A gamer OC'ing

[Chil]

I'm planning on building a rig this month or next, and I'll probably go with a opty 165 or X2 3800 and OC my way to equalize the performance difference to higher priced CPUs. My question is, how much would I really need to OC if I wasn't going for big bragging rights and just wanted everything to run smoothly? Shaving just a few seconds off of loading times, boot times, and the like is not my ultimate goal. All I want is for the processor to keep maximum lifespan while also getting a performance boost. If my understanding is correct, upping voltage on the CPU will lower its lifespan, so I'm thinking of going with an opty and OC'ing to about 2.4 GHz by upping the bus.

This will probably go down on an A8N-E too, because I'm quite afraid of getting a LANParty and messing with too many things and never getting it right again.

Last question for you guys is this. Will DDR500 memory (such as G.Skill extreme for $160) be better than lower priced DDR400? Would I get problems with 500 speed if I wanted to run everything at stock for a month or so while everything burns in?

 

[MadModMike]

I'm planning on building a rig this month or next, and I'll probably go with a opty 165 or X2 3800 and OC my way to equalize the performance difference to higher priced CPUs. My question is, how much would I really need to OC if I wasn't going for big bragging rights and just wanted everything to run smoothly? Shaving just a few seconds off of loading times, boot times, and the like is not my ultimate goal. All I want is for the processor to keep maximum lifespan while also getting a performance boost. If my understanding is correct, upping voltage on the CPU will lower its lifespan, so I'm thinking of going with an opty and OC'ing to about 2.4 GHz by upping the bus.

This will probably go down on an A8N-E too, because I'm quite afraid of getting a LANParty and messing with too many things and never getting it right again.

Last question for you guys is this. Will DDR500 memory (such as G.Skill extreme for $160) be better than lower priced DDR400? Would I get problems with 500 speed if I wanted to run everything at stock for a month or so while everything burns in?

Definately get the Opteron 64 165, it overclocks much much better than any Athlon 64's. Stock voltage for the Opteron 64 165 is 1.3v-1.35v, run your Voltage to 1.35v, put the HTT/FSB to 250MHz w/ 9x Multiplier (Never reduce the Multi on the 165, it's low enough as it is and can handle the extra MHz). You won't have to exceed 1.4v and can set your HTT/FSB to 267MHz (will give you 2.4GHz) without cutting lifetime of CPU.

In my experience, DDR500 performs less than DDR400 in overclocking, e.g., 250MHz DDR500 vs. Overclocked DDR400 @ 250MHz (DDR500 speeds), the DDR400 @ 250MHz will outperform the DDR500 w/ same timings. At first, make sure to put FSB:RAM Ratio to 1:1 (400MHz/DDR400) in BIOS, and almost right away, put your HTT Multiplier from 5x down to 4x and leave it there, even @ 267MHz. If you get errors, put it down to 3x or upp the voltage of the Northbridge. I highly recommend getting a LanParty, they are not as complicated as everybody makes them out to be and alot of settings are already AUTO and can be left there, and the DFI's provide the best System & Memory Efficiency of any maker.

Make sure to get good quality RAM, a nice Power Supply, and adequete cooling for the system. Never exceed 1.45v w/ the Opteron 64 165, as it will reach 300FSB+ w/o exceeding the 1.45v I specified. If you need more help or have more questions, please post and I will help.

~~Mad Mod Mike, pimpin' the world 1 rig at a time