What's better?

[miha2]

Zalman CNPS9700 NT vs. Zalman cnps7700-cu vs. other coolers from http://www.enuinc.com (not too expensive though)

i want to overclock my ic2d e7300@2.66 to 3.2 ghz. i want to play latest games, which require quad core for best quality games. there will be saboteur game too. that game requires quad core 2.4ghz cpu. (well, of course, i'm not going to oc it up to 4.8 (or higher) to play it, but i want to play it with at least almost perfect quality, 60 fps; ati's 5850 wanna get ). by the way, will the 500w psu be enough for the oc'ed cpu and stock 5850?

(don't know yet how to oc it, but i'll ask the friends. any ideas/help will help me to oc it well; if interested, i have asrock's mobo (g31m-s and ddr2 pc5300, 5-5-5-15). also, what (forgot the word, cpu-to-ram) do i need to put?

again, never oc'ed before, so any help is welcome.

 

[Shadow703793]

1. What model for the PSU?

2. Read: http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/240001-29-howto-overclock-quads-duals-guide

 

[miha2]

antec, on the same site, but in the psu section

 

[Conumdrum]

Whats better? I dunno whats better than what? Pick the first one.

For the heatsink you want, please look at this link so you can pick it yourself.

http://www.frostytech.com/

I hear a lot about the Core Contact Freezer for the money. I'm watercooled for a few years so I'm not sure, but use Frosty to help you figure it out.

On the PSU, wattage is important, but if you buy a PSU with junk 12VDC rails the GPU card might not be happy. So buy quality, pay attention to the 12VDC rails and get one that has maybe 20% more than the GPU calls for.

And a PSU site to teach you even more stuff, this one for PSU's.


http://www.jonnyguru.com/index.php

 

[miha2]

ok, WHICH is better?

 

[Conumdrum]

You choose, it's your stuff, teach yourself, don't ask me. I said pick the first one, duuu....

Links have been provided, have fun!

 

[miha2]

duuu....

what do you mean, duuu...?
you don't like both? or what? i hate watercooling, i've never used the watercooling, i'm afraid to "break" the hoses, i have a microatx (or whatever, mATX) factor so afraid it won't fit in. need more reasons?

i said, if i oc it, i'll get the antec earthwatts 500w. my friend has it, so far for only 3 mo's, but it works great (at least so far)

i'm asking if this psu will handle both oc'ed cpu and ati's 5850.

 

[Conumdrum]

I'll let others decide, but I gave you info to figure it out yourself. We ain't a Best Buy salesman. If you decide that PSU has enuff in the 12vdc rail, well get it and be happy.

Ask, but use your brain to decide.

 

[jsc]

I think that Zalmans are largely overpriced and under performing. Here are two under $50 heatsinks that are pretty popular:
Sunbeam Core Contact
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835207004
Xigmatec Dark Knight
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233029

They both require a somewhat different approach to applying thermal compound.
Suggestions for applying thermal compound:
http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=170&Itemid=1&limit=1&limitstart=5

And they are pretty large, so they might not fit inside your case.

We can advise you. The advice we give will be worth anywhere from what you paid for it ($0 or nothing) to really good depending on the source.

You need to:
1. Evaluate the quality of the advice.
2. Do your own research.
3. Make your own decisions.

The Antec Earthwatts are pretty good PSU's. A 500 watt Antec should power your system nicely. Personally, I'd put in a Corsair 550VX:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139004

For overclocking:
This should be your first stop.
HOWTO: Overclock C2Q (Quads) and C2D (Duals) - Guide v1.6.1
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/240001-29-howto-overclock-quads-duals-guide

Next stop should be a guide for your particular motherboard. Google is your friend.

Keep your load temps under 70 C. and your CPU core voltage under 1.3625 volts.

 

[Shadow703793]

+1 for the Core Contact.

 

[miha2]

ok, so, will 1.2 v be enough for the oc? if antec's 500w are good, then i'll get it.

+1 for the Core Contact.

what do you mean?

if the fan's price is about 20 dollars and it's sold for 60-70, then it's wild. if its price is about 35-40 and it costs 50-55, it's fine i think. what do you say here?

 

[Shadow703793]

^What I'm saying is, for $25 after MIR, the Core Contact Freezer is a great buy. It's on #4 or #5 on Frosty tech's top 10 list.

 

[miha2]

so, that fan is better... do i understand it correctly?

 

[Shadow703793]

^ Compared to a Zalman CNPS9700 or a 7xxx? Then yes, the CCF is quite a bit better.

 

[miha2]

of course 7xxx is not a fan... i'm not stupid enough to compare cpu with fan - hmm... so, which one is better... cpu or fan...

 

[Shadow703793]

^7xxx = as in Zalman 7000-Cu or Zalman 7700. Not as in 7xxx CPUs. :lol:

 

[miha2]

oh, ok. no, i mean, i want to get it asap, so if it's possible, i wanna buy it in-store that's in my first post ( http://www.enuinc.com ). i want to get a cheap, though. but again, i want the cpu to work at 3.2 (540 mhz oc). looks like the mobo supports oc'ing. also, i have a memory of pc5300 @667, what FSBRAM should i put? and please, help me oc it