looking to build a new thuban

[bryanW1995]

It's "primary" job will be web surfing, taking certification tests, etc. it's, um, secondary task will be running DC 24/7. I'm trying to go as cheap as humanly possible within the following constraints.

1. It will be on a car dealership showroom. no "bulldozer" cases allowed.
2. Massive OC is desirable, but b/c of location it must be extremely quiet.


We were able to purloin xp pro off an old athlon thunderbird rig. Will need case, cpu (probably must use stock cooler🙁), psu, hd, mobo with integrated graphics and 2gb ddr 3.

It's been a while since I've had an amd cpu. how "budget" can I go on the mobo but still get a good OC out of a 1055t? Can I get 3.8+ with the constraints I mentioned, or should I spring for the extra $$ to get an aftermarket cooler?

 

[DrMrLordX]

Your #1 problem with hitting 3.8+ will be the motherboard's HTT limits. You're stuck with a 14x multiplier, so your board had better be able to crank up the HTT.

Also, the stock cooler will likely not be silent. It hits 60 dBA when the fan winds all the way up to maximum rpms, and that . . . that is noisy. It is theoretically possible to create that scenario without even overclocking the CPU. If you want silence + overclocking then you are looking at an aftermarket HSF, no two ways about it. A Mugen 2 might suit your needs nicely, and you can get one from Directron for $34 still.

Furthermore, you've specced DDR3 . . . so basically you're looking at a 785G, 790GX, or 890GX board. Well, you could try some of the lesser 8xx chipsets but don't expect the overclocking to be very good. If I were you, I'd look for a 785G board that can hit 270+ HTT and go with that. Not sure if you need good IGP performance, but the IGP on 785G boards can be overclocked if necessary. Be careful to make sure that BIOS support for x6 processors is included with the board before you buy (or make a plan to flash the BIOS if necessary).

For the PSU, try finding a Corsair CX model with rebates. The 400CX can be had for some deep discounts, and provides decent efficiency and reliability with solid rails.

For the HDD, whatever you get, make sure it's 1TB or less.

Gonna punt on the case because my taste in cases, quite frankly, sucks. Just nail it to a board! Yarr.

 

[Rifter]

Honestlythe stock cooler is not horrible but it will get loud due to the small fan. I would strongly reccomend a aftermarket sink with a 120mm fan if you want to keep it quiet. And as mentiond you are going to need to really do some research into mobos to find one that will handle a very high HTT, and its probably not going to be super cheap when you find one that will do it.

Agree with the corsair 400cx PSU suggestion above, a great PSU for a small price.

 

[richierich1212]

yeah stock fan is way too loud.

 

[bryanW1995]

ok, looks like good advice so far. I can get the 1090t, but I suspect that I can save more by getting the 1055 and just spending extra on the mobo.

integrated graphics is desirable but not absolutely necessary; I have a 7300gt fanless just taking up space in my closet, so if I end up going with integrated the igp performance doesn't matter.

I have my office computer in an antec 300 case; any other suggestions?

 

[superccs]

I got my 1055T + MSI 890GX from fry's for $200 a couple of months ago the onboard graphics runs many things well. Just don't think about 1900x1200 crysis at full detail.
That board can OC to 4.0 without a hitch and is uATX, go figure.

There is really no good reason to get 1090T that I can think nof.... The HSF that comes with the 1055T is insanely louder than most Korn albums. I keep mine cool with an acrtic cooling HSF for ~$30 and it runs pretty quietly.

Grab a Rosewill case from Newegg, they are surprisingly useful and very cheap.

G.SKill DDR3 1600 2x2Gb kit should do you for ~$100.

 

[MarkLuvsCS]

There is really no good reason to get 1090T that I can think nof.... The HSF that comes with the 1055T is insanely louder than most Korn albums. I keep mine cool with an acrtic cooling HSF for ~$30 and it runs pretty quietly.

I have a 790fx that unfortunately has a few unfortunate bios bugs that prevent me from locking any memory speeds and my memory was pretty inexpensive gskill. I couldn't run over 250HTT because memory or the board was holding me back. Upgraded my 920 @ 3.6ghz to my 1090t @ 4.1ghz and upgraded my brother from a phenom 2.3ghz to the 920 @ 3.4 atm 🙂

I agree i doubt there's much problem getting the 1055T to the same speeds but for me it was a affordable upgrade that allowed me to run at a pretty solid OC without replacing anything but my CPU. Still using older board + DDR2 😛. Upgrading my brother's computer at the same time was just a bonus.