System Build Feedback

[Resh]

Hi everyone!

Sorry if this proves tedious, but I'm having a hard time determining which trade-offs to make to best respect my budget.

CPU: I'm pretty sure that the E6400, which I can get this week for $258 CDN + taxes is the sweet spot right now from price/performance point of view and an over-clocking (something I will do down the road) point of view.

Motherboard: I'm pretty sure I'll go for a 680i-based board for the over-clocking capacity, the networking features, and the gaming performance. As the chipset is pretty new, I'm interested in seeing some reviews before deciding, although the Asus P5N32-E SLI and the eVGA reference board seem to be the current front-runners, although I'd love to see a DFI in the same price range.

RAM: Memory is my current stumbling block as I've been on AMD since retiring a short-lived Northwood to PVR duties and the separate memory and cpu clocks, with ratios etc. is proving confusing. Particularly confusing is the PC2-6400 vs. DDR-800, vs 800MHz terminology.

At any rate, I'd like to have a total of 2GB in the system, although I can deal with 1GB for a few months. So, I'm wondering what would be smarter?

(a) OCZ Platinum 2GB DC PC2-6400 DDR2 Memory Kit *REV 2* (OCZ2P800R22GK) for $269 - $32 rebate = $237 CDN + tax

(b) Spending at least double that amount to get a kit capable of running at 8000 speeds?

(c) Getting a single 1GB stick of some really good stuff (e.g., OCZ Ti Alpha VX2 PC2-8000) and running in single-channel mode for a few months until I can buy a second stick.

Would the PC2-6400 hamper my future over-clocking? Is the higher-end memory with better latency and band-width a waste? Please help!

Also, if you know of any good memory that might be rated at PC2-6400, but can go up to PC2-8000 or 8500, please post.

Lastly, do you think I should wait until I've chosen my board before choosing a particular brand, or is compatibility not a worry?

BTW, I'm playing GT Legends, Richard Burns Rally, GTR2 and other sims in addition to doing a lot of photoshop. My video card is a 7800 GTX and my PSU is a Seasonic S12 500W.

Thanks everyone!

 

[AllGamer]

got with 2GB in dual channel mode, is very cheap and afortable now in days.
(the only thing i have not a clue what you said is that 8000 speed, WTF are you talking about? RAM? CPU? HDD? )
that set is alright, see my specs.. (all made in CDN )

 

[Resh]

What I meant was:

PC2-8500 = 1066MHz
PC2-8000 = 1000MHz
PC2-6400 = 800MHz

Is it worth spending double to go from 800MHz to 1000MHz? How about 800MHz to 1066MHz?

Thanks!

 

[KayKay]

That platinum Rev 2 kit, i've seen somewhere that it can overclock to DDR2- 1100 MHz speeds.

scroll down to the bottom

http://www.driverheaven.net/reviews/PC2...207-way%20memory%20round-up/system.php

Also, where do you get that price for the Platinum Rev 2 ?? I swore Canadacomputers.com had it for a little while, but it seems to have gone up in price. i know filtechcomputer.com has that price but i have yet to check their stock

 

[Kutai]

In my opinion, unless your going for some monster overclocks stick to the PC2-6400 RAM. You should be able to hit 850MHz with most decent brands (check out yoxxy's C2D memory guide for more details), and that alone will get you 3.6GHz if you keep the stock multiplier on your E6400.

I'd also hold off on the 680i chipsets for the time being at least - a lot of people are still reporting problems with them.

 

[Resh]

Thanks for the feedback. I hear ya on the 680i... I will certainly watch that carefully before taking the plunge.

KayKay, check www.shoprbc.com for the OCZ pricing. It's a boxing week thing so act quickly!

Thanks again.

 

[Roguestar]

http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview.aspx?catid=28&threadid=1966035

That thread's a pretty good resource for memory recommendations, and is kept up-to-date every so often too.