help with new build, choosing parts, best budget oc

GrandPixel

Member
Nov 24, 2009
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I am building a new system and am trying to keep a very low budget. I was going to use an E5200 and try to get 4.0ghz, but I decided that I could probably find a good buy in the used market on a quad core, and it would be worth the extra. The problem is that I am having a hard time finding something at a low price that is commonly clocked at 4.0ghz (that is my goal).

Also, I am open to motherboard suggestions. I was planning to use the GA-EP45-UD3P so that I can use two 4870's crossfire. This board is $110 after rebate. Again, I am fine with finding used parts as well.

I would also like for someone to explain to me some of the issues that could limit my overclock with certain chips. For instance, I read that the Q9300 has a low multiplier which will keep me from hitting 4.0ghz. That is the type of basic info I am looking for.

In the end, if my search is not successful, I suppose it would be better to run a quad-core at 3.6ghz than a dual-core at 4.0ghz.

By the way, I have found a used q6600 and evga 750i ftw board for a very good price. Any reason I would be disappointed with this setup in some way?
 

Markfw

Moderator Emeritus, Elite Member
May 16, 2002
25,483
14,434
136
Welcome to the forums.

First let me say that even though you may see many 4 ghz+ people posting here, I personally have not found a combination, dual, quad, q6600, q9450, I7 920, E8400, none of which can do 4 ghz @ 24/7 100%load stable for more than hours. The closest was my E8400, and I had it @ 4.07 for a few weeks, but then it locked up. I need mine really stable, and for months@24/7/100%load.

My I7 920@ 3.8 (maybe more, 3.9 possible) is the closest/fastest I have found, but the socket 1366 and the word "cheap" just don't go hand in hand.

Good luck in whichever way you go, and I do suggest anything quad @ 3.4 or better is better long run than anything dual @ 3.8 or better.
 

ther00kie16

Golden Member
Mar 28, 2008
1,573
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A lot of your questions can be answered by the stickies:
http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=47089
And if you aren't sure about choosing between dual and quad core:
http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=232212
If your goal is 4ghz, e5200 is by no means a guarantee, especially if you don't have previous knowledge and experience. If you did, something like the e3200 would be just as ocable to 4ghz. If you want a 4ghz quad core, you'll want the q9550 ($160 @ microcenter if you have one nearby). q6600 is fairly old and by no means a guarantee even to hit 3.6ghz. Only the g0 stepping was constantly hitting 3.6ghz (and not the g0s toward the end). Another thing of note is that the nvidia chipsets weren't particularly good for overclocking.
If you want more help, you'll have to tell us more, such as what you intend to use this computer for.
In my mind, best budget oc'er would be e3200 with a cheap g41 or p43 board for $100-$130 taken to 4ghz (there was a combo for $78 after rebate, would've made a killer budget pc with the case+psu for $22 after rebate that I passed up a few days later).
Sweet spot might be $150 i5 (microcenter) + $90 p55 mobo.
 
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cbn

Lifer
Mar 27, 2009
12,968
221
106
By the way, I have found a used q6600 and evga 750i ftw board for a very good price. Any reason I would be disappointed with this setup in some way?


I wouldn't pay too much for that Q6600. The new Athlon II x4 is about as good as that chip and probably runs a lot cooler.
 

n7

Elite Member
Jan 4, 2004
21,303
4
81
I'd suggest continuing to research, as it looks like you have just begun & are exploring all options.

I'd vote strongly against an nForce chipset for a lot of reasons, the main one that would affect you being the fact they tend to be crap for OCing quads & RAM unless you are willing to tweak a lot, or get lucky.

If you are looking for a good bang for buck, i'd say look @ AMD.

They've got some great pricing on quads & mobos, & you can still OC decently.

Unless you're getting a killer deal on s775, i wouldn't go that route, as it's a dead socket.

i5 750 + UD2 would get you near 4 GHz (or better if you get lucky/have good cooling), but that's obviously going to more than what i'd consider a budget build.
 

jonpete

Junior Member
Nov 22, 2009
5
0
0
I got an i5 along with a MSI P55-GD80, I know not exactly budget but worth it in my opinion. I got the i5 clocked to 4.0Ghz and runs very stable... been running for almost 3 weeks now no crashes or faults yet...

you can give the i5 a try, and pair it with the MSI P55-G45, my brother has that setup, OC'ed the i5 same as mine and it runs well... the i5 you can get for 150USD I think, not sure on the prices though as I am here in the Philippines, but the board am sure comes to around 120USD... :biggrin: or the Gigabyte UD2, I think this board retails for less...
 
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nyker96

Diamond Member
Apr 19, 2005
5,630
2
81
if you already got DDR2s you can buy my combo of X4 620 $99, with gigabyte board that supports 2xg card forgot the model number but was like $85 for $185. it's pretty fast for gaming definitely better than E5200 now that many games is using more threads. I OC to about 3,25 but this chip can do more like 3,5 with 4 cores a 3,5 is very respectable. all in all I came from a 3,5 E7200 and it's much faster.

but if you going DDR3, i suggest you save up and get a i5-750.
 

GrandPixel

Member
Nov 24, 2009
62
0
0
Thanks everyone for your input. I probably should consider AMD, but know nothing about them and have been consumed with this pc build - spending too much time on it. I need to settle on something. But if you want to give me the lowdown and think I can definitely get more performance on a low budget with AMD, I'll hear what you have to say.

Here is what I have on paper right now...

120 open box asrock x58 extreme
200 i7-920 at micro center
160 8bg adata ddr3 1600 (using 8gb instead of 12gb for comparison)
480 total


110 open box asrock p55 extreme
150 i5-750 at micro center
160 8gb adata ddr3 1600
420 total

110 gigabyte p45 w xfire
170 q9550
100 8gb ddr2 1066 already purchased
380 total

110 gigabyte p45 w xfire
120 q8400 used
100 8gb ddr2 1066 already purchased
330 total

110 gigabyte p45 w xfire
80 e8400 used
100 8gb ddr2 1066 already purchased
290 total

Not really any point in going lower than this unless there is a cheaper xfire motherboard that is just as good as the gigabyte...

nyker96
is your motherboard one of these?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128395
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128398
 

Rhoxed

Golden Member
Jun 23, 2007
1,051
3
81
1. AMD HDZ955FBGIBOX: $168.99

2. ASUS M4A79XTD EVO: $119.99

Combo Discount: -$55.00
Combo Price: $233.98

The AMD Phenom II 955 black edition comes stock at 3.2ghz and can easily reach 3.7-4ghz (3.8 or 3.9 being common cap for air cooling)

pick up this combo deal with 4gb or 8gb of ram and be happy - about as good as a i5-750 and kills the q9xxx series for the price

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.295699

EDIT also supports your x-fire
 
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Oct 27, 2007
17,010
1
0
If you're on a budget, get your head out of the Intel space. AMD is the clear winner in both budget and bang-for-buck gear.
 

GrandPixel

Member
Nov 24, 2009
62
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0
well, one thing is that i already bought 8gb ddr2 ram, got it for less than $100 shipped. however it would be no problem to put it back up for sale and get some ddr3 instead.

that is the same asus/amd combo someone else pointed me to. i am considering it, but how would it compare (regardless of price, and at overclocked speeds) to a q9550 system

also now i am thinking that an i7-920 setup would be only $90 more than the phenom 955 setup. then i would also have the option to upgrade to the i9 and would have extra pcie lanes for dual x16 which may be helpful both now and possible dual gt300 gpu's later

i am trying not to go crazy with this build... i started with an e5200 combo, but was like well for only $whatever more i can pick up a used q8400, but for only $whatever more i can pick up a used q9550, and now amd is thrown into the mix with a big combo discount... and i am ending up thinking about the i7-920 and have no idea which way to turn! *huff, puff*

anyway, if i am going to get the i7-920 i need to do it today cause the person that lives near micro center is flying here for thanksgiving. would be great to have the extra power for video encoding and other tasks, but at the same time technology is obsolete so fast so it doesn't make financial sense to stay on top of it

aaaaaand, i am thinking that the amd does not make sense also because i can pick up an i5-750 combo for only $30 more

any more thoughts?
 

nyker96

Diamond Member
Apr 19, 2005
5,630
2
81

The setup I got is following:
AMD Athlon II X4 620 Propus ($99) + GIGABYTE GA-MA785GM-US2H (uATX, $80) = 180
but if you need to use 2x graphics card then:
GIGABYTE GA-MA785G-UD3H ($90) will allow 2x graphics card.

Also this week newegg has the following combo which is much stronger than what I got and supports 2x graphics card plus you get the Black Edition CPU.
# AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Deneb 3.2GHz Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor + ASUS M4A79XTD EVO AM3 AMD 790X ATX AMD Motherboard - $10 MIR = $221

Link: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.295699
 
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aigomorla

CPU, Cases&Cooling Mod PC Gaming Mod Elite Member
Super Moderator
Sep 28, 2005
20,839
3,174
126
can i ask why your so desperate on getting 4ghz?

4ghz was never catigorized as a budget goal.

If you want a gaurentee'd 4ghz and + you need to invest a decient amount on the system.

Overclocking is not just based on the cpu.
It plays a big factor, but its like 50%.

The other 30% is based on PSU, RAM, Board.
The last 20% is on cooling. 4ghz on a QuadCore basically means ur required a mandatory upper tier class sink.

Those sinks start at 50 dollars and -> 1000 dollars for exotic cooling.
This applies to BOTH Intel and AMD.

So i hate to tell ya, like mark, no one can gaurentee you getting 4ghz unless you really want to invest in mid tier parts. :\

anyway, if i am going to get the i7-920 i need to do it today cause the person that lives near micro center is flying here for thanksgiving. would be great to have the extra power for video encoding and other tasks, but at the same time technology is obsolete so fast so it doesn't make financial sense to stay on top of it

any more thoughts?

If you grab the 920, and its a D0, give it a decient board, i would personally recomend the eVGA X58 SLI LE, add a great air sink to it, and DDR3-1600mhz ram i can pretty much say 90% confidence, you'll get 4ghz.

But do you want to invest all that in a system?
 
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Rhoxed

Golden Member
Jun 23, 2007
1,051
3
81
well, one thing is that i already bought 8gb ddr2 ram, got it for less than $100 shipped. however it would be no problem to put it back up for sale and get some ddr3 instead.

that is the same asus/amd combo someone else pointed me to. i am considering it, but how would it compare (regardless of price, and at overclocked speeds) to a q9550 system

also now i am thinking that an i7-920 setup would be only $90 more than the phenom 955 setup. then i would also have the option to upgrade to the i9 and would have extra pcie lanes for dual x16 which may be helpful both now and possible dual gt300 gpu's later

i am trying not to go crazy with this build... i started with an e5200 combo, but was like well for only $whatever more i can pick up a used q8400, but for only $whatever more i can pick up a used q9550, and now amd is thrown into the mix with a big combo discount... and i am ending up thinking about the i7-920 and have no idea which way to turn! *huff, puff*

anyway, if i am going to get the i7-920 i need to do it today cause the person that lives near micro center is flying here for thanksgiving. would be great to have the extra power for video encoding and other tasks, but at the same time technology is obsolete so fast so it doesn't make financial sense to stay on top of it

aaaaaand, i am thinking that the amd does not make sense also because i can pick up an i5-750 combo for only $30 more

any more thoughts?

The Phenom 955 is equal to or better then the q9550, and if $ is really an issue, you can buy an AM2+ board for around 100$ and use your current 8GB of DDR2 without having to upgrade to ddr3 (not a big performance increase for ddr3 either)
 

EarthBoy

Junior Member
Aug 12, 2007
24
0
0
There's basically no way to get 4ghz quad stable on low budget. Q8200/Q6600 needs expensive cooling and a lot of luck to do it, x4 620 has no chance. However if your budget isn't that tight I would go for i5.
 

BababooeyHTJ

Senior member
Nov 25, 2009
283
0
0
I think that i5 is the best bang for your buck right now but like someone already mentioned you could go with an AM2 board which will use the ram that you already have and go with a Phenom 2 which is no slouch.

Like n7 said I wouldn't go dumping too much money into a 775 setup right now. If you are serious about overclocking keep money in you budget for good cooling. Also with these lower end quads your going to have more difficulty hitting a high FSB with four occupied dimms which will make 4ghz even harder to hit.
 
Oct 27, 2007
17,010
1
0
I just put together a AMD X4 955 with Asus M4A79XTD Evo mobo, 4gb DDR3 and a 4890 and I'm very impressed so far. Every game I've tried runs buttery smooth, very happy indeed.
 

Painman

Diamond Member
Feb 27, 2000
3,805
29
86
Most people who are hitting 4 GHz+ on their quads are running massive amounts of air, or water. Whaddya need 4 GHz for, anyway? It's a nice number, but unless you apply it to something, it's just a fancy electric heater.
 

cbn

Lifer
Mar 27, 2009
12,968
221
106
Thanks everyone for your input. I probably should consider AMD, but know nothing about them and have been consumed with this pc build - spending too much time on it. I need to settle on something. But if you want to give me the lowdown and think I can definitely get more performance on a low budget with AMD, I'll hear what you have to say.

Here is what I have on paper right now...

120 open box asrock x58 extreme
200 i7-920 at micro center
160 8bg adata ddr3 1600 (using 8gb instead of 12gb for comparison)
480 total


110 open box asrock p55 extreme
150 i5-750 at micro center
160 8gb adata ddr3 1600
420 total

110 gigabyte p45 w xfire
170 q9550
100 8gb ddr2 1066 already purchased
380 total

110 gigabyte p45 w xfire
120 q8400 used
100 8gb ddr2 1066 already purchased
330 total

110 gigabyte p45 w xfire
80 e8400 used
100 8gb ddr2 1066 already purchased
290 total

Not really any point in going lower than this unless there is a cheaper xfire motherboard that is just as good as the gigabyte...

nyker96
is your motherboard one of these?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128395
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128398

http://www.frys-electronics-ads.com...rocessor-750-Gigabyte-GA-P55-UD3R-Motherboard


pick that up at Fry's.

The motherboard in that deal is $140 at newegg.