New System--Final "touches": recommend RAM/Power supply?

[astralsolace]

Hi guys,

I'm building a new system--to answer the questions in the stickey:

1)This PC will be used for gaming and video processing.
2)Budget is unimportant--I'm only asking for advice for the RAM and power supply.
3)I'm being these from the US--preferably NewEgg/etc.
4)I like Corsair and Kingston--but I'm open to any brands of RAM, or power supply.

5) Current build is:

Q6600 2.4GHZ G0/SLACR (will be overclocked to 3.2GHz)
ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro 92mm CPU Cooler
Abit IP35 Pro motherboard (FSB overclocked to 400MHz)
nVidia 8800GT 512MB overclocked to 700MHz clock /2000MHz memory


6) I have searched for similar threads, but my questions remain.
7) As I said above, I plan on overclocking the processor and video card. The motherboard automatically overclocks the RAM to compensate for the FSB jump, I believe.

---------

I have several questions:

1) How much do I need? I'm guessing 500W should be plenty. Any recommendations?

2) What kind of RAM do I need? To maintain a 1:1 ratio with my overclocked processor (I expect I'll be running it at 8x multiplier X 400 FSB = 3.2GHz) I believe I need a minimum of DDR2-800/PC-6400. Correct?

I know the performance differences are small for DDR2+, but.. will I get significant performance from getting DDR2-1066/PC-8500 instead? In order to preserve a 1:1 ratio, I'd have to overclock my FSB to 533, right? In which case I'd have to use a multiplier of 6 (can the Q6600 go that low?) I believe. 6x533=3198. I don't know if the motherboard can handle a FSB that high!

Lot of questions in here, I know. But any and all advice is GREATLY appreciated--I'm rather new to the overclocking scene.

Thanks!

 

[Denithor]

First, you may want to consider a Tuniq 120 or equivalent cooler if you are planning to OC your quad like that, those chips crank out a lot more heat than the dualies and need better cooling for stable overclocking.

Power supply: 500W from a good maker is basically minimum if you plan to run a high end video card (OC) and a quad-core (also OC). The Earthwatts 500W or the Corsair 520W should do the job adequately. Try to stick with power supplies from Seasonic or Corsair or the Antec Earthwatts series (500W being the only one I would recommend for this build).

RAM: You are correct, you will want at least DDR2-800 rated memory for this build. There is no real reason to go for the DDR2-1066 as the only way to run at that speed is to use a memory strap (run at a higher ratio to fsb instead of 1:1) and there really isn't much "real world" benefit from doing so (little advantage >DDR2-800). One caution: OCZ ram has known compatibility problems with many motherboards, you are probably best off sticking with Kingston (N5), Crucial (Ballistix), or Corsair memory sticks.

EDIT: If going for 4GB DDR2 (obviously this requires Vista64 or another 64-bit OS for full use) find a good 2x2GB pair (so you can expand later if necessary). If using 2GB just get the Kingston N5 DDR2-800.

 

[jdkick]

As far as brands, i'd recommend Corsair and Enermax for memory/power supplies.

 

[astralsolace]

Thanks for the responses. I'll check out the equipment.

One question: For RAM ratios--1:1 is supposedly optimal, but.. having more RAM speed than FSB speed doesn't result in less performance, right?

But the opposite, having less RAM speed than the FSB speed, would create a bottleneck?