Greetings,
This is my first ever post on a tech forum so I'll do my best to put down all the info I need. I'm currently building a system (used mainly for gaming; BF3, Crysis2, demanding games) around an i5 2400 that I got from an Intel program ( it's an engineering sample and I work at Intel). So the i5 2400 is what I have to work with and can't change that. I have already purchased an EVGA Geforce 560ti graphics card so I can't change that either. My question lies mainly in what motherboard/ RAM to get.
I've been looking around at ram and have my eye on this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231568&name=Desktop-Memory
It says in the details that in order to achieve the speeds advertised I would need to enable Intel XMP. This is where I get a little confused: I know that the 15 2400 can't be overclocked in a practical way (I've seen posts on the possibility of overclocking a 2400, but since its multipliers are locked you can't do it in any real meaningful way). Does that mean I wouldn't be able to use intel XMP? I'm assuming that the XMP is a form of overclocking the ram, am I wrong in that assumption? Does that even have anything to do with the CPU?
Also, I've been looking at this motherboard: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131837
I know this motherboard has a Z77 chipset and is made to overclock, but would there be any conflict with it and the 2400? I am trying to future proof as much as possible and plan on dropping in an i7 ivy k series if I ever need to upgrade once the price comes down.
Another question: The power supply in my current rig is an OCZ x stream 500W. I would definitely like to upgrade it to a 750W, but would my 500W run this new system I'm planning or do I need to make the upgrade to the 750W now? I plan on adding another gtx 560ti in the future, and know I would need a beefier PSU for that, I'm just trying to find out how long I can hold off.
I'm not new to PC building, but my last build was about 4 years ago, so I'm pretty out of date. Any suggestions would be well appreciated! (especially about the i5/XMP thing). Thanks in advance!
This is my first ever post on a tech forum so I'll do my best to put down all the info I need. I'm currently building a system (used mainly for gaming; BF3, Crysis2, demanding games) around an i5 2400 that I got from an Intel program ( it's an engineering sample and I work at Intel). So the i5 2400 is what I have to work with and can't change that. I have already purchased an EVGA Geforce 560ti graphics card so I can't change that either. My question lies mainly in what motherboard/ RAM to get.
I've been looking around at ram and have my eye on this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231568&name=Desktop-Memory
It says in the details that in order to achieve the speeds advertised I would need to enable Intel XMP. This is where I get a little confused: I know that the 15 2400 can't be overclocked in a practical way (I've seen posts on the possibility of overclocking a 2400, but since its multipliers are locked you can't do it in any real meaningful way). Does that mean I wouldn't be able to use intel XMP? I'm assuming that the XMP is a form of overclocking the ram, am I wrong in that assumption? Does that even have anything to do with the CPU?
Also, I've been looking at this motherboard: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131837
I know this motherboard has a Z77 chipset and is made to overclock, but would there be any conflict with it and the 2400? I am trying to future proof as much as possible and plan on dropping in an i7 ivy k series if I ever need to upgrade once the price comes down.
Another question: The power supply in my current rig is an OCZ x stream 500W. I would definitely like to upgrade it to a 750W, but would my 500W run this new system I'm planning or do I need to make the upgrade to the 750W now? I plan on adding another gtx 560ti in the future, and know I would need a beefier PSU for that, I'm just trying to find out how long I can hold off.
I'm not new to PC building, but my last build was about 4 years ago, so I'm pretty out of date. Any suggestions would be well appreciated! (especially about the i5/XMP thing). Thanks in advance!