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*Mostly* New C2D System - Need advice

T

Treese88

Junior Member
Hi, I have been reading these forums for a very long time but I have never felt the need to register. But, I am about to upgrade my current system (selling old one to my bro ftw) to a new C2D and I could use some advice. My comp is mainly going to be used for gaming, but also used for all schoolwork etc.

I have a few parts I will be keeping from the old system:

- Antec p180b

- Chimei 22" monitor (excellent monitor for those looking to get a cheap WS)

- Audigy 2 ZS

- 150gig raptor

- OCZ GameXstream 600w

- Sapphire X1800XT oc'd to 634/765 (I will upgrade this down the line when DX10 is more evolved w/ much better selection/prices/benchmarks.)

Here is what I currently plan on purchasing:

- Intel C2D 6400 - This is a part I think will be fine but I am open to other opinions. I plan on overclocking to 3-3.2ghz. I originally looked at the 6600 but I am not sure an extra $90 justifies the higher multiplier, double cache, and extra 270mhz stock speed. If you think I would like the extra oohmph of the 6600 or maybe even the 6300 please give me some reasoning in these.

- Artic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro Seems like a great heatsink for the $$...I won't be getting it from newegg for obvious reasons. I also have some as5 from about 1.5 years ago that I have never used. Would that be fine to use still? I am also not too sure on cleaning of the stock gunk and application of the as5. Any tips would be appreciated.

- Gigabyte 965P DS3 r3.3 - I am pretty sold on this board. I have also looked at the BadAxe2 but I don't figure I get much except the ability for multiple video cards for the extra $$. My only worries about the DS3 is that I've read that it has issues with some memory with higher stock voltages. If you think you know of a better board offer up your opinion.

- *MEMORY* I have a couple different sticks I am looking at. I really am not sure what to do here. Whatever I get, I do not want my RAM to hinder my overclocking. Also, will I be able to boot with these sticks? If I can't boot, I can get a hold of a stick of whatever ram is in my parents p4 3.4ghz dell, would I be fine if I did that to boot and set voltages?

G.Skill 2x1GB ddr2 800 4 4 3 5 2.0-2.1v From reviews it seems to oc exceptionally well not to mention the crazy timings.

OCZ 2x1 GB ATI Crossfire ddr2 800 I have no plans of ever going xfire....but that is obviously just marketing I'm guessing. Seems like solid memory.

Buffalo Firestix 2x1 GB Wicked price (189) and supposedly has D9's. Issue is these need 2.1v and are out of stock at newegg. If these would be winners for me...where else can I find them?

- Pioneer Black 16X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 16X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 5X DVD-RAM 40X CD-R 32X CD-RW 40X CD-ROM 2M Cache ATAPI DVD Burner - OEM Seems like this is a proven dvd burner...I would kind of like lightscribe but most do not seem to be that great (based on newegg reviews....which you can't really count on).

- Either a 250 or 320 gig Harddrive I am leaning towards seagate and I was wondering if this "perpendicular recording" is worth the slightly added cost. Or does PR come on all of the 7200.10s? This HD would be mainly for music, movies, documents, etc. Games and OS would be on the raptor.

-Vista Home Premium 32bit OEM - I could get the academic upgrade version for $80...but I am not too sure I want to deal with the current method it uses to upgrade.


So how does all of this look, and especially what should I do for the memory? I didn't link everything because I figure if you can help me you already know what the items do (and I was halfway through this post before I realized I should start linking stuff). Budget wise I would prefer not going too much higher than this, but I am flexible.

Thanks

*edited to make it look clearer*



 
my friend got a C2D E6400 and it went to 3.2Ghz stable, with a slight voltage increase (1.325 from 1.300)...and he is mobo limited because he is using a shuttle. those processors (especially E6400) are great for ocing. there is supposed to be a price drop for all C2Ds in the coming months...i dont know when though.

that heatsink is a good choice. i havent really used anything else except a thermalright xp-90, so i cant tell you exactly how it performs, but im pretty sure many other members know how it does.

that mobo is great as ive heard good things about them. asus, gigabyte, abit are all good in my books. an asus p5b or one of their several p5b models would also be another alternative for you.

holy crap on the memory. i have the original g.skill set (black heatspreaders with 4-4-4-12 timings, great ocer) but these timings just blow my set out of the water and the price is just amazing! definitely go for the g.skill.

pioneer, samsung, lg, or nec (my personal choice) are all good. i have the nec 3550a which i flashed to a 4551a and it burns/reads cds and dvds nicely. no coasters as of 1.5 years.

you cant go wrong with a seagate 320GB/400GB 7200.10 sata hard drive. they are definitely good for the price and very fast too. my 2x400GB drives are very quiet, completely opposite of what some people say are "loud" drives. western digital and samsung (500GB) are also good choices too.

vista...i would recommend holding off on it until SP1 comes out. but if you can get home premium for $80 as you said, then you can probably go ahead and get it. personally, i would still stick with xp mce/pro.
 
I will second the heatsink and hard drive choices. Good pieces, both of them. I also have a DS3, but the original revision 1.0. Yours is better than mine, so you should have zero probs.

Check the rig in my sig.

I'm no Overclocking Pro, but I'll say this. Try to stick with DDR2 800 that runs at the JDEC specified 1.8 volts. You're then guaranteed (pretty much!) that it'll boot up the first time w/no problems.

The E6400 with DDR2 800 memory will do 3.2GHz right out of the box, and your memory won't be overclocked and it will be running at the normal 1:1 ratio.

Vista is over rated IMO. Additionally, the old adage "wait for SP1" applies here. WinXP Pro SP2 is rock stable and secure as long as you keep it patched. MS has done a good job (IMO) of keeping it patched for the past year or so...I'd stick with XP.
 
Thanks for the replies, I kinda figured I should hold off on vista, so maybe I will. When building a system it just kinda seems like I might as well get the newest OS out there. Suppose I could wait until I get a dx10 card for a dx10 game.

Still not positive on the memory, g.skill sounds like a winner but they want 2.0v >< Have a recommended 1.8v memory, or will 2.0v be possible, I don't mind messing with it a bunch?

 
Originally posted by: Treese88
Thanks for the replies, I kinda figured I should hold off on vista, so maybe I will. When building a system it just kinda seems like I might as well get the newest OS out there. Suppose I could wait until I get a dx10 card for a dx10 game.

Still not positive on the memory, g.skill sounds like a winner but they want 2.0v >< Have a recommended 1.8v memory, or will 2.0v be possible, I don't mind messing with it a bunch?
Click to expand...

mine needs 2.0 to 2.1v to perform nicely. i have my set running at 1.8v DDR2-800, so i think you'll be just fine.

i think your mobo goes up to 2.2 or 2.4v, im not too sure on that.
 
Originally posted by: betasub
OT, but is that OC you list on the x1800xt really 2% above stock?
Click to expand...

Sadly....yes, I can get slightly more but it hits a wall pretty quick with stock voltages.
 
The DS3 should be able to boot with 2.0v memory. If not, grab a stick from the dell just to boot, like you said. The DS3 can give it 2.4v or more, I believe.
 
Originally posted by: GuitarDaddy
Good luck finding the Artic Freezer 7, it seems to be OOS everywhere except newegg which is gouging the price
Click to expand...

Have a recommendation for another heatsink around the same $30-40 price bracket?

I found a place with it in stock "bestbyteinc.com" but I am not sure I want to order from them as I have never heard of them.

Thanks for the replies!

 
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