won't buy DDR 3 for awhile. So it's DDR2 all the way for me.

Are there any other feature that make X38 worth it over P35?

Thank you!

EDIT: Should I go with DDR2-800 or with DDR2-1066, knowing I will overclock? Crucial or OCZ?

 

[Pryde]

Go for the P35, if your only looking for a ~3.2Ghz OC it will easily handle it. There is very little difference between P35 and X38 except the price.

As for the CPU go for the Q6600, its the same price as the E6850. Only difference between the two is the FSB but you can change that by overclock it up to match the E6850 1333Mhz.

 

[Denithor]

Ok, before you go buying stuff, let's make sure it fits your needs.

Most of the stuff you referenced above is refered to as "general use" and is not cpu intensive at all. Multitasking today means running several cpu intensive programs simultaneously (F@H and video encoding in the background while also playing an intensive 3D game) not just having lots of light programs open at the same time and switching among them.

What you have described would be very well handled by even a stock e6750 or an overclocked e4500/e2180. It doesn't sound like you are a gamer, either, so no need to blow $300 on a high end video card.

Components:
ASUS P5E-VM HDMI $141 (mATX, x16 PCI-E slot, raid, firewire)
e4500 (2.2GHz, 2MB cache) $125
mushkin 2x1GB DDR2-800 $54
Seagate HDD (250GB 16MB cache SATA) $65
ASUS DVD+/-RW (with Lightscribe & DVD-RAM) $33
Silverstone 350W PSU $30 (after $10MIR)

Total cost of components: $450

Pick a nice case, such as the Antec Solo ($95), Antec P182 ($90 after $50MIR--great deal) or any of these In Win mini-tower cases ($65-75, 350W PSU to keep as a spare).

This build will give you a huge boost over your old P4 1.7GHz system and will be up to the most challenging tasks you throw at it (especially if you take the time to overclock correctly, should hit 3GHz easily on stock cooling). You have the option of adding a video card if you decide to get into games. If you want to save a bit more money, go with an e2180 ($85) and overclock to the same point (at 3GHz for the kind of tasks you describe above you won't see any difference).

 

[aigomorla]

Originally posted by: Denithor
Ok, before you go buying stuff, let's make sure it fits your needs.

Most of the stuff you referenced above is refered to as "general use" and is not cpu intensive at all. Multitasking today means running several cpu intensive programs simultaneously (F@H and video encoding in the background while also playing an intensive 3D game) not just having lots of light programs open at the same time and switching among them.

What you have described would be very well handled by even a stock e6750 or an overclocked e4500/e2180. It doesn't sound like you are a gamer, either, so no need to blow $300 on a high end video card.

Components:
ASUS P5E-VM HDMI $141 (mATX, x16 PCI-E slot, raid, firewire)
e4500 (2.2GHz, 2MB cache) $125
mushkin 2x1GB DDR2-800 $54
Seagate HDD (250GB 16MB cache SATA) $65
ASUS DVD+/-RW (with Lightscribe & DVD-RAM) $33
Silverstone 350W PSU $30 (after $10MIR)

Total cost of components: $450

Pick a nice case, such as the Antec Solo ($95), Antec P182 ($90 after $50MIR--great deal) or any of these In Win mini-tower cases ($65-75, 350W PSU to keep as a spare).

This build will give you a huge boost over your old P4 1.7GHz system and will be up to the most challenging tasks you throw at it (especially if you take the time to overclock correctly, should hit 3GHz easily on stock cooling). You have the option of adding a video card if you decide to get into games. If you want to save a bit more money, go with an e2180 ($85) and overclock to the same point (at 3GHz for the kind of tasks you describe above you won't see any difference).

uhhhh.... maybe you missed this:

Originally posted by: sammyunltd
Hi. I'm looking forward to buy a new computer soon and I have a question regarding overclocking in C2D.

I'll probably buy a Q6600 or a E6850 (depends if the Penryn are coming at the end of January or not) ---- or a Penryn.

Which of the processors will give me the best performances there, a Dual Core or a Quad Core? Q6600 or E6850? Like I said, there will probably be a mild overclocked involved so...

B] In other words, if I buy an X38 board, will it be compatible down the line with Nehalem?[/b]

Thank you a lot!
and
Merry Christmas in advance

Sorry, why are you recomending a crap E4500 to the OP when his range is looking for either a E6850 and a Q6600.

Also whats wrong with having the extra 2 cores now? What if he does want to get into some encoding and video editing. Also Gamers are now being more adpated for multi threading.

The Videocard has built in HD decoding, so it can play just about any HD format without taxing your CPU. Its also within the OP's price range. Not to mention it will probably take just about ANY game the OP decides to throw at it for the new couple of years without breaking a sweat! Its also a dayam good value for its price.

Why Must people ruin other people's builds when they have there heart set on something? Just because YOU went cheap end doesnt entitle everyone in the forum to go cheap. And

PS. Theres a big difference on the board end on a low end board vs high end board.



OP. ignore his post, and continue on...

Originally posted by: sammyunltd
So I should still go for a P35? I know I won't buy DDR 3 for awhile. So it's DDR2 all the way for me.

Are there any other feature that make X38 worth it over P35?

Thank you!

EDIT: Should I go with DDR2-800 or with DDR2-1066, knowing I will overclock? Crucial or OCZ?

Personally if your new to overclocking, i would recomend a board thats very stable and doesnt have a lot of confusing options.

Abit: IP35-PRO
Gigabyte P35-DS3P DS4
Gigabyte X38-DQ6 <--- this is what i got my eyes on right now.
Asus P5K-E or DLX or Premium. The maximus is very nice if you can fit it in your budget, however...

If you really want to get down to a heavy ocable board with options that will definitely scare a newbie and has very little support, the DFI LP X38 <--- i really want that board...


As for ram... crucial ballastix series is allmost gaurentee'd micron D9's. These are the best ocing ram... however realistically i doubt you'll need more then 400fsb x 2 so 800fsb.

Any PC6400 ram that you can find cheap should fit this area. Id stick to the big companies tho, like OCZ, Crucial, Kingston, Corsair, .... If in doubt ASK b4 you buy!

Power Supply, you would need to fill us on your budget expense for this project. Ask for recomendations in the power supply section based on your budget.

Cooler, if you truely want to unleash the power of the Q6600, you'll need one of these coolers. Tuniq Tower, and Ultra120 Extreme. Both can be bought at jab-tech.com or petrastechshop.com These are your best options in air catigory.

For a case, almsot any case will do as long as it can take a rear 120mm fan. The sinks on both unit are quite large, so it needs a wide case.

 

[Denithor]

Originally posted by: sammyunltd
Now, I'm going to do a lot of multi-tasking but not really demanding. Internet, iTunes, Word or Excel, MSN, Google Talk... all these open at the same time, and throw in some games too. Which of the processors will give me the best performances there, a Dual Core or a Quad Core? Q6600 or E6850? Like I said, there will probably be a mild overclocked involved so...

I suppose I was too busy reading that he isn't going to need a power-house cpu and tried to save him some cash. He could build a downright quick system for $600 now (that will last at least 12-18 months) and then do it again when Nehalem has come down in price (which will require new cpu/mobo/ram).

For today's gaming the most he needs is an e6750 and a good video card (depending on the games he wants to play--3850 for moderate gaming, 8800GT for high end gaming). If going the gaming route, go with a DFI P35-T2RL motherboard for $115 (single x16 slot, raid, no firewire).

 

[aigomorla]

Originally posted by: Denithor

Originally posted by: sammyunltd
Now, I'm going to do a lot of multi-tasking but not really demanding. Internet, iTunes, Word or Excel, MSN, Google Talk... all these open at the same time, and throw in some games too. Which of the processors will give me the best performances there, a Dual Core or a Quad Core? Q6600 or E6850? Like I said, there will probably be a mild overclocked involved so...

I suppose I was too busy reading that he isn't going to need a power-house cpu and tried to save him some cash. He could build a downright quick system for $600 now (that will last at least 12-18 months) and then do it again when Nehalem has come down in price (which will require new cpu/mobo/ram).

For today's gaming the most he needs is an e6750 and a good video card (depending on the games he wants to play--3850 for moderate gaming, 8800GT for high end gaming). If going the gaming route, go with a DFI P35-T2RL motherboard for $115 (single x16 slot, raid, no firewire).

And once again, how many times do you count him asking for which gives a better performance jump a Q6600 or a E6850. I dont see anywhere in his post also where he mentions he's strapped for cash. Also i dont think people strapped for cash would be asking about X38 boards.

Also the second PCI-E could come very useful. Heck my current board only has 2 and i wish it had 3. And yes im using both pci-e's

Just honestly tell me, what do you have against monster power house computers?