$1000 Core 2 DUO OC System - Advice Please

itzss

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I'm about to order this system and I've done a decent bit of research. I'm thinking i'll be doing some pretty heavy over clocking. Let me know if you'd change anything to keep it under the 1k price range and get the most bang for my buck.

This system falls in at $951 shipped.

Rosewill R6A34-BK 0.8mm SECC 120mm Fan ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
Link

GIGABYTE GA-965P-DS3 LGA 775 Intel P965 Express ATX Intel Motherboard
Link

Intel Core 2 Duo E6300 Conroe 1.86GHz LGA 775
Link

CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800
Link

XFX PVT71PUQF3 GeForce 7900GS 256MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16
Link

Sunbeam NUUO SUNNU550-US-BK ATX12V / EPS12V 550W Power Supply
Link

Western Digital Caviar SE16 320GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
Link

LITE-ON 20X DVD±R DVD Burner 12X DVD-RAM write and LightScribe
Link

NEC Black 1.44MB 3.5" Internal Floppy Drive
Link

Input is VERY MUCH APPRECIATED. Thanks in Advance.
 

shata

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Looks great to me, Maybe consider 2x120gb harddrives and then Raid 0 them. Just its just a suggestion it looks great to me.
 

fatcat

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There is 2 things you might want looking into it,

1) You say you want to do some heavy over clocking, if that the case, I would at least get a good after market cooler for the CPU, Zalman, Artic Freezer or any other high quality brand.

2)I don't know about the power supply you have selected but that's obviously one element you don't want to go cheap.
 

minty

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Definitely need a good HSF in there. I'd go with a Scythe Ninja or Thermalright Ultra 120, both take 120mm fans so you can run them quiet if you like or turn up the air to get that extra room for your overclock. The Thermalright will be a bit more expensive since it doesn't come with a fan.

Ninja: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16835185038
Ultra 120: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16835109125

Article comparing the two:
http://www.silentpcreview.com/article646-page1.html
 

cb62fcni

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Right, the HSF definately needs to go in there. Also, you could save around 10 bucks and improve the overclock without stressing the MB as much by getting the E4300. With an 800Mhz FSB stock, bumping it up to 1066 results in a ~500 mhz CPU overclock with no strain at all on MB. Think about it. Also makes it easier for RAM to keep up. Expect to spend at least 100 on a good ~500W PSU.
 

shawnre

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I have what may be a dumb question. In looking at his mobo selection and his memory selection. The board calls for 1.8 v memory. The memory he has selected is 1.9 v. Is that going to make it incompatible???

Also the timings, it ways 5-5-5 or 6-6-6. Apparently the one he picked is fine, but, my question then would be what is the extra -12 that sometimes appears at the end of the timings?

I also am building a Intel Duo E6300 and the memory thing has me a little baffled that's why I am asking.
 

cb62fcni

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No, a 965 can run even 2.2V memory with no problem. Early bios revisions failed to automatically adjust voltage, so some people had problems with their first boot-up because of this, but boards on the market today will do so.
 

itzss

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Okay - I did plan on getting a good HS but I was going to wait to order until I got the system and played with it for a few days to really feel the benefit from my OC (call me werid.) but thanks for the suggestion with the

Thermalright HS and the review.. very helpful in making my choice. I can pick up a nice fan around here cheap. Upon reading actual product reviews it seems they have an issue with the risers allowing for good contact with the chip... maybe I should go with the Ninja?

As far as the power supply goes... read the reviews... very strong dual 12v cores tested with multimeter, lots of sli and high power consumption boards running very smoothly and even clocked. It's supposedly a sleeper PS and gives the $100 dollar performance for a low price. Let me know what you think?

Video Card - from what I know the XFX I'm looking at will overclock to outperform the x1950pro and especially with the nicer drivers by nVidia to allow for that overclocking. (All my previous systems = ATI + AMD)

Processor - I read more into the post and it seems the 4300 would be better to help go with cheaper memory... but i'm going with nice memory I thought and the Conroe has a little more headroom it seems...Although for $10 cheaper and a 100mhz less overclock.. once it gets to that point if it's putting less stress on the system and is easier to achieve then I'm all for it.

Floppy - Just in case? How many times have you had to reflash your bios or update your RAID controller and had it not work properly without a Floppy? For a few dollars... why not?
 

cb62fcni

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Definately go with the 4300. You don't have to use cheaper memory with it. It's just less strain on the NB and memory, you can get a much higher overclock with less FSB required, definately a win/win. The reason we all suggest getting a HSF to start with is that it really helps to be able to install it before you mount the motherboard. Some require it (those that screw in) and for the others it's nice to see that the stupid push-pins are all the way through.
 

itzss

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Okay I'll go with that PSU.

Vid Card Input?

I'll stick with the 4300 then.

HDD Choice?

Heatsink Chioce due to mounting issues ive heard with the Thermalright?
 

cb62fcni

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Your HDD choice is fine.

Vid card, sheesh, just cruise for discounts and see what you can get. You'll probably want to upgrade to a DX10 part within a year or two, so don't go all out.
 

shata

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You think doing Raid 0 Striping would help the HDD keep up with my clocked processor / ram combo? Do you even think it will have a hard time keeping up? I am using this computer for business purposes also so I need to have stability and I'm afraid of using raid 0 and having 1 drive crap out and it ruining both.

If I did the raid 0 i'd use

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822136062

If your worried about about reliability maybe Raid 1 is for you. Or just do One drive like you said. Or... Maybe Raid 1+0. Just options but no i didnt suggest raid 0 cause it cant keep up one drive will just be peachy.
 

Featherstone

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I am telling you, if its possible at all to wait for a few weeks for a video card, do it!


Get this PSU
Here

Better manufacturer, better components, better efficiency, and cheaper!!! How's that for a first!

According to the xs psu tier thing, which a lot of people seem to agree with and trust, they are both equal quality. But the antec is cheaper. But the nuuo puts out more wattage and more amps.

I think that I would also go with the antec. But saying that it is a Better manufacturer, better components, better efficiency is misinformation imo.
 

itzss

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Feather what would you do for the PSU?

Also, i figured this Vid Card will work fine and will clock fine until I can afford a solid DX10 card. I'd rather wait for a few to come out and wait to Vista to evolve a bit more before I do that.

For now my major gaming goes into WoW to be honest, lol.

Also.. this heatsink issue seems unanswered....anyone know ?
 

sirrobin4ever

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The Sunbeam PSU that you have picked out is also a very viable option. There are quite a few reviews of it out there, if you don't believe me. In addition, the Sunbeam comes with a two year warranty and this nice fan speed controller and temperature monitor that goes in a 3.5" slot.

I also suggest the 4300, which will allow you to OC to the max clock speed of the chip with the DDR2 800 mhz memory you have picked out.

Best of Luck
 

Featherstone

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HSF
if you're looking for performance I would go with the Tuniq Tower if you can find one, if not the zalman 9700 or the Scythe Ninja are also supposed to be great. (these HSF are $50-70)

If you're looking for a good price and a great HSF go for an arctic cooling freezer 7 pro, you should be able to find one for $25-30 and they perform great. There is also another cooler that is supposed to be a lot like the ACF7P. THG used it in an article called something like "getting a 50% performance increase for $28". Its supposed to be about the same performance and price as ACF7P.

Video Card
As far as Video cards go so far the DX10 capable cards are doing great in DX9 games (such as WoW) and are having no real technical problems, so I see no reason to let the mature or anything. Go get a ~$200 card when all the new cards come out next month. I think they're gonna be awesome.

PSU
As far as PSU, I think the Antec SmartPower that cb62.. suggested is a good deal, here (http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=108088) its on the same tier as the nuuo but it is cheaper.
 

ikjadoon

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cb62fcni

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I thought antec was a tier above sunbeam?? Could be wrong, I'd still stick by that rec, it is a great deal. Better efficiency was no lie, the Sunbeam specs at >72% max and 62% at light load, whereas the Antec has a 70% minimum regardless of operating parameter. Better efficiency is a sure-fire sign of the use of better components. I like the fact that they post their minimum too, instead of some randomly generated, never-to-be-reproduced maximum that most people will never see. Thus, better manufacturer.... Ok, so I was exaggerating a little bit, but I think most people would agree with me on those points.

I also agree that a DX10 vid card is desireable, but since the first round of hardware is usually not the greatest, I would go ahead and get a cheap DX9 card and wait for the refreshes due to arrive by the end of the year. That's just me though. The 8600's are still kinda up in the air. A good alternative might be to swallow the extra cost and get a 320MB 8800GTS, which perform as well as the 640 in all but a few select benchmarks (Doom 3, Quake 4 >16X12).
 

Featherstone

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If you're going to get a video card today I say get an x1950xt and then get a DX10 card in 6 months to a year. But I don't know why you wouldn't wait a few weeks and see if the new cards are killer or cheap. There is a very good possibility that there will be a couple of awesome cards in the sweetspot pricerange.
 

cb62fcni

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I'd say right now the 8800GTS 320 at $299 is a pretty sweet deal. It's a little more than $100 bucks more than the 7800 you have listed, but considering you're saving 30 bucks with the Antec and 10 bucks with the E4300, well, you're getting some of that back! It should outperform the 8600 series quite nicely, considering it has more memory bandwidth and more shader units. The 8600's are slated to start out in the ~$200 dollar price range. It's something to consider anyway, you could have your cake and eat it too.....