Q6600 OC Budget Gamer Build

[captainjorge]

Greetings Everyone!

I'm starting to do some research on building a new system. Let me know what you all think of this build. I've done quite a bit of work on computers and upgrades but sadly I have yet to build my own system - let alone overclock it. I am sure I want the SLACR Q6600 and I want to OC it to 3.0 GHz. Now I'm not sure about the optimal motherboard choice for that processor to OC it, or RAM to match the FSB (is that correct?), or cooling for that matter. Bear in mind I'm living in sunny Miami, FL, and room temperature can get rather warm.

I'll be keeping my current monitor, a 17" Samsung Syncmaster LCD. I'm quite happy with it and I would just like to be able to play current and future games at 1280x1024 with all the bells, whistles, kitchen sink, refrigerator, etc. thrown at it. Of course upgrading the monitor is an option in the future, but not a priority, or an interest at the moment.

The OS Will be Win XP Pro, no out of pocket expense since I get a few free copies from college (MSDN Academic Alliance or something like that).

Anyways, let me know what you think of the components I've rounded up. Budget is around 1000-1500 I'd say. Your input will be invaluable to me. Thanks in advance!

CPU
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 G0 Stepping Kentsfield 2.40GHz 8MB L2 LGA 775 Processor Retail BX80562Q6600 SLACR
http://www.clubit.com/product_detail.cfm?itemno=CA1938452
279.99

Cooling
Thermalright Ultra-120 Extreme CPU Cooler - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835109140
$64.99

Scythe S-FLEX SFF21D 120mm Case Fan - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835185004
$24.99

Motherboard
DFI BLOOD IRON P35-T2RL LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813136038
$139.99

RAM
G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231114
99.99

Video Card
EVGA 640-P2-N821-AR GeForce 8800GTS 640MB 320-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16814130071
$371.99

Power Supply
OCZ GameXStream OCZ700GXSSLI ATX12V 700W Power Supply 100 - 240 V - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341002
$139.99

Hard Drive
Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD2500KS 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16822144701
$67.99

CASE
COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Black SECC/ ABS ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16811119137
$69.99

DVD
Sony NEC Optiarc 18X DVD±R DVD Burner with 12X DVD-RAM Write Black SATA Model AD-7170S-0B - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16827152079
$31.49

Comes out to about $1291.40. I know the list could use some tweaking and I probably could some cheaper prices somewhere, but this is a start. Also, does anyone know any good local shops in Miami, FL where I can buy any of these?

 

[eternallydead]

When do you want to build it?

I would wait for the x38 chipset as well as black friday, they have really good deals then.

 

[deusex]

17"...= 1280X1024......yeah, you could go by with a 7900GS...


If you're going 8800, please get a new monitor, to utilize the full graphics of the 8800 series!

 

[Maziar]

u cant use 4GB DDR2 in P5K3 DELUXE , because P5K3 only supports DDR3 RAM

 

[ZeroCool]

u cant use 4GB DDR2 in P5K3 DELUXE , because P5K3 only supports DDR2 RAM

I'm sure Maziar meant DDR3 ram, and yes he is correct that MB only supports DDR3.

I cant really give you an incredible amount of technical info on your system as I have been out of the loop for so long now and actually came here for advice myself, but why a 700w PSU... I am not totally sure myself but this seems a little over what you would need for your system according to what I have dug up.

I would swap out the MB for something that supports DDR2 until DDR3 ram prices drop tremendously with your budget or else you will be out of pocket rather fast on ram alone. The rest of the system I will not pick at but just from advice I have been given I would swap out those 2 items.

 

[Maziar]

thanx mate , i edited it

 

[cb62fcni]

I'm sure Maziar meant DDR3 ram, and yes he is correct that MB only supports DDR3.

I cant really give you an incredible amount of technical info on your system as I have been out of the loop for so long now and actually came here for advice myself, but why a 700w PSU... I am not totally sure myself but this seems a little over what you would need for your system according to what I have dug up.

I would swap out the MB for something that supports DDR2 until DDR3 ram prices drop tremendously with your budget or else you will be out of pocket rather fast on ram alone. The rest of the system I will not pick at but just from advice I have been given I would swap out those 2 items.

You could save some money and get the new DFI P35 motherboard, it has even more overclocking options than the P5K series. The 700W power supply is right on the money, you should ALWAYS get the biggest PSU you can, because when a PSU is at 60 or 70% load it is at peak efficiency, whereas with a lower capacity model you'll be running it at near 100% load, which is both dangerous from a stability standpoint and inefficient. I agree that DDR2 is probably your best bet for now, only get 2GB though unless you're getting a 64 bit OS as it's not needed and won't be recognized anyway. Finally, I'd get the thermalright 120 over the zalman, though the performance is roughly similar. The 120 generally outperforms the 9700 by a narrow margin, and is almost 20 bucks cheaper too.

 

[captainjorge]

Thanks for the quick replies everyone!

eternallydead: I was shooting for around Christmas to build it. But Black Friday does sound good, I should have money by then to buy some, if not all the components. And I'll look out for the X38 Chipset.

DeusEx: First of all, that's my favorite game in the universe. I do want to go with an 8800 - that being said, what kind of monitor do you recommend? After I build the machine, I could save up a few hundred dollars and buy a new monitor. I wouldn't want to go over 600.00 for it though.

Maziar, ZeroCool and cb62fcni: Thanks for the RAM advice, that's one of the areas I'm least knowledgeable in. So, the DFI P35 sounds great. I wasn't sure if 4GB would be worth it, so I'll take your advice and go with 2GB since I won't be using a 64-bit OS for now. The Thermalright 120 sounds like a no brainer, better performance and it's cheaper. Done.

I went ahead and edited my original post with your recommended hardware changes. What do you think about the RAM? Is that a good choice for overclocking the Q6600? Thanks.

 

[cb62fcni]

That RAM is quite good, I've used it on a few builds recently with no trouble. Might want to check with DFI and make sure it's on the compatable list for the motherboard just in case. If you're waiting until later this year, X38 might be a better choice than P35 in terms of future-proofing since it incorporates PCIE 2.0. Well priced DDR2 compatable models should be available by that timeframe, but expect to spend upwards of 200. Make sure you register for the EVGA step up program as well, that way you can get a full refund for your used GPU if they introduce a new model within 90 days of purchase, that's a good deal.

 

[captainjorge]

Great. Glad to hear the RAM is good. Future-proofing is very important to me so it would be wise to wait for the X38. I've heard a lot of good things about EVGA and the step up program, I'll be sure to sign up after getting the card. Thanks again for the advice.

 

[cory1234]

http://www.pcextreme.com/catalog/sku/fan-204.html

I would never pay $25 for that fan I think i paid $13 for mine but its a S-flex f. My build was very simliar to yours but I paid $305 for my processor b/c I couldnt wait for price drops lol.

 

[captainjorge]

Cool. Thanks Cory, I wasn't too sure myself whether I was paying too much for that fan.