New member, new rig - comments please

Hey to everyone on OCforums!

I'm planning a new rig for gaming and general home use (need speed and stability) and I'd like comments and suggestions from folks running similar hardware before I take the plunge. I'm currently running a 875PBZ board with a P4 2.4, Seagate 7200.8 250GBx2 in RAID0 and 1GB of generic RAM along with a ATI Radeon 9600 graphics card and an Audigy 2ZS. I'm also running an Antec Sonata with Neo550 PS. DVDROM, 3.5" FDD (for RAID installs). I'm running and will continue to run XP Pro with a possible Vista upgrade after the dust settles (maybe dual boot?)

Here is what I plan to purchase within the next week or so:

IP35 Pro
Q6600 (OC to 3.0GHz)
Crucial Ballistix 2GB DDR2 800
Freezer 7 Pro
EVGA GeForce 8800 GTS SSC, 640MB

I'll re-use the sound card, drives, case, and PS.

Do you guys think this system will meet my needs for speed and stability? I'm planning on playing the latest games and doing my banking and family photo albums, so this system needs to do it all. Is this memory a good match? Can I OC to 3.0GHz without spending days getting it to work right and becoming an expert in troubleshooting problems?

As a footnote, I know RAID0 isn't the best for reliability but I run regular backups and the performance gain has been worth it for me so far (no problems yet). Thanks for your input.

Every thing's look fine except the cpu cooler ... !!! freezer for a quad ... i will go for a thermalright ultra 120 extreme ...

Yeah, I'd look for a different cooler for that CPU. I know everyone loves the Thermalright Ultra and/or the Ultra Extreme, but the Tuniq Tower is also really good. There are others as well, but look for some reviews before fully deciding.

Otherwise, I'd also suggest replacing that GTS 640mb for one of the GTS 512mb cards. Yes, it's slightly less memory, but the newer GTS 512mb cards get very near GTX performance at stock clocks. They do even better when you get overclocked ones

Your setup run's closely with what i'm going to run. See sig. I'm still debating going quad or not. It definitely is better for most applications though so if your budget allows i'd do that.

I'd also take a look at some other memory choices. I was going to go with that memory, but the mushkin sticks in my opinion were a better buy. PLus they have awesome forum support.

And the GT card is supposed to be better at lower resolutions. At higher resolutions the GTS SSC beats it out, then again, i don't know how the overclocked GT's are doing. But seriously consider that, I almost wish I went with a GT but at the end of the day I probably won't notice the difference since i'm going to be pushing a high resolution setup.

Thanks guys. I looked at the 512MB cards, but they all seem to be PCIe 2.0. Can you link me to one (or more) that will work with this MOBO? The irony is that the 2.0 cards seem to be going down in price faster than the PCIe 1.0 cards...like this one:

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3507889

The main thing I liked about this RAM was the price ($50 at Newegg after MIR) and the fact that I had seen others running it with this MOBO. If you guys see a problem, I'll change.

I'm surprised to hear that cooler isn't enough at 3.0. It's a beast and got decent reviews except for some that had mounting issues. You guys know a lot more than I do, so I'll change it if you think I must.

Er, it's (mostly) backwards compatible. It'll work just fine on your new mobo. Definitely get the GTS-512.

Yes, PCI-E 2.0 is backwards compatible on PCI-E 1.x systems so long as the motherboard manufacturer didn't do something eggregiously stupid. Unfortunately, a scant few early PCI-E motherboards were subject to such stupidity, but your motherboard is fine.

Definitely get the GTS-512.

Oh, and the Crucial Ballistics is all Micron D9 chips, so you'll be kicking *** and takin' names with a bit of voltage and some high FSB's I personally have obtained 4 x 1Gb of those exact same sticks...

Done deal!

OK, I pulled the trigger! I went ahead with the 512MB card as recommended, but I did change to Kingston HyperX memory based on strong reviews and competitive price. Hope I did the right thing! Now, to wait for the components, prepare, do the backups...can't wait!

Thanks for everyone's help. My plan is to get the system good and stable first, then slowly bump her up to a max of 3.0GHz. Should be a piece of cake! I need to learn more before I start digging in to the bios, tho. Haven't OC'd before so I'm gonna start small!

Sweet man, let us know how it goes.

You will be a very happy camper.

ManicRC said:

I'll re-use the sound card, drives, case, and PS.

Click to expand...

Manic,



Can we back up a little here and ask just what power supply you are going to re-use? You're getting into significantly higher power requirements.

Disregard Manic, I see it.............

RollingThunder said:

Manic,



Can we back up a little here and ask just what power supply you are going to re-use? You're getting into significantly higher power requirements.

Disregard Manic, I see it.............

Click to expand...

Thanks for the welcome RT! I assume 550W will be enough for this system...

The Neo550 should do fine. A generic-name cheapie 550W PSU may not cut it, only because there's a considerable number of stupid-cheap 550W PSU's out there that have a hard time doing even 350W under load.

It's scary...

I just built a system with the 8800 gts 512 and I could not be happier with it. I am in a gaming clan and we have a guy with the 640 card and I can out do him on everything. I am only running 1280 by 1040 but I can Jack Crysis up and have not had any issues yet. I play BF2 and COD4 and I have everything turned wide open and have the settings for the card itself set like AA turned to the top also.

Right on! Counting the days...thanks again for all the info.

Hi, i have the Freezer 7 pro hsf, on my quad, its running at 3.42ghz at the mo, and the temp is idle at 30-35, full load about 55-60, seems as good as any for a hsf, and at under 20 quid....................does me, going for 3.5 soon.

I'd say 3.4Ghz with those temps is a perfect place to be for day-to-day operation. Another 100mhz will look better as a number, will net you about 2% on benchmarks, but will probably increase your temps several more degrees.

I'm sure you can do 3.5Ghz on that chip and cooling, and it would be fine for doing benchies... But I would just be happy with 3.4Ghz for everything else.

Finally!

OK, system is finally built! It went together easier than expected. Everything worked the first time, even RAID. I did a clean XP install and I'm getting 7860 on PCMark05. I used uGuru to OC at 334mHz, VCore 1.4050V, DDR2 1.950V. Gives me 3.06GHz and I'm running under 40C under load. I still have some tweaking to do, but everything's working and it's stable.

The only minor problem I'm having is that the del key won't get me in to the bios during startup anymore (worked at first). I assume it's a USB thing, so I'll have to borrow a PS2 kb from work and give that a try.

Thanks for all the help.