506 vs. 630

[anonomous09]

Well, I am building a new rig.
msi p4n sli
hiper 550w
xfx 6800gs 1g of value select
Now, how much of a difference in gaming would the 630 be, oced and no oc.

[larva]

I hope you haven't already bought this stuff. It's all wrong if overclocking is the intent. Let me explain:

Firstly, MSI is junk. Trust me on this one, run, don't walk away.

Secondly, the Nvidia chipset for the Intel cpus overclocks poorly. And when you get one made my MSI, it may not even be right at stock clocks.

Thirdly, power supply matters. Get a real one. They paste a big 'ole 550 on the side of that Hiper because they quite simply saw you coming, not because it makes anything like the shadow of 550W.

A XFX 6800GS is fine, and the corsair PC4200 value select works well enough, but when it comes to motherboards and power supplies buying the very cheapest will cause you no end of grief as well as preclude a substantial OC.

As far as the 506 vs the 630, the 630 is better. But it would be a whole lot better to go with the 506 and use the saving to finance a real motherboard and power supply. A 630 will provide a few more fps, but you will give away fps by the handful when motherboard and power supply aren't right, as the OC just won't work out.

[Goshawk]

forget the 506, its good for a budget system, but not much more. I'd go with a 630, or even a 641 cedarmill if the budget permits.

Its touch and go with MSI boards, i'd suggest something in the Asus or Abit product line, than maybe an Antec or PC Power & cooling PS


~ Gos

[anonomous09]

Could you recomend a motherboard in the 100, and a psu

[Know Nuttin]

If you don't mind refurbished, you can get an Asus P5LD2 or Abit AL8 from Newegg.

price range for PSU? Future intentions? Dual core? SLI?

[larva]

I would recommend the AL8-V Abit motherboard and an Antec SP2-450 or Fortron AX500-A power supply.

[Know Nuttin]

I would recommend the AL8-V Abit motherboard and an Antec SP2-450 or Fortron AX500-A power supply.

:thup:

Done that combo (actually, AL8-V, 630, and SP2.0-500w) and it was great.

The SP2.0-500w is actually a few bucks cheaper at Newegg after instant rebate. May as well go for that. Has modular cables as well, if that appeals to you.

[anonomous09]

How well do the al8 and the p5ld2 work with a 820. Also how would an ocz psu or a.c. ryan work?

[larva]

I didn't notice they had that rebate going on the SP2-500 again, yeah, get that if it's cheaper than the 450.

If you are talking about the real OCZ, the Powerstream 520, it is one of the best supplies you can get. But I suspect you are talking about one of the Modstreams. While they and AC Ryans are not junk, I'd take the SP2-500 or Fortron AX500-A over them 100 times out of 100. The modstream and AC Ryan are a whole lot better than a Hiper-anything, though. The Antec TPII-480 and 550 are worth considering, also, but probably will come somewhat dearer than the SP2s.

When you mention the 820 you crank up the cost all around. While the AL8 might run one very well (can't say I've seen it done, although it is a quality motherboard that supports that cpu), the power supplies will melt. The unit I've mentioned I'd recommend for that use is the OCZ Powerstream 520. You could also use the markedly-cheaper Sparkle FSP550PLG-SLI, but it runs hot and loud in comparsion to the OCZ PS520. You would also need serious cooling if OCing is the goal. And it might prove that the AL8 isn't that great with the 820, I just can't say.

The big mistake you are making here is not spending enough. If you insist on choosing bottom-dollar components you must be realistic about their capabilities. It doesn't sound to me like you intend a budget sufficient to make any kind of an 820 system, and I think you will probably have to increase your budgetary intent somewhat for a 630 to really work out. Trying to do too much with too little is a good way to waste whatever you spend.

[Audioaficionado]

If you can't afford the whole top level build, just get the best motherboard and power supply with the 506 and then upgrade the rest as you can afford. The motherboard is the foundation everything else is depending on and the power supply makes that foundation solid.

[Know Nuttin]

Also, if you're going to buy memory to overclock with, and intend to go with an 800FSB CPU in the future like an 820 or 920, do not go with PC4200, as it is rated only for 266FSB. Most of the current 800FSB CPUs (200mhz actual) are good for 266 and above.

The thing about talking about dual core now is that the 945 chipset is not the best route to take. Whether it is the chipset itself or the power regulators, they are just not as good as their 955 chipset counterparts. You should also be looking at the 920, not the 820, for dual core.

PSU is of utmost importance when overclocking. For Intel P4's, single +12v rail is preferred and the OCZ Powerstream 520w is a very solid choice.