Overclocking system with AMD 64 and Nf3-250gb-- advice needed.

[jonedd]

This is a long/detailed post, but I thought that some good responses would provide usefull to more than myself.

Scenario:
I?ve got $1500-2000 to spend on a new computer system (including monitor), and I want to spend it (I?ve already got a Radeon 9800 SE?soft modded to pro).

It takes me about 3 yrs to save this kind of money for a computer (so I don?t really want to waste it).

I like to play games, but most of them aren?t first person (I?m a Total War junkie) and most of my time is spent on low intensity computing (text, 2d images).

My primary goal is to learn about OCing, but in the end, I hope the system actually works.


So, I?m asking for advice on building a system.

Here are my current thoughts, any opinions are welcome:

CPU: Athlon 64 3200+ mobile (AMA3200BEX5AR) ($274) or
Athlon 64 3000+ DTR (AMN3000BIX5AR) ($226)

Question?As these chips physically differ from their desktop siblings, I?m not sure what type of heatsink to buy (or is this motherboard specific?). I like the Thermalright offerings, but the SP-98 isn?t out yet. Any suggestions?

Motherboard: Nf3-250?I don?t see much posted on the Epox 8KDA3J ($99), but unless there are reasonable objections, I?d like to try this out.

Question?I was thinking of the Seagate 7200 SATA HD, but I?m using the Zalman ZM80c/ZMOP-1 on my Radeon 9800, does anyone know if the nearby SATA connector placement on this (or apparently all the current Nf3-250) motherboard is going to cause a real problem?

Memory: 2 x SAMSUNG 512MB DDR PC-3700 466MHz ($95 x2)
I know OCZ and Corsair are general favorites, but are they worth 50% more if I?m not trying to break any speed records?

Others: Antec p160 case ($120)
Antec TruePower 480 ($83)?Is this overkill? The price difference from a 430 isn?t much, but I?d like to at least justify burning 438,000 more watts per year.

Watercooling/Air: It?s another subject, but I was wondering if many of you left your systems on 24 hours. I often need my computer at odd hours (I?m on-call a lot). I know most water pumps are not made to work full-time, but will they last 2-3 years (1700-2700 hrs) of full-time duty? This was the major reason I decided to stick with air-cooling.

Thanks.
Jonedd

 

[essasin]

A64 3200 mobile w/ epox EPOX EP-8KDA3+ for ocing potential

ocz pc 3700 enhcanced bandwidth or higher...not sure how mcuh the samsungs with oc.

THe problem with dtrs right now is that it might not work on some boards either without a bios flash (you would need a regualr 64 chip) or its not compatible at all.

The placement of the sata connectors might be a problem if your using a third party cooling esp the zalman. You might have to buy a longer sata cable and it might not look as clean as you want it to be. Since the boards are fairly new there really is not a def answer.

Get the antec 480..its perfect for ocing

I would def recommend watercooling although its not necessary. Im watercooling and i have comp on all the time. Here is my setup

swiftech mcp600
rbx
DD maze 4 gpu
bay res
dual 120.. black ice extreme

It cools A64 3400 very well and its extremely quiet. Im gonna wait a month until thigns have settled with all the boards to see which one is def the ocing board to get. Other than that have fun with your new rig. oh btw... if you dont mind pre built systems you should look over at the for sale and trade threads and they have to mean ass computers for sale. One is an alien a64 and the other is a P4 EE. Both would make awesome rigs.

 

[jonedd]

essasin:

Thanks for the reply.

As I'm considering this very much an "educational expense" a very nice pre-built system actually has less value to me than a DIY failure.

That said, I may go ahead and try water-cooling. Your WC rig is very similar to what I had looked into (different blocks though).

May I ask why you think the 8kda3+ would overclock better than the 8kda3j? I thought the only difference was the extra SATA/RAID chip.

 

[Bar81]

Is there a particular reason you want to go mobile?

 

[jonedd]

Bar81:

Well, I was looking at the desktop 2800+ until I read your "mobile athlon 64" thread.

The desktop processors (at least the ones at Newegg) are ---AP/ CO revisions and have the 512k L2 which seem to have less potential. I may not use the headroom now, but as the system ages a bit, I may push for the highest overclock possible.

More importantly (for me), most of the recent discussions on the overclocking forums use these mobile processors. I'm pretty new to this, so I'm paying close attention to others experiences.

 

[Bar81]

Okay, sounds like you did your homework. Indeed, you definitely want a CG revision with 1MB L2 cache for overclocking. The problem with the mobiles however as that thread points out is that you're very limited in your motherboard selection. From the sounds of it I'm not pegging you as a person who has plenty of cash to waste trying and selling motherboards to see if they work. Thus, you're gonna need to pick from the mobo selection listed, the one most suiting your needs for overclockability and longevity is probably the MSI K8N Neo. If you go mobile Athlon 64 the 3000+ mobile should work well with a Thermalrigh SLK-948U heatsink. Fan depends on your preference for performance/noise.

As to the SATA cable issue; I know that there are right angle SATA cables made so that should fit below the Zalman from the looks of it although I'm not sure. Worst case scenario you could just use SATA 3&4 which are native ports and in a clear position. Also, you'll want to get some Arctic Silver 5 for use on the CPU/heatsink and northbridge heatsink.

Memory wise, Samsung isn't popular around here but they are the largest manufacturer for a reason, their stuff works so no problems there although you may not get much higher speeds out of it. I would think that you'd be better off splurging a little and getting something nice like OCZ 3700EB which should overclock nicely.

Better to get a beefy power supply to make sure there are no problems especially if you are, as I would recommend, getting one of the new ATI/nVidia graphics cards.

THis setup should overclock into 2.4Ghz to 2.5Ghz aircooled; no need to waste your money on water cooling and all the hassles that come along with that. If you care about noise, my rig is at 2.3Ghz right now and is silent; you just have to select your fans properly.

 

[dewhite]

Bar - I can see from reading around that you're the reigning authority on these mobile A64's. I have a pretty simple question but I can't seem to get a straight answer anywhere else.

Should I expect the same complications from a DTR chip (1.5v) as from a mobile (1.4v)? I really want to get a DTR to get a CG core, with 1mb cache and no IHS. This leads to the question, would a DTR cpu work in an 8kda3+? Something about that epox board just tells me it means business more than the K8N does.

Thanks for any thoughts, suggestions, et al.