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Best RAM or not?

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XtraSmiley

Registered
Joined
Oct 7, 2003
Note I'm putting this question in all of the different forum sections so if you guys(gals) want to answer all of these questions great, if not, just numbers 1 and 4 for here. Thanks!

Hi everyone, I'm new to overclocking and new to these forums and hope someone can help me out with these questions.

I just bought a Vapochill PE and here's what I'm buying next:

1. Abit IC7 Mobo $120 USD
2. P4c 2.8 $265
3. ENERMAX EG651P-VE(FMA). 550W $150
4. CORSAIR MEMORY XMS Extreme Memory Speed Series,
Platinum Series (Twin Pack) 1GB(2 x 512MB) 2x(64MX64) PC-3700 With Heat Spreaders.
Specifications:
Speed 466 MHz
Organization 2 x 64M x 64
Part number: TWINX1024-3700PT $280

Here's my questions since you guys know waaaaay more than me I'm sure!

1. Is there a better mobo near the same price range that OCs well? Is it worth it to get the (g) version of this Mobo? I don't really have a LAN and I think that's the only difference right?

2. A P4c 2.4 is only $175, that's $90 cheaper than the 2.8, the 2.6 is $210. Is the headroom for OCing the same on these three? What's the better buy with price considerations?

3. The ENERMAX EG465AX-VE (W)FCA. 433W is only $100, a $50 savings. Do I need the 550 or will this work?

4. First, is this the correct BRAND/SPEED for what I'm getting? I've never OCed before and I'm not sure what RAM I need. Also for $70 more I can get this:
CORSAIR MEMORY XMS Extreme Memory Speed Series,
(Twin Pack) 1GB(2 x 512MB) 2x(64MX64) TWINX1024-4000PT
Speed 500 MHz
Organization 2X64MX6
CAS Latency: 3-4-4-8
Memory type DDR NON-ECC
Part number: TWINX1024-4000PT Platinum Series

Is there a big difference? Should I pay the extra $70?

I'm looking to try and get a 700-800hz OC that runs games stable. Any advice about my parts before I buy them?

Thanks to everyone who takes the time to answer my questions.
 
1. Is there a better mobo near the same price range that OCs well? Is it worth it to get the (g) version of this Mobo? I don't really have a LAN and I think that's the only difference right?

Maybe the non-deluxe version of the Asus P4C800, or the P4P800, (which is a springdale board instead of a canterwood one). I would go with the IC7, though.

2. A P4c 2.4 is only $175, that's $90 cheaper than the 2.8, the 2.6 is $210. Is the headroom for OCing the same on these three? What's the better buy with price considerations?

The headroom for overclocking is greatest on the 2.4c. All P4c's start out as the same chip, the 2.4, 2.6, 2.8, etc. is just a brand Intel sticks on them, (preportedly because of how they test-out, but in reality for a lot of reasons relating to demand and whatnot). The multiplier on every intel chip is locked to make them run at their rated speed when the FSB is set to the default of 200, (for P4C). Therefore, all 3 chips might overclock to the same 3.2-3.4ghz range, (which seems to be the norm for P4Cs on air) but the 2.4 would be running at a much higher FSB to reach that speed and consequently perform better. However, you'd need very good RAM indeed to reach 3.2-3.4 with a 1:1 ratio.

3. The ENERMAX EG465AX-VE (W)FCA. 433W is only $100, a $50 savings. Do I need the 550 or will this work?

I dislike Enermax. I'm running an Antec TrueControl 550. I'd go with either that, (which is in the same pricerange as your enermax) or a TrueBlue 550, (which is a little cheaper). Both would be better choices. The TrueControl has a voltage controller that sits in one of your CD bays and you can manually regulate the voltage on the 3.3, 5, and 12v lines individually, which is useful for setting them exactly at voltage on an overclocked system instead of just "within tolerance". It might not mean anything, but I'm anal about stuff like that.

4. First, is this the correct BRAND/SPEED for what I'm getting? I've never OCed before and I'm not sure what RAM I need.

Yes, if you have the money to burn. Corsair is the Cadillac of RAM manufacturers, they're very reliable, dependable, and results using Corsair memory are fairly duplicatable from one system to another. On the PC 4000 thing, if you end up getting a 2.4 P4, then I'd go with the PC4000, it should give you a little more room to work with when maxing out your chip.

Hope I've helped.
 
Wow kestrel thanks for that very indepth reply. I'm really going to take your advice to heart and JonnyCnote, thanks for that looking out, I guess I'll wait a week or two before getting the processor. Thanks everyone! X
 
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