Looking for some advice on a new build

[Gimmeamarlboro]

Morning All! I'm currently planning a new build (based on the sig below). So far from my current/old rig I'll be taking the hard drives, case, optical drive, Gfx card (for now...) and monitor. Basically I'm moving from my old AMD system across to a C2D.

I've pretty much settled on the e6600 and the HX620 PSU but can't seem to decide (at least for more than 2 days at a time) on which MB, CPU cooler & RAM to get...

I will be doing some overclocking but nothing really major (3.0 - 3.2 would be plenty for me) and I'm looking for someone with a bit more experince to lend a hand in helping me finally make a decision...

I liked the look of the Bad Axe 2, Tuniq Tower & Corsair Dominator DDR2 800 but keep reading conflicting reviews and I'm getting more confused the more I read - most recently I've been considering switching the Dominator for some Cellshock as most reviews I've read seem to indicate micron D9 chips and good overclocking potential - the price isn't a lot more but thought this could be overkill if I'm only going for a moderate overclock??

Thanks in advance for any help

 

[mcurphy]

I think you may be putting too much thought into your RAM choice. If you are going with DDR 800 RAM and only looking for a moderate OC, then it is unlikely that you will need to OC the RAM at all.

I am running my E6600 at 3.3 GHz, which sets my FSB at 366 and in a 1:1 ratio my RAM is only running at 732. If you want to go for a higher OC of, say 400MHz on your FSB (3.6 GHz), then you can run 1:1 with DDR 800 and not OC it at all as it will run nicely at it's stock speed.

That being said, look for a set of RAM that fits your budget and needs. I don't see any reason to go super high end on your RAM choice with the rig and intent you stated in your OP. I went with Corsair DDR 800 C4, despite the fact that they don't use D9 chips anymore and I couldn't be happier with it. It's fast and runs great and I don't need to OC it at all.

As far as mobo goes, look at which boards offer the features you think you will need. I went with the Gigabyte S3 because it was cheap and I didn't need any of the bells and whistles like Firewire, Crossfire, SLI etc...The Gigabyte DS3 and S3 are a great OC'ers and have a RAID option if I ever want to toy around with that. I'm sorry I cannot give you a comparison to the Badaxe as I haven't researched them.

Two other things that I am unsure of, but you may want to consider---

Is your existing video card PCI Express? More than likely your new board will not accomodate an older AGP card.

How many IDE ports does the Badaxe have? I'm not sure if your hdd's and Opticals are SATA or IDE, but many of the new boards only have 1 IDE ports allowing for a total of 2 IDE devices.

Hope this helps you a little . I'm not the resident expert of this forum but I thought I'd at least share my experience.

 

[Gimmeamarlboro]

Thanks for the quick reply mcurphy! Think I'll probably end up going with the corsair then. Do you think there's any advantage going with the dominator set over the regular XMS2? I liked the look of the new cooling design and spec wise they look otherwise identical.

Edit: PS The Bad Axe only has one IDE port but all my Hdd's and my optical drive are SATA so not a massive concern

 

[mcurphy]

I think the Dominator's are guaranteed to have D9 chips, other than that I couldn't tell you what the difference is between them and the XMS2's.

So I guess it would be up to your personal choice of which to go with. For me, the premium price wasn't worth it as I will never OC the RAM and D9 chips are overrated IMO..

 

[Gimmeamarlboro]

I guess I'll just have to see how healthy my bank balance is when I decide to take the plunge! Or, more specifically, how much my wife has spent!!!:roll:

Any thoughts on the Tuniq (good/bad)? or any alternatives - just looking to keep the pro as cool as possible under a mild overclock. Haven't really got the money/time or patience to attempt wc so really just looking for the best air cooler I can find.

 

[mcurphy]

I went with the Arctic Cooler Freezer 7 Pro for my build and it keeps my CPU nice and chilly. I purchased this HSF for several reasons:

1) It was cheap at the time <$20 at eWiz.com
2) I knew it would fit my mobo
3) It was lightweight, I move my case once a month to a friends for gaming
4) It was queit, efficient, etc.... lol

It was hard to find any negatives for this cooler when I bought it so it just seemed like the right choice.

I never looked into the Tuniq or Scythe lines, but I know they are both very popular right now and provide even better cooling that the Freezer 7. Also, Anandtech just did a review on a Thermalright cooler that is rated on the high end for cooling. I never looked further than the Freezer 7 because it had so many positives and does exactley what I need it to. I don't want or need to set any speed records, so a decent, quiet, efficient cooler at a reasonable price drove my decision.

If you are looking for more recommendations, reviews, or personal experience, drop by the Cases and Cooling forum. There's a lot of info to be had there. Much more than I could give you.

GL!

 

[Gimmeamarlboro]

Thanks for all your help! I'll check out c & cooling for info on a good cooler