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Almost enough parts for a 3rd pc... what to do?

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Aynjell

Member
Joined
Dec 12, 2008
So sunday I am getting a Q8200 Engineering Sample chip for my main rig. It will get overclocked until it can't go any further, me thinks. I wouldn't be surprised if it stopped around 3.3 to 3.4 for me due to the low multiplier. Oh well...

:soda:

Anywho, I'm getting this chip by trading a set of triple channel DDR3 memory for it. The same person is also selling me some mushkin redline, DDR2 for 20$. Good deal I think, since that's 1/3 the price. This unfortunately leaves me at a tough decision to make:

:bang head

I will have 3 computers, but how I purpose them decides what kind of motherboard I'll buy to drop my E5300 and the redline into. I'm considering having either the E5300 go into media center/server duty, or having the 3800X2 powered AMD rig running as a file server. Literally, all I need is a case and a motherboard... so help me decide here:

:screwy:

If I go with the Media Server E5300 route, I'm almost 100% positive I'll be running the E5300 near stock, probably with power saving features enabled and all that, with a 9400 based IGP board... micro-ATX or mini-ATX, depending, and probably a Zotac product. I'll have an appropriately small case. I'm not sure on whether this 9400 solution would be compatible with blu-ray, as it's something I'd like to have it be used for. I'll also be getting a 23" monitor that does 1080 for use as a TV. I have speakers. I'm also not sure if the HDMI is already rigged to the onboard sound or not. If it was, that'd make an even more ideal integrated solution.

But that's something I'm playing with.

Now, there's the alternative route. I can setup the E5300 as my woman's gaming machine, this is probably the nicer route to take for us since we more than likely won't be using any type of player in the living room anyway. If she gets an E5300, she gets all the speed I'm used to, and the 3800 will get relocated to a more appropriate place for it's age and power level. Granted, it's still a quick system, but I won't lie and say I'm giving her the short straw (but if you look at my sig her box ain't terrible, labeled "Hers")

So yeah, kind of wordy, but maybe you guys can help me. I need a purposed build here, either updated gaming box for her, or a media center. How should I build out my E5300 for our home?
 
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I thought engineering samples generally had unlocked multis.

I would use the e5300 for a HTPC if you want one, my e5200 runs happily at stock speeds at 1.1v, at 1200mhz it'll go on .85v :D
But if you don't need/want an HTPC by all means make it into the gaming machine, it'll run circles around the circles it runs around the 3800x2.
I'd put a buck or three on a decet framerate increase just swapping the 3800x2 for the e5300 on the same GPU.
 
I would run the AMD setup as your HTPC/File server

Run the e5 cpu as your 24/7 rig.

Run the ES as a bench/gaming rig :)

(I have to have 2 PCs at my desk, cant be sitting there twiddling my thumbs while clocking/benching)
 
Give the wife the e5300 and move her cpu/board into FS duty

This seems like the most rational path, but is it possible to go HDMI, blu-ray, and all that fun stuff with simply onboard sound and some type of addin video card of somekind? And is the 3800X2 (@3ghz) fast enough to handle blu-ray decoding and playback?

I would run the AMD setup as your HTPC/File server

Run the e5 cpu as your 24/7 rig.

Run the ES as a bench/gaming rig :)

(I have to have 2 PCs at my desk, cant be sitting there twiddling my thumbs while clocking/benching)

Why would I need 2 PC's at my desk? I don't benchmark like some people. Personally I think it's a silly hobby... building a RIG specifically to benchmark it. I pay an awful lot for all my parts, just to have them put some numbers on the screen makes it awfully pointless. I don't mean this to come out as an insult to the bench-markers out there, I do do it but I wouldn't dedicated hardware to it...

My hobby in terms of overclocking is assembling and overclocking it for 24/7. If I can't just sit down and play, it's worthless.

And even it's by no means a significant part of my life.
 
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(I have to have 2 PCs at my desk, cant be sitting there twiddling my thumbs while clocking/benching)

Not to veer wildly off topic or anything, but i drag out my dell mini9 while benchmarking :p
Fun to post on OC forums while OCing and running benchmarks, ya know?


Course now that i semi-toasted my e5200 the benchmarking days are over.
 
This seems like the most rational path, but is it possible to go HDMI, blu-ray, and all that fun stuff with simply onboard sound and some type of addin video card of somekind? And is the 3800X2 (@3ghz) fast enough to handle blu-ray decoding and playback?

Absolutely. Get a HD3200 or HD3300 motherboard (thats the IGP) and it will handle all your audio video needs. With hardware acceleration for video.

Why would I need 2 PC's at my desk? I don't benchmark like some people. Personally I think it's a silly hobby...

Well it is a hell of lot cheaper and safer than tweaking cars :)

I said benching AND gaming though. Obviously if all you do is web surf than a second PC would be silly. A second monitor is still valuable to me :)

Not to veer wildly off topic or anything, but i drag out my dell mini9 while benchmarking :p
Fun to post on OC forums while OCing and running benchmarks, ya know?

Course now that i semi-toasted my e5200 the benchmarking days are over.

Bah frying hardware is just an excuse to upgrade :)

I have not fried much over the years though, in fact all of my damage done occurred before I got into benching oddly enough.

Benching to me is just a new game. And my bench rig is ALSO my gaming rig

Would be silly to run an OC'ed quad core and juiced GPU to web surf or watch videos IMHO, so yah a nice lower power rig (like the 5200 mentioned) or your Dell Mini are excellent to have.

I have been using a laptop more frequently lately, but posts like this where I type a lot, I really do not like laptops.
 
I appreciate your insight, neuromancer. Thing is though, it's got two possible holes to fill, and I don't know which to fill it with.

Basically, main rig will become quad core:

Which should be the lady's gamer, and which should be the HTPC:

E5300, or 3800X2.
 
So pending reading reviews I've settled on a motherboard. Next hurtle is coming up with a case that can hold all the parts in a semi-small fashion, while allowing me to mount a noctua nh-u12p with the case closed. I wanna cool the E5300 well since I'll still be overclocking it.
 
I have a mATX case with a Bit Typhoon in it, it fits just fine and gives very nice temps, only marginally higher then my xigmatek HDT1283.
 
I have a mATX case with a Bit Typhoon in it, it fits just fine and gives very nice temps, only marginally higher then my xigmatek HDT1283.

Mind telling me what case it is? They tend to do strange things with MATX cases and not all of htem seeo to fit.

:bang head
 
Would if i could, it's from 2002 or so with no branding. It has a good 1.5" between the fan and the side of the case though.
 
Which should be the lady's gamer, and which should be the HTPC:

E5300, or 3800X2.

I agree with neur0mancer, 3800x2 will be fine for HTPC duties, and your woman will appreciate that you gave her the faster of the two machines in question.
 
Would you consider an Antec 300 too big?

I'm just seriously considering MATX for my second PC, and if I'm going with an MATX board, might as well get ag ood case that benefits from the size decrease.
 
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