trying to keep cost down, new mb/cpu/ram - heres what i'm considering

[rondertaker]

i'm pretty comfortable with overclocking so i'm hoping to get a big boost from that. any feedback would be appreciated. my main goal is a good price/perf ratio. not interested in being on the bleeding edge of anything


G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-6400CL5D-2GBNQ - Retail
$82.99

ABIT AB9 QuadGT LGA 775 Intel P965 Express ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
$169.99

Intel Core 2 Duo E6320 Conroe 1.86GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80557E6320 - Retail
$165.50

Tuniq Tower 120 P4 & K8 CPU Cooler - Retail
$64.99

 

[rondertaker]

well i just double-checked that the g.skill should get along well with the quadgt, so i'm pulling the trigger.

 

[Jules]

id rather get the thermalright 120ultra.

 

[tcG]

Any reason as to why you're buying P965 rather than P35?

Don't expect more than 3150MHz (450 x 7) with RAM that will only hit DDR2 900.

 

[Roguestar]

Go for the gigabyte P35 or DS3 if you want to save cash.

 

[rondertaker]

any recommendations on a quiet but affordable fan i can use with the thermalright?

 

[tcG]

Change the motherboard to the Asus P5K (vanilla; capable of 500+ FSB, as well as better performance than any P965 variant), and using the $20 you saved by switching to the P5K by upgrading to the E6420. That way, with the 8* multiplier, RAM that will only hit around DDR2 900 won't be a hinder to your overclock.

 

[rondertaker]

is there a compelling reason to get a p35 board at this point? i dont even see any at newegg yet (maybe i'm searching wrong)

 

[Roguestar]

Originally posted by: rondertaker
is there a compelling reason to get a p35 board at this point? i dont even see any at newegg yet (maybe i'm searching wrong)

Check the AT review. It is superior.

 

[tcG]

They aren't at Newegg for some reason. P35 the latest and greatest version of P965... if improved performance, 45nm support, DDR3 support (on some motherboards), and an improved RAID controller aren't compelling reasons, than I don't know what are. There is no reason to buy P965 right now.

Asus P5K
E6420
Ultra-120 Extreme + Scythe S-Flex Fan

 

[rondertaker]

cool, i guess i'll get the p5k from here: http://www.xpcgear.com/asusp5k.html

 

[rondertaker]

thanks for the info guys.

p5k + e6420 + ultra120 + 2GB g.skill on the way!

i live right by frozencpu.com so i'm just gonna pick up a scythe s-flex on my way home from work

 

[Zardnok]

I highly recommend the P35 boards. My P5K deluxe has taken me to new levels of OC over my 965 DS3 board.

 

[rondertaker]

i was hesitant to get a board with Xfire that i'm not gonna use, but i went ahead and bought it anyway based on the good reviews.

 

[KermitM42]

Originally posted by: Roguestar
Go for the gigabyte P35 or DS3 if you want to save cash.

agreed. the ds3 is a great board and is about 40 bucks less. not a fan of abit at all.

 

[Nick5324]

Originally posted by: rondertaker
thanks for the info guys.

p5k + e6420 + ultra120 + 2GB g.skill on the way!

i live right by frozencpu.com so i'm just gonna pick up a scythe s-flex on my way home from work

:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

After I read your first post, I couldn't help but wonder why you wouldn't get the Asus p5k. Glad to see the combo you ended up buying. Now if you want to upgrade to a Penryn next year, it should just drop in.

Good call tcG.

 

[Roguestar]

Originally posted by: KermitM42

Originally posted by: Roguestar
Go for the gigabyte P35 or DS3 if you want to save cash.

agreed. the ds3 is a great board and is about 40 bucks less. not a fan of abit at all.

I used to love Abit, but they really went downhill from the A64 era . The golden days were Abit Athlon XP boards... ~reminisces~