System build - good cpu/mobo choice for overclock?

[Darrvid]

EDIT: Check out my post a way further down; I've changed the system quite a bit after some feedback.

I've spent a while doing some research, and am hoping for some feedback from those in the know...

Is this going to be a decent setup? I'd like to overclock at some point (probably after upgrading the ram). I'll also be buying a video card as a later purchase.

CPU - Intel Core 2 Duo E6340

MOBO- MSI P6N SLI-FI LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 650i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail

RAM- Kingston 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 667 (PC2 5300) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model KVR667D2N5K2/2G - Retail

HD - Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3320620AS (Perpendicular Recording Technology) 320GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM

Case- Antec LifeStyle SONATA II Piano Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 450Watt SmartPower 2.0 Power Supply

Link to wish list at newegg (has the 6300 listed 'cause the 6340 isnt on newegg yet)
http://secure.newegg.com/NewVersion/wis...cWishDetail.asp?WishListNumber=4668671

I'm aware that the RAM is 667 when the mobo can go up to 800 but I'm on a budget and decided this was a decent place to save some cash.

Most important - is everything compatible?

Secondary concerns - With the E4400 overclocked how would it compare? Also, is this viable to overclock, and if not would it with a ram upgrade?


Any feedback is welcome.

 

[Darrvid]

bump

 

[aigomorla]

how much more room is flexiable in your budget?

I wouldnt get that ram. There not great overclockers. Moderate at best.

Also, what PSU are you looking at? because that antec wont cut it.

You need to get something fairly powerful if you want stable clean power.

Lastly, what form of cooling are you going with? C2D chips can double there heat output by you raising the voltage + .2 more. something you should be careful about.

 

[Darrvid]

the budget isn't too flexiable. I'm looking at about $650 max w/o a video card. I'm open to leaving an upgrade path at the moment too.

Which ram would you suggest? Actually, is there a good guide that goes over some RAM basics?

I was going to use the antec because of noise concerns. I'll be using this computer in a home music studio, so I need it to be very quiet. What PSU would be suggested for that?

Which brings up the cooling... I planned on just using regular air cooling. I chose that case on purpose because it's supposed to be so quiet. It has 2x120mm fans, if I added more how can I keep the noise down.

What would you think about an E4400 vs the E6340 (I know the 6340 is too new for real suggestions, but assume it's going to be very similar to the 6300)? Does that mobo seem fine for either CPU?

 

[Zardnok]

I do not think that 650 board will OC very well. Do you need the SLI version? If not, I would go for the 965-S3 Gigabyte mobo ($100ish). It will OC much better, but does not support SLI. As for which PSU, I recommend the Corsair HX520 ($100ish) for any single GPU system. As for RAM, you can try to get in on the SuperTalent DDR2 special for $90 something in HotDeals, or you can pick out any 2X1gig PC26400 sets. Can get them anywhere from 130 on up. Can find some really nice Overclocking RAM for $150-200ish, especially if you do not mind playing with rebates.

 

[Darrvid]

SLI doesn't seem important to me, I doubt I'll be buying 2 video cards ever. After looking over some more of the reviews for that mobo I'd have to agree, I should find a different one. There were some others I was looking at. That Gigabyte seems fine except that there's no firewire and it uses the realtek audio chip. I was hoping for firewire, with non-realtek as I heard that chip can be a little warbely. Any suggestions with that in mind? I've posted a link to another mobo I was considering below.

As far as the ram goes, I pretty much just chose what was cheapest. I'll look into that more later after the CPU price drop since RAM price moves around so quickly. Thanks for the heads up on it.

Will the antec PSU work fine if I'm not overclocking? I'd like to keep the initial price low; I could just use the supplied PSU and run non-OC'd and upgrade the PSU when I OC.


mobo links
ASUS P5B-VM This has ADI AD1988 audio, and firewire. Lower FSB than that gigabyte suggested above though. (I was looking at the deluxe, but it's out of my price range)
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16813131043

 

[Diogenes2]

This is about the same price ..

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130082

 

[PCTC2]

The problem with the P5B-VM w/ the 965G Chipset is that it has integrated graphics. The Intel 965P chipset is much preferred for OCing. Also, for non-SLI nVIDIA, a 650i Ultra Chipset is also good.

 

[RonAKA]

Your case selection if fine. The included air duct brings fresh cool air into the standard Intel HSF and does a very good job of keeping the CPU cool. Whether it is enough depends on where you overclock to and and how long you load the CPU. With the case fan on low you probably won't hear it. I see no worries with the power supply unless you are going to load up the case with lots of extra cards, disk drives, and extra fans.

The 667 RAM can be overclocked. What you need to do is figure out what options you have for the memory multiplier. At a 1:1 ratio it should handle a FSB of 340 which runs it at 680 for a mild overclock. With a 9x multiplier on the CPU (I think that is what the 4400 runs at), this would give an overall speed of about 3.1 GHz. My guess is you will be running into heating and stability limits around that point. On RAM quality, I found some generic stuff priced by strip to be just as good as the Kingston and a bit cheaper.

Not familiar with the motherboard, and can't comment on it. You would want to find someone who has overclocked it to be sure it can.

 

[Darrvid]

Ok, I re-read through some OC'ing reviews on this site and am thinking of slightly changing my plan of attack; let me know if you think this is worthwhile.

Would starting with the E4400 (or 4300) and leaving an upgrade path to an E6320 (or higher someday) be advisible? I'd be buying everything with that upgrade in mind, so the system would be built to OC an e6320 but actually have an e4400 in it for the time being.

That said, what about a mobo with 1333/1066MHz FSB? Would I want that over the more common 1066/800? And regarding the Gigabyte mobo, is the solid capacitor one really any better?


This is the only P965 mobo I found with a 1333/1066 FSB. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128042

Here's what I'm now thinking

Mobo - GIGABYTE GA-965P-DS3 LGA 775 Intel P965
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128012

CPU - Intel Core 2 Duo E4300 Allendale 1.8GHz 2M shared L2 Cache LGA 775 Processor (and the planned upgrade to the 6340 in the future)

RAM - CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TWIN2X2048-6400 - Retail http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16820145590

Hard Drive - Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3320620AS (Perpendicular Recording Technology) 320GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16822148140

Video Card - SAPPHIRE 100199L Radeon X1950GT 256MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16814102034
I'd possibly be OC'ing this as some reviews on the egg make it sound like a breeze

PSU - the one that come with Antec LifeStyle SONATA II Piano Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 450Watt SmartPower 2.0 Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129155

The PSU would then be upgraded when I decide to OC


Is that seeming to be pretty vialbe at this point? I pretty much know nothing about RAM, espically when it comes to OC'ing as I've never done it, but I'm willing to learn. Will that RAM do well?

 

[DPOverLord]

Whats going on you and I are in the same boat I have been buying pieces here and there to replace my AMD system myself.
My research has dealt me this:
For ram I would lean more towards the Buffalo Firestix, OCZ Platinum Rev 2 ( http://tinyurl.com/37amgq ),
or if you want to spend a bit more get the OCZ Nvidia SLI version ( http://tinyurl.com/26v6qd )

As for the PSU if I were you I would go with a min. of 520Watt. 600 watt is perfect for upgrade ability. A really good PSU is the OCZ PowerStream models. You can probably pick up the 520watt for around $75.

Also not to burst your stuff, but if you spend 10$ more you can get a 400 GB Seage SATA drive from Frys without rebates for 99$. http://tinyurl.com/e4wgn

As for the CPU I am going to wait until the 21rst since I wont have time until then and probably snag the 4300 for 113$ and try to O/C that to 3.2-3.5 Ghz. However, you will need a good cpu cooler. I am waiting until then and hoping the ThermalRight Ultra 120 Extreme comes out by then. If not I will get the Ultra 120 or Tuniq Tower and couple on a SilenX IXTREMA 120 http://tinyurl.com/32oazr

Hope that helps.

 

[RonAKA]

You are going to get more bang for your buck by OC on the E4300 than the 6300. In fact it is not likely going to be worth the upgrade until something better than the 6300 comes out at a reasonable price. There is no need to upgrade the power supply to OC. That will be the least of your worries. It will be stability of the CPU at the increased speed and heat due to the increased voltage. The power supply increase is minimal.

The advantage of non electrolytic capacitors is that they have a longer life. They also may be smaller and leave more room for an optional HSF. My experience however is that these fancy HSF's do more to impress the buyer based on their huge size and look, than actually perform. I was limited by heat with my E4300 and bought a Scythe Ninga HSF. It is huge and fills the case and provides very marginal performance over the stock Intel when combined with the air ducting of the Sonata II. My recommendation is not to waste your $$ on an optional HSF.

As I said before you likely are going to gain little with the DDR2-800, but if it is little cost over the 667 then why not.

I'm not a gamer, so can't comment on your video card. However, my guess is that $$ spent here if you are intending to use this PC for games will gain you more performance than anywhere else.

There is lots of info on the GB DS3 board and E4300 on OC. If you do your research then you will get to the limits quite quickly. Here is one example. Realistically most OC E4300's run at around 3 GHz.

http://www.legionhardware.com/document.php?id=610&p=2

 

[AlabamaCajun]

Go with an ASUS or Gigabyte board and NVidia chipset, they are much better performers and better for OC. Stay away from x65 chipsets if you look to Intel chips, go for 875 or 975 on non- Intel Brand Boards for performance.

 

[Darrvid]

Good advice all, thanks!

As far as the GB DS3 is concerned, I've read of people having troubles using the SATA and IDE. Also, that rev. 3.3 is best, is the newegg link at the bottom for the v3.3? It didn't specifiy in the link like for the 1.3. I plan on using an IDE dvd burner, as well as initially using an IDE hard drive. (until I can afford a sata one) Should I be concerned?

I ended up buying the ram and video card I linked to in my last post, since I wanted to get in while the rebates were going. Since the cost was so close, I figured on going with DDR2 800, Even if the performance is minimally different, seemed like a good deal. Definitly going for the 4300 now, it's likely going to be all I need for now, once it's OC'd (I am moving up from a 1ghz athlon after all, this will seem fast as lightening).

I'm really only going to be playing one game (Lord of the Rings: Online, oh and Team Fortress 2 when its out) and that video card seemed good for the price, even easy to OC that as well. I know throwing money there is where the big improvements come, but I'm trying to keep in mind that I'm not a big gamer, and this will mainly be used for encoding and audio recording.

Thanks for the peace of mind on the HSF's, I really hoped one wouldn't be needed (and PSU). Things I'll look into if the system isn't stable off the bat.


Last, I'll definitly take a good look through that link Ron, thanks. Edit: Wow, that link really breaks it down. Hopefully should be a painless procedure.


newegg link. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128012

 

[Eirgorn]

I think the only site that garauntees the DS3 Rev3.3 is ClubIT: Link for $117 + 7.50 shipping. That comes out a little cheaper than the one on Newegg too - but Im not sure if ClubIT's Customer Service is as great as the eggs'.

 

[RonAKA]

The real advantage of the SATA devices is the much more compact data cable. It lets you keep a cleaner box with better air flow for cooling. I didn't think there was any difference in price.

 

[Darrvid]

If that's refering to me using an IDE hard drive, what I mean is the drive I currently own. A sata hard drive is top on the list to buy after I get the main system up and running. Just don't have the money to buy all at once. (or at least thats a possibility, it's just close to having to wait at the moment)

 

[DPOverLord]

The infinty 976 g/x is a great mobo I would reccomend