Looking for Q6600 build critique

coremortality

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May 27, 2004
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Here is my build so far. I've only purchased the ram (seemed like too good of a deal to pass up). The machine is primarily going to be used as a Graphic Design Workstation so lots of heavy video and image editing. I also plan on doing light gaming (WoW, HL2, TF2 when it's out).

Core 2 Quad Q6600

Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3R

Patriot eXtreme Performance 2GB (2 x 1GB) DDR2 800

XFX GeForce 8800GTS 320MB

Antec Performance One P180B

Antec NeoHE 500

Scythe Ninja Plus SCNJ-1100P (I plan on lapping the cooler)

I plan on reusing my current hard drives and CD/DVD burners to lower costs for now.
Suggestions welcome, especially in relation to the PSU and CPU Cooler. Is the Ultra 120 or the Tuniq really that much better to justify their cost plus the cost of purchasing another 120mm fan?


-Eric
 
Apr 29, 2007
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looks great! i have a very similiar system. and tbh the q6600 doesnt get very hot for me with my artic cooling freezer pro 7. i dont think you'll need a tuniq monster unless u plan on a nice overclock. i idle in the 30's and get load in the 40's currently. the p180b is good, but it was kinda cheaply built imo. i've only had it for 3 weeks and so far, one of the foots slipped off (stuck it back on and no more probs), a magnet on the door fell off, and one of the door hinges snapped. It's still functional, sexy, and working though. i'm just kinda clumsy i guess.
 

JasonCoder

Golden Member
Feb 23, 2005
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Originally posted by: CaptainJackSwallows
the p180b is good, but it was kinda cheaply built imo. i've only had it for 3 weeks and so far, one of the foots slipped off (stuck it back on and no more probs), a magnet on the door fell off, and one of the door hinges snapped. It's still functional, sexy, and working though. i'm just kinda clumsy i guess.

Dang that kinda sucks. I was thinking about the P182. It looks like kind of a revision over the P180 so hopefully they worked out the... issues. All the cool kids are giving it bang up reviews.
 

aigomorla

CPU, Cases&Cooling Mod PC Gaming Mod Elite Member
Super Moderator
Sep 28, 2005
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http://www.newegg.com/Product/...47&Tpk=gigabyte%2bDS3P

much better board. Trust me.

http://www.mwave.com/mwave/vie...ply+%2D+500W+%2D+695W+

Much better PSU.

http://www.mwave.com/mwave/Sku....hmx?scriteria=BA23794
Personally my favorate choice in ram. Damn good overclockers. Micron D9's

http://www.jab-tech.com/Therma...0-eXtreme-pr-3762.html
Highly recomended for quadcores. Your other choice would be a Tuniq Tower. Other sinks will have a very hard time keeping up with a overclocked quad.


Also make sure your Q6600 is a G0 revision. The B3's will be harder to keep under control in terms of heat. If its a B3, then you MUST get the top tier in air cooling to keep it in check. The Top tier is the two coolers i just listed. The Ultima 90 looks promising as well, but i have yet to see a quadcore owner comment about it.


okey, im going to comment about quadcores and cooling. Quadcores are totally different then dual core C2D's in respect that your cooling 2 dies instead of 1. So when a quadcore loads at 100% which in your case it will for video and photo editting, That single chip you have is now generating 1.8x the normal heat a C2D will generate.

Now heres the problem with the middle tier heat sinks. They werent designed nor intended for cooling a large heat load. In worst case scenarios, you run the voltage up at 1.45Vcore real, so in bios its 1.51ish or so. That quadcore will pump about 200-210W of heat. <-- good time for a water migration. :D

<think space heater of 200-210W sitting right in front of you.> :D
 

coremortality

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May 27, 2004
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Thanks for the suggestions!

I've got a G0 revision Q6600, so that wont be an issue. I think I'm going to stick with my Mobo choice, adding a second PCI-Ex 16 slot and and a Firewire port for $20+ isn't worth it to me at all.

Does the Ultra Extreme come with a fan or would I need to buy that separately? Also any particular reason that those PSU's are so much better than my first choice? Thanks again.

 

drakore

Senior member
Aug 15, 2006
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Hmmm i am pretty sure it doesn't... just add a Yateloon DSL-H to your order from jab-tech if you decide on the thermalright 120

since when does aigomorla make system recommendations?
 

aigomorla

CPU, Cases&Cooling Mod PC Gaming Mod Elite Member
Super Moderator
Sep 28, 2005
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Originally posted by: coremortality
Thanks for the suggestions!

I've got a G0 revision Q6600, so that wont be an issue. I think I'm going to stick with my Mobo choice, adding a second PCI-Ex 16 slot and and a Firewire port for $20+ isn't worth it to me at all.

Does the Ultra Extreme come with a fan or would I need to buy that separately? Also any particular reason that those PSU's are so much better than my first choice? Thanks again.

its not about the second pci. Its about the mosfet layout and power distribution.

The gigabyte P35-DS3P and DQ6 have the identical layout. Only missing the some extra cooling sinks on the board.

The DQ6 has shown to hold overclocks at lower voltages, and also has proven to be very stable. This is why i recomend the DS3P over the board your looking at.
 

coremortality

Member
May 27, 2004
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Originally posted by: aigomorla
Originally posted by: coremortality
Thanks for the suggestions!

I've got a G0 revision Q6600, so that wont be an issue. I think I'm going to stick with my Mobo choice, adding a second PCI-Ex 16 slot and and a Firewire port for $20+ isn't worth it to me at all.

Does the Ultra Extreme come with a fan or would I need to buy that separately? Also any particular reason that those PSU's are so much better than my first choice? Thanks again.

its not about the second pci. Its about the mosfet layout and power distribution.

The gigabyte P35-DS3P and DQ6 have the identical layout. Only missing the some extra cooling sinks on the board.

The DQ6 has shown to hold overclocks at lower voltages, and also has proven to be very stable. This is why i recomend the DS3P over the board your looking at.

Ok, that makes a lot more sense. I was simply going off of a spec comparison. Thanks for clarifying! :)
 

JasonCoder

Golden Member
Feb 23, 2005
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Originally posted by: aigomorla
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...47&Tpk=gigabyte%2bDS3P

much better board. Trust me.

http://www.mwave.com/mwave/vie...ply+%2D+500W+%2D+695W+

Much better PSU.

http://www.mwave.com/mwave/Sku....hmx?scriteria=BA23794
Personally my favorate choice in ram. Damn good overclockers. Micron D9's

http://www.jab-tech.com/Therma...0-eXtreme-pr-3762.html
Highly recomended for quadcores. Your other choice would be a Tuniq Tower. Other sinks will have a very hard time keeping up with a overclocked quad.

I'd say you're absolutely correct if your goal is extreme overclocking. If your goal is more moderate to aggresive overclocking then there are plenty of aftermarket cooling solutions that will fit your needs very well. Not everyone is looking to fry three cpus trying to get the overclock from hell.

Mainly stay away from down blasting coolers as the tower designs have shown to be superior. I think the Scythe models do very well and there are a couple that are around $30.