Need some opinions on these upgrades

[festerovic]

Howdy, just suffered the alleged death of my favorite MSI p45 mobo, and am now looking at a new mobo, some RAM, and a CPU. On top of that, I plan to OC the cpu once it's sufficiently broke in (like a few days after I get it!) So a decent cooler rec too.

I am not going extreme, I dont need 5ghz OC and I dont need 16x16 CF (8x8 is fine) and I will only use 2 vid cards MAX. Don't care about USB3.0 or sata 6 really as I have a network share RAID of 4tbs already and who cares about onboard storage.

So far, I got these in my cart, but I am open to suggestions:

RAM (keep under $110)-G.Skill Sniper 8gb kit
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231416

MOBO (keep under $200) Biostar TP67XE
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813138289

CPU- 2500k i7 (yay first chip over $200 that was ever worth it)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072

CPU cooler-
please give me a product that will work on the biostar or whichever mobo you all would suggest.

I am recycling -
a sunbeam transformer case (its big and stupid like me)
a 750 watt PSU
hard drives/blurays (total of 3)-thats how many sata I will ever use)
2 4870 gpus

Thanks, and extra thanks if you get me some great ideas before Monday morning, when I need to order or suffer a day of no home computer.

 

[joelmartinez]

RAM- this mushkin silverline is good and is really cheap http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226095&cm_re=mushkin_silverline_ddr3-_-20-226-095-_-Product
Mobo- the Asrock p67 extreme4 is better http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157217&Tpk=asrock%20p67%20extreme4
CPU- same
CPU cooler- the scmg-2100 will keep those temps nice and low http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835185142&Tpk=scmg-2100
Do you have TIM already if so what kind if not pick up some http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835150080&cm_re=shin_etsu_g751-_-35-150-080-_-Product (best out there right now)

 

[festerovic]

thanks for the reply.

seeing the mushkin brings up two things - 1) I think I really want ddr3-1600. I have read multiple articles where they tested speed and performance, and CL7 ddr3 1600 was almost as good as ddr3-2133. (except in bandwidth of course). Also 2) the voltage on those were 1.65v. I have read multiple places that intel specs voltage for socket 1155 cpus at 1.5, with a tolerance of 5% = 1.58v. This is directly correlated to lower CPU life.

I have had bad times with asrock boards in the past, is this one better than the equivalent biostar or gigabyte? The article toms did on p67s didn't hype it that hard.

 

[joelmartinez]

sure you're reading the specs right on the mushkin the link I get when I click on it clearly says 1.5v in both overview and details. If you need 1600 bump the voltage on those mushkins to 1.58v and overclock.

Okay for Asrock quality I'll give you a couple links on reviews read them thoroughly:
http://www.hardwareheaven.com/reviews/1098/pg1/asrock-extreme4-p67-and-fatal1ty-professional-p67-vs-x58-with-core-i7-950-review-introduction.html
http://en.ocworkbench.com/tech/asrock-p67-extreme4-intel-p67-express-motherboard-review/15/

and in the end of this anandtech article http://www.anandtech.com/show/4130/the-battle-of-the-p67-boards-asus-vs-gigabyte-at-190 he says:

However, the second question is: ‘what about the comparison to the ASRock P67 Extreme4’? The ASRock board has power/reset buttons on the board, a Debug LED, that USB 3.0 bracket which will hold an SSD (worth in my option about $15), and is almost $40 cheaper. The ASUS board is the slightly better performing, overclocking is easier on the ASUS, the ASUS has a longer warranty, the UEFI is slightly better on the ASUS, the ASUS uses Intel Ethernet rather than Realtek, but the ASRock will take socket 775 coolers. It is up to you to judge, but in my opinion, I would take the Extreme4, pocket the $40 difference, and invest it in something else for a PC build.

Convinced?

 

[joelmartinez]

I don't see why you wouldn't get the mushkin it is certified for p67 has 1.5v and will run as fast as the g skill with .8 extra v and it's super cheap right now

 

[festerovic]

haha I sense mild internet freak out, LOL. You are totally right, I somehow looked up a different set once I saw 1333 speed, but of mushkin silverline. I cant find what I looked at so I can't figure out where my tardation came from. No reason not to get the mushkin if I was certain I wanted 1333. However, I am scared that if I get the lowest speed available, it will somehow lower my overclocking potential. I dont know squat about OCing sandy bridge other than you raise the multiplier on the chip and adjust the ram divider. Back in the day, raising the FSB really high sometimes made it so you needed RAM that was much faster than stock. So, with this answer you will clinch it for me: can I run the CPU at whatever multiplier I want, and keep the RAM at 1333? Because I could care less about RAM speed, it doesn't fold or transcode, the CPU at 4.6ghz does I want to save money, please tell me I can do this, especially if it is true.

RE: asrock, I found that article after I entertained the notion of the manufacturer. One thing of immense lameness was that newegg acutally blew through every board I was interested in in a span of 12 hours. The asrock board is listed as sold out, the asus pro model was out of stock, the gigabyte ud4 was out of stock. I need to buy there since I have an account. I was really wanting to order asap.

Re; the scythe: that thing is mammoth. I think I read on frosty that it was 900 grams! Are you positive it works on 1156/1155? Because the specs at newegg say 1366 and s775. And, despite what all the articles say about the asrock, not all 775 coolers will work on it. That was written on the reviews of purchasers on newegg, if they are to be believed.

please dont take my arguments as me poo pooing your ideas, quite the opposite. I would challenge anyones' opinion on how I should spend a ton of cash. I like to get stuff I know will work out. Thanks for your continued input. (thats what she said)

 

[joelmartinez]

Yeah I get that way sometimes It's not that I freak out it's that I come off as freaking out I'm completely calm.

I'm not completely sure about the whole RAM thing what I heard is that SB was pretty independent from the RAM but I don't know if 1333 will limit your clocks, gonna have to pm someone else on that.

sorry about the boards

okay I'm now getting an aneurism it says on the specs lga 1155 gawdammmitttttttt YAHHHHHH!!!!!! And yes it's heavy but it works well.

 

[festerovic]

yay the boards are back in stock now! After 2 hours the assrock is back, think I will snag it. Let me know asap bout the RAM, appreciate it.

LOLS at the scythe. I swear to you, I read the blurb 3 times today, it said 775 and 1366. No mention of 1156, which I know is supposed to work. Otherwise I would havent have mentioned it. Damn newegg needs fact checkers, I guess they just respond to their inaccuracies when people email them.

woot, so now I am looking at the assrock, the scythe and the 2500k. Looks like it might be time for a 6850 cf too. Need to know about the RAM though. Early festivus for me hooray. Thanks dude.

 

[joelmartinez]

okay grab the asrock it's a beast

now for the whole scythe thing http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835185142&Tpk=scythe%20scmg-2100 go to details, under spec, compatiblility, intel, socket lga 1155 at least that's what i see

okay now the RAM i glanced over this guide http://www.clunk.org.uk/forums/overclocking/39184-p67-sandy-bridge-overclocking-guide-beginners.html it seems that the RAM will not affect the CPU clock Memory.

Things have changed somewhat, regarding memory on Sandy Bridge. On previous platforms, when you increased the BCLK/FSB, you would automatically increase the memory frequency, so the chances were, that you'd either be under or over the rated speed for your modules.

Because the BCLK is "fixed" to 100MHz, the memory frequency that you choose in the BIOS, will stay the same, regardless of the overclock that you end up with (Unless you have a locked CPU, more on this later), and this is because you have adjusted the CPU's multiplier, instead of the BCLK, this should all become less confusing as we progress through the guide, but in short, Sandy Bridge offers the following memory frequencies which are selectable, regardless of the CPU speed, but be aware that selecting the top two whilst running the CPU very fast, will require some extra tweaking, and we will look at that in a separate article or add on to this guide:
800MHz
1333MHz
1600MHz
1866MHz
2133MHz
2400MHz (This one is for advanced users only)
As with past Intel platforms, there's not a massive amount of real world performance to be had from running the memory at super high speeds, so my advice, for the best balance between performance is to grab yourself a mid range 1600MHz kit with moderately tight timings, (ask on the forums for details) this should offer good flexibility when overclocking. Don't worry if you already have your memory, or can't afford a higher specced kit, the great thing about Sandy Bridge, is that you can set the memory and forget it, so even slower kits will work just fine. All you need to make sure, is that the modules are rated for 1.65v or less***.

 

[joelmartinez]

btw don't forget about the TIM good quality TIM makes a sizable difference

 

[festerovic]

yep I got AS5 it works pretty well.
Thanks for digging up the ram info, I think I stumbled on that same site 5 mins ago, but it wasnt clear to me.

Also, I just learned that 2600k is 4 cores 8 threads, like a i7 9xx. Sooo, gonna have to do it. Love my i7 920 at work, its been running 3.6ghz for over a year on the stock cooler and stock voltage.

Re: the scythe, you were right it is there. Now. Like I said I checked it a few times today and it said 1366 compatible, but didnt mention 1156. Someone changed the blurb and the specs today, I would bet you 50 virtual dollars.

Cheers mate, its a wrap, got my list.

 

[festerovic]

Best answer selected by festerovic.

 

[joelmartinez]

pm with your overclock that guide I linked to might help

 

[festerovic]

word. I have managed good work on previous setups, looking forward to milking this cow.