New Build Learning to OC Advise Please

[pous]

Hey guys, I recently built a Q6600/8800GTS640 system with lots of advice from this site...

Now I'm looking to build something a bit less budget-wise and with the intent to learn how to OC.

Here's what I'm looking at component-wise:

1. Case - http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16811119106 Centurion 534 (Might actually use his case instead: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811144026 Apevia X Dreamer II I have one of these in my basement I could use, with the Antec PSU of course)

2. PSU - http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16817103941 Antec NeoHE 550

3. HDD - http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16822144701 WD 250GB (Wasn't sure what to get for under $80, so I picked this one)

4. CPU - http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16819116052 E2180 (Good for OC.. yes?)
4.5 CPU Cooler - http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16835118223 Zalman CNPS9500 (Will this be enough? Should I get a Tuniq? I want to hit 3.0ghz on this OC)

5. GPU - http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16814102075 ATI x1950PRO 512MB

6. Mobo - http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16813128059 Gigabyte P35 DS3L

7. RAM - http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16820231098 G.Skill 2 x 1 GB DDR2 800

So that's it.. I've got extra monitor keyboard and mouse. Forgot to list optical drive, but there's cheap ones for like 30-40 dollars on the egg, so I'm not worried.

Again I'm trying to learn to OC with this build, if there's anything you can recommend that would make it easier please feel free to offer it up.

Few direct questions I have, but still open to any type of comment or advise.

1. How will that cooler work? Very well compared to Tuniq? Should I change it?

2. Will the Cent 534 offer enough cooling on its own or should I get more fans? Should I use the Apevia case instead and add some more fans to that?

3. Any better deal on hard drive for under $80? (I don't need this computer for big storage, honestly I just want to learn OC on it and my do some gaming here and there..)

4. Is the x1950pro still the best GPU for the 150 dollar range? Should I go with a lower card? I keep looking at the 8600gt/s for like 115 or so on new egg, but everyone always says they suck... Any thoughts or opinions? Has there ever been a comparison done between 8600 and x1950 or 8600 vs other cards?

5. Should that be good RAM for OC'ing my CPU... does RAM even matter when OC'ing cpu?

6. Anything else I should buy or know? (Other than reading guides and various other things on and around this site) for now I just want some general advice and opinions on the build itself.

Thanks!! (And sorry to ramble so much)

 

[roadrunner197069]

If you only want a 3.0 OC grab the E2140 same cpu just a lower multiplier. 2140x8, 2160x9, 2180x10. All of them will hit 3.0 easy. 2140 375 FSB, 2160 333.33 FSB, 2180 300 FSB.

 

[pous]

How will FSB affect my OC?

Is it possible/safe to get one of those over 3 with air cooling only?

Thanks for the quick reply.

 

[roadrunner197069]

Well if you dont change your FSB how else you planning on OCing? I've read reviews of all of them at 3.0 on stock cooling. The 2160 and 2180 will without a doubt. All 3 chips are stock at 200 FSB. 200x8=1.6 , 200x9=1.8, 200x10=2.0.


If you gab the E2180 and want 3.0 you have to take 3000/10=300. So for a 3.0 you need a 300FSB and run the ram at 1:1 which will really only pushing your ram at DDR2600 speeds.

 

[pous]

So given that information, and a third party cooler... what do you think I could push the 2180 to?

 

[lx_flier]

The higher the fsb the higher the memory mhz will be, i would get the E2160 and o/c to 3ghz (333.33) then if your temps are good go to 3.2ghz(355.55) thats probably as high as you want to go. Also If your going to spend that much money on an after market cooler, get a Tuniq Tower 120 as it is cheaper and a much better cooler.

 

[pous]

3.2 as high... that sounds good, especially given the base speed of the cpu. I think this will be a fun learning experience.

 

[roadrunner197069]

Well ima shoot for 3.6 as soon as mine gets here. Im gonna try the Artic freezer 7. In a couple weeks I would like to try water cool with 4.0. I would never try higher then 4.0 with ths chip. Even if you only g oto 3.4 it will blow the socks off the E6850 stock.

 

[roadrunner197069]

Since it isnt very expensive I will probably lap the cpu and the Heat sink.

 

[pous]

What does it mean to "lap the cpu and heat sink"?

What about the two cases I'm looking at using? Do you think they'll run cool enough or should I look into something different?

Is that a good choice of video card?

 

[lx_flier]

3.6 should be quite obtainable if you increase the voltage and have a good heatsink, just keep the temps in check. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119068 Is a better case imo. The gpu is the best you can get if your only willing to spend $150 ideally you would want a X1950XT for ~200 or less but they are sold out. This is a better PSU http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817812004. Lapping is done by sanding the base of a heatsink to attempt to perfectly flatten the surface. Shouldn't worry about it for now.

 

[roadrunner197069]

Lapping is where you take sandpaper and sand the surfaces flat since from the factory they are ususally slightly warped.

I dont now much about the card.

Im quessing you will use this PC more then your q6000 for apps that dont utilize the quad this one will be faster.

 

[pous]

Not sure what I'll use this one for to be honest... might just use it as a second computer altogether, program/game/internet/whatever I feel like at the moment.

Thanks for all the advice guys (=

 

[pous]

Oh what about the cooler I picked... is that as good as the Tuniq tower?

 

[lx_flier]

nop...

 

[lunyone]

Here's a case to consider.
Case - $70 shipped - $20 MIR = $50! Can hold 2 8800gtx’s!! What a deal
COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Mid Tower Case Retail ***Free Shipping***
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=10006342

If your just tinkering w/this computer, this HDD will be plenty.
Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3250410AS 250GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148262
Than again you could get by with 80gig hard drive for about $50, so you can decide how much HD space you want.

 

[aziraphale]

I suggest you use the search function since ALL of the questions here have been answered for about 100 times already...

 

[systemlord]

What does it mean to "lap the cpu and heat sink"?

What about the two cases I'm looking at using? Do you think they'll run cool enough or should I look into something different?

Is that a good choice of video card?

If your going to be overclocking I'd get a better case, the Antec 900 is one of the best cases for hardcore gaming and overclocking. I've seen then on NewEgg for $100 and it has a fan selector, low, med and high for all the fans. The Tuniq Tower is one of the best coolers around, I have one on my 3.7GHz OC. The better the airflow in the case the more likely you'll be able to OC higher and have your compenents long lasting.

Everything has an effect on OC'ing, RAM, mobo, CPU, power supply just to name a few. The PSU is often overlooked on new builds and is the most important piece in your computer.

 

[systemlord]

nop...

Heres a guy that knows nothing and has nothing to add or to help out someone with good questions!

 

[lx_flier]

Heres a guy that knows nothing and has nothing to add or to help out someone with good questions!

How do i know nothing? and how am i contributing nothing? He asked whether a ZALMAN CNPS9500 was better then a Tuniq Tower 120 and i simply answered nop... if you don't believe it then i suggest you stop being so ignorant and go educate yourself.

 

[systemlord]

Wrong thread, oops. This is what you (me) get when typing and drinking.

 

[zenmaster]

So are you now saying you agree with flier?

I'm confused?
Originally Flier claimed that Tuniq Tower was much better than the ZALMAN and then posted a bunch of evidence that seems to backup his claims?

I'm not really sure where the disagreement is?

 

[geofelt]

I am not clear on your objective. If you just want to fool around with OC'ing, then get the cheapest parts that will run. You might not get the highest overclock, but you will prove the concept and gain experience. If you should really screw it up, the loss of cheaper parts oon't hurt as much.

Since you already have a good standard PC, I don't imagine that performance on a budget is your objective.

If, on the other hand, you want to develop a useful machine for gaming, or something more than surfing the net or backup, Then you need to decide what your OC objective is(3.0, 3.3, 3.8?). From what I read. 3.0 can be done with almost anything, do you want more?

Or do you want the challenge of competing for the best overclock record?

I am thinking about doing the same thing with some extra parts, and I have not answered these questions yet, myself.

---good luck---

 

[pous]

Geofelt -

You bring up good points, here's what I'm looking at...

I want to OC for the first time, just to learn, that's correct, but...

I want to do a HIGH OC... because I think that would be cool... I guess. If 3.0 is so easy I want to see how high I can get it with air cooling (using apparently tuniq 120 because they say it's best) and then go from there. As far as a budget or whatever... yea I want a low cost system, but I would like to keep it intel because I like their parts and such... I don't need a replacement system, this one will be back up and/or for friends to use when they come over to game.

Not likely to try and get the 'best' overclock record... but I'd like to get it nice and high... it's an exciting thought for me. If it goes well I'll probably get a tuniq for my Q6600 and OC that a bit... if only just because then I'll know how.

Some people mentioned a different case like the Antec 900... I'd look into that if it was absolutely necessary but I didn't want to have to spend over 100 on a case... especially when I've got one I could potentially use already.

At the same time, I know that good cooling is necessary to get good oc's... so if I need a good case in order to reach higher speeds then I'll look into the Antec 900 or something along those lines.

Thanks for everyone's input and advice. I know one guy said I could just search for answers, and I feel somewhat bad about not doing that, but I think overall this is more efficient at getting me the answers/results I need.

 

[geofelt]

Anadtech has been doing sometesting of cpu coolers, and they can get the best overclocks with the thermalright ultra 120 extreme. http://www.anandtech.com/casecoolingpsus/showdoc.aspx?i=2981
It obviously does a great job in transferring heat from the cpu to the cooler.

The next step is to get the heat out of the case. To that end, the Antec 900 is about as good as it gets. I have found that techonweb has good prices on Antec cases($91.36). http://www.techonweb.com/products/productdetail.aspx?id=D03493
You might want to see how far you get with your current case, but It does not look good to me. I do not see much intake airflow.

Also, If you use a high powered VGA card, you will generate more heat in the case than the cpu will. You might want to use a more energy efficient vga card, or get one that exhausts heat out the back slot like this MSI 8600GTS http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127284 The cost would be the same.