Motherboard & Cooling suggestion e4400

timaahhh

Distinguished
Nov 5, 2007
279
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18,790
Hi, I have an Intel e4400 stock 2.0 GHz 2 gigs of DDR2 PC26400 @ stock (667 MHz) and a P5N32-SLI premium. I got that board because it was the latest out when I got it and I needed sli. I no longer need sli because I have a better single card. I can barely overclock a few dozen MHz without this board becoming unstable even when I crank up the voltages and kept the memory 1:1 ratio. I know the memory can make it up to 800 MHz stock and down to 533 MHz on this board without a problem. I also had an AC7 cooler that now is part of another computer since I'm at stock I am currently using a stock cooler on the e4400.

N e way I need a suggestion for a motherboard that will allow me to overclock at least to 2.6 GHz. I initially wanted to get to 3.2 GHz but now that seems a lofty goal (I managed to get my P4 530 to 4.0 GHz easy so I didn't think 3.2 was out of range). Can anyone suggest a board to me that will get me where I want to be? If I need to buy new memory then I would like a board that support DDR3 memory and suggestions for DDR3 dimms. The price range for the board is around $100 if that is impossible just give me a suggestion closest to.

As far as cooling goes my range is $30 to $100 (hoping there will be conversion kits when Intel releases its next socket).
 

Evilonigiri

Splendid
Jun 8, 2007
4,381
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22,780
So you want a new motherboard? In any case, stay away from Nvidia chipsets cause they have tons of issues. That means no SLI'ing, which isn't the best solution any ways.

That aside, you're gonna want to have more than 2GB of ram if you want to run Vista. You either can get another 2 sticks of ram or get brand new DDR3 rams instead, but DDR3 is still expensive and I don't think the performance is worth the price.

I'm not too familiar with the newer P45 mobos, so I'll leave the mobo suggestion to some one else. As for cooling, I suppose the Xigmatek S1283 is more than you need.

While it is a good idea to buy new parts, you should try OCing some more on that old board of yours. You should be able to hit 2.6GHz, so perhaps you're doing something wrong. Set the ram to the rated speeds and timings. Then adjust the FSB to get you 2.6GHz on that multiplier. If it fails, drop the multiplier by one and try again. Remember to raise your motherboard voltages as you go up in FSB. Vcore should be left on auto for the time being.