Need some advice from overclockers on few system components for Core 2 Duo build

[RussianSensation]

Parts left over from Old system: OCZ 420watts Powerstream - 30A on 12v rail, cd-writer, case, floppy, Viewsonic 19 inch G90F CRT

New rig's purpose: 1. General usage 2. Will be overclocking 3. for now not focused on gaming, but will upgrade the graphics card in the future.

Want to get:

1. GIGABYTE GA-965P-DS3 - $140, 2. E6400 2.13ghz retail - $230, 3. Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro - $23, 4. GeForce 6600 256mb - $47 other suggestions for a cheap videocard?

Need help with:

Choice #1:
Corsair DDR2 2GB XMS2-5400, 675MHz, Dual Channel 2x1GB 240-Pin Dimm, Low Latency of 4-4-4-12 - $200 before MIR
This ram seems to overclock to 900mhz
OR
G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 - $230
any other recommendations are welcome. Ideally I would like memory which could allow me to reach 3500mhz E6400 overclock (875mhz ram), unless there is a way to run ram below FSB on DS3?

Choice #2:
Seagate 7200.10 320gb - $92
OR
Seagate 7200.9 400gb - $100
Is the 7200.10 significantly faster than the 7200.9 version to warrant sacrificing 80gb of space for noticable speed increase?

Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[acegazda]

#'s 1 and 2 are good.
#3: I would go with the $35 scythe mine @ newegg. It is easily one of the top 5 coolers. Good price too.
#4: What's your idea of "cheap"?
As for the RAM, corsair is one of the few brands that will work with anything. That rebate makes it a good deal.
As for the HDD, do you really think you will use 400gb? 320gb? If it's for general usage prolly not, get the 7200.10 if you're not sure if you will need that much. It's a sizable increase in performance.
Do you have a monitor?

 

[RussianSensation]

Originally posted by: acegazda

#3: I would go with the $35 scythe mine @ newegg. It is easily one of the top 5 coolers. Good price too.

Does it outperform the Freezer 7 Pro? If so, I'll get that instead. Thanks for the link. Do you know if this Open Box Big Typhoon comes with installation brackets? It says open box items are bare, but I cant imagine it shipping without the brackets.

#4: What's your idea of "cheap"?

I would like to be under $800 for this upgrade.

As for the RAM, corsair is one of the few brands that will work with anything. That rebate makes it a good deal.

Do you think it'll overclock as good as the CL5 Gskill 800mhz ram?

Do you have a monitor?

I have 19 inch Viewsonic G90F.

 

[acegazda]

Originally posted by: RussianSensation

Originally posted by: acegazda

#3: I would go with the $35 scythe mine @ newegg. It is easily one of the top 5 coolers. Good price too.

Does it outperform the Freezer 7 Pro? If so, I'll get that instead. Thanks for the link.
I didn't link it but I will... here It performs about 2c better than the freezer 7 pro and about 3-4dba better.

#4: What's your idea of "cheap"?

I would like to be under $800 for this upgrade.
In that case, you have enough for like a 7600gt. Great card for the money.

As for the RAM, corsair is one of the few brands that will work with anything. That rebate makes it a good deal.

Do you think it'll overclock as good as the CL5 Gskill 800mhz ram?
G.Skill is among the best oc'ers, but this would prolly be pretty close. You linked a thread about it.

Do you have a monitor?

I have 19 inch Viewsonic G90F.
If you had more $$$ I would recommend a better video card, for 1940x1440 res but you can always run 1280x1024 on that monitor. That's where the 7600gt is best. It's still OK @ the higher res though...

 

[MadAmos]

I am running a similar system and the Arctic 7 Pro is working very well for me so far I have not seen any temps higher than 45c that is while Folding on 1 core while coding video. I also like that it has been very quiet Averarge speed is 1100-1300 RPM when controlled by the BIOS.

Amos

 

[RussianSensation]

Do you guys know if this Big Typhoon comes with installation brackets ?

 

[MadAmos]

As I remember it does, but with an open box item you should check with the seller to be sure.

Amos

 

[RussianSensation]

I read up on Scythe Mine and decided that it is not the cooler I want to get. It's 15cm in height and I have a side intake fan 2.5 cm in thickness that would sit too close to the cooler given that I have a small mid-size case. Also it does not seem to perform that well with a stock a sleeve bearing 100mm fan, given its price:

XbitLabs
Barely outperforms CNPS7000CU

I decided to bite the bullet and ordered the Big Typhoon for $5 more. I figured it'll be able to cool the motherboard better than the AC 7 Pro and a lot better than the Mine since from what I read the DS3 seems to have a very hot Northbridge.

I ended up going for 320gb 7200.10 over 7200.9 since the sale ended and that 400gb drive now costs way over $100. But from Anandtech's storage review comparing 320gb models, 320gb outperforms 500gb 7200.10 by a good 10-20% which is significant in my opinion. My friend also gave me a free 80gb WD so I was less concerned about space being an issue.

I'll report back with my overclocking results in a week when I put the system together. Thanks for the help.

 

[acegazda]

You read the review wrong. The mine barely outperforms the zalman when the zalman is running 2000rpms and the mine is running 1500rpms. The gap severly widens when both are @2000rpms. You can add any 25mm thick fan too, maybe pop a yate loon in there.

 

[RussianSensation]

Originally posted by: acegazda
You read the review wrong. The mine barely outperforms the zalman when the zalman is running 2000rpms and the mine is running 1500rpms. The gap severly widens when both are @2000rpms. You can add any 25mm thick fan too, maybe pop a yate loon in there.

Yes, you are right. The 1500rpm fan is not really taking advantage of the Mine's design. However, if I were to buy an aftermarket fan then the Mine would actually cost more than the BT, while not providing good cooling to the PWM area or the northbridge of the motherboard.

Big Typhoon vs. Scythe Mine (stock fan)
Here the BT outperforms the Mine by 5*C which is a lot imo.