Help with new p4 machine please

[pddaum]

I have almost decided on the primary components of my new machine, but I have a few questions. I am thinking about the p4 2.6c or 2.8c. The 2.8c is actually cheaper right now as newegg has it on special. Is the 2.8c just as easily capable of reaching the 1000mhz fsb as the 2.6c? The motherboard I will likely get is either the Abit IC7-G or the IC7 Max3. I think the Max3 has better sound and some advanced OTES cooling technology which I know little about. Do they both have CSA which allows the LAN to communicate with the northbridge? The memory I will buy is the Corsair XMS pc4000 (512mb x 2). Is the platinum silver heat spreader a good idea if I might exceed 500mhz? I will also likely purchase either a Radeon X800 Pro or XT when it is available. Do you think the XT is worth the extra? Can the sleeping pipes on the Pro be activated with the XT Bios flash making it reach XT performance? With these being the main components of my new machine along with a couple serial ata drives possibly, what criteria should be considered for a power supply or what PSU do you recommend? Thank you, I appreciate all those who take the time to read this and help me.

 

[scottchen]

Most 2.8C's can reach 250FSB with decent cooling, OCZ PC4000 EL seems like the best buy though, it has the highest bandwidth of all PC4000, not the greatest timings, it's semi-decently priced. The OCZ El overclocks great with high Vdimm, people have reported 290mhz(580!) I would recommend the Thermalright SP94 heatsink with a 92mm fan that has the CFM rating of about 60.

For motherboard I would go with the IC7-MAX3, since it offers insane voltages, and they reach 300FSB pretty easy.

X800Pro cannot be modded to XT withsoftware, must be hardmodded.

Power supply i always recommend the Enermax 460watt, it's one of the most trusty power supplies out there.

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[pddaum]

Thanks scottchen. I am curious if the 2.6c has a better chance of reaching the 250 fsb or is just capable of higher fsb speeds in general due to its lower multiplier and ultimately core clock. Basically, which would you recommend I buy? Also I based my memory decision partly on this review: http://www.legitreviews.com/reviews/ddr500/ The OCZ EL does seem to reach very high speeds with good timings, but for my needs the corsair does well and never shows any errors in memtest86 until it is clocked to 520 mhz with the lowest timings. Any thoughts? Thanks again scottchen.

 

[scottchen]

Any error in memtest86 for me equals to RMA, I've had the OCZ PC4000EL 2x512mb, on an Abit IC7 Max3, i've managed pretty high overclocks. 270mhz with 3.0Vdimm, that was on a P4 2.4C

I would still recommend the 2.8ghz with a decent heatsink over a 2.6ghz

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[jammydodger]

An 2.6c will be easier to get to 250Mhz FSB, I would be very suprised if it didnt get that high. I have my 2.6c at 250Mhz FSB and I havent even increased the voltage!

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[PukePile]

My dad bought a 2.8 and a zalman cooler and was able to get a 250 fsb but he had to under clock is kingston ram the [-peep-] wouldnt overclock at all.

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[scottchen]

LOL Kingston uses Samsung PC3200 ram with heatspreaders, that's all they did for their PC4000 series, they just told you to overvolt it, and it's barely stable, they never pass memtest86, so what i'm trying to say is, Kingston sucks c0ck at anything above PC3500.

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[pddaum]

Yeah I thought the 2.6 might be a little easier to clock at 250 fsb, but I went with the 2.8c anyway. I don't think I should have a problem reaching that. If I require a different heatsink and fan, what would you recommend? Also, I know the Arctic Silver 5 cools slightly better than the ceramique, but it conducts. I was wondering if the ceramique is easier to clean off the cpu, or is there a good safe way to clean the AS5?

 

[scottchen]

I always use Ceramique, just to be safe, i don't think AS5 is worth the maximum 2C difference.

I would recommend a DIY watercooling setup, but if you don't feel like it, get a Coolermaster Hyper6 with a second 80mm Papst/Panaflo low RPM fan.

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[Cybercraig]

Good choice! Mushkin PC4000 Enhanced will get you there!

"I am become death, the destroyer of worlds. Now, let's eat!

 

[jammydodger]

I agree with scottchen, Ive heard great things about the hyper6. Good luck with your overclocking attempt. Tell us how it goes.

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