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i7 930 2.8ghz build - first time oc ?

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5280Studios

New Member
Joined
Apr 29, 2010
Hello everyone, This looks like an amazing forum and I'm eager to begin reading and learning about overclocking!!!

I just built my first computer and i'm sure it isn't all that impressive but I at least got a start after running a T2060 laptop for years doing intense graphics. In other words, anything was an improvement! lol

I went to Microcenter and shopped to build in order to save money and I got more bang for the buck. I will list the equipment to see if I have anything you believe I could work with in regards to overclocking (i still don't know the meaning of the term fully and if it is a good idea for me)

Picked up an i7 930, Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD3R mb, 6gig memory, GeForce GT 220 (which i hear i can get a better one later with this motherboard), 650w power supply, computer case that has 1 big fan at top back, and 1 fan at back top area, and 1 fan is attached to the cpu of course. (sorry I'm new at explaining!)

First off, I installed all this equipment and noticed the motherboard came with a gigabyte GC-3SLI card thing... and then another copper colored ribbon thing with 2 connectors on the end and it reads SLI along the middle of the ribbon. Are these of importance now or later with upgrading?

Lastly, should I attempt to overclock (which i'm assuming will substantially improve my computer speed? I'm just not sure if it is worth it or how to go about doing it. Thank you for the guidance.

BTW, i've read for a few days now and can't get a clear idea of where to start. I'm definitely respectful of your time and thank you in advance. I just want to be a part of this and learn a lot!

Thanks!

Eric
 
First of all, Welcome to OCF!!

Now, what brand is your power supply? This will be most important. A 650W power supply is only good if it's a reliable brand, and not some knock off cheapo one, which could fry your system later. If you have a reliable brand, then you are good to go.
As for the graphics card, it depends on your budget, intended uses, and resolution you want to run at. A GT220 might be all you can afford right now, but with a better idea of how much you can spend as well as what you want to do with your computer would provide a better idea of what card you should get. If you can spare the cash and want to do a little gaming, I would recommend at least a GTX260.

The rest of your components look pretty good.

The GC-3SLI card thing and "another copper colored ribbon thing" you mention are SLI connectors. These are only necessary if you're running multiple video cards in SLI. So hang on to them if you want to run multiple video cards somewhere down the road. You're fine w/o them.

The i7's have proven to be good overclockers, but the stock intel cooling is not so good. You can probably do a SMALL overclock on the stock cooler. To see real overclocking results, look into aftermarket cooling. Just skip over to the cooling section and you will see plenty of threads recommending coolers for the i7. Personally I'm running a Venomous-X (that reminds me, I need to update my sig).

Also, to get a grasp on overclocking an i7, just look search around this forum. Here is a good link: http://www.overclockers.com/3-step-guide-overclock-core-i3-i5-i7/
 
Thank you Hydrata! It is so inspiring to see some help on a forum. This looks very promising and I'm excited to learn more in here with you guys.

My power supply is a BFG GS Series 650watt - ATX12V 2.2 if that helps. Wrote as much as I could find on the box! lol.


I wanted to get out of the store under $1000 and I did.. and that's with an acer 24" widescreen monitor.

For the near future, the sky is the limit with upgrades. Reason I got the 1366 socket (hope i'm speaking good lingo) because I hear I can go "better" than the 930 someday if I feel like. I'm amazed at the speed already so I'm find if I can't upgrade.

I can spend $300-$400 within 3 or 4 months after I get some more paying jobs in. So a better graphics card is possible under that budget? I could go $750 or so but need to talk to the wifey!

Also, if this helps... I do intense 3D animation on Lightwave 3D as well. I went and rendered a benchmark test scene with Radiosity, Reflection, Refraction, Shadows, and the whole ball of wax. The scene rendered in 37 seconds at 1200x1200 compared to my father's machine of 1m 12secs which is a quad core kick butt system he invested in a year or two ago.

I wonder if overclocking will help my rendering at all. It's fast as it is but just wondering. Would better graphics card improve my render speed or are the calculations purely CPU?

Thanks for the direction and link to the cooling, overclocking etc. I will consider it.. would you advise at this point or wait til I get better graphics card? It should be a great difference before I take risks being a noob and all.

You rock!
 
It's always a good question to ask - "why overclock?" For many users it's completely unnecessary. Many people around here can give you plenty of answers to that question, but fortunately for you:

Also, if this helps... I do intense 3D animation on Lightwave 3D as well. I went and rendered a benchmark test scene with Radiosity, Reflection, Refraction, Shadows, and the whole ball of wax. The scene rendered in 37 seconds at 1200x1200 compared to my father's machine of 1m 12secs which is a quad core kick butt system he invested in a year or two ago.

I wonder if overclocking will help my rendering at all. It's fast as it is but just wondering. Would better graphics card improve my render speed or are the calculations purely CPU?

The answer is, "hell yes, overclock." Go here: comparison between i7 running at 2.66GHz (i7 920) and i7 running at 3.33GHz (i7 975).

Scroll down to the 3d rendering benchmarks (no Lightwave, but you get the idea) and you'll see that just kicking your speed up to 3.33 drops rendering speeds by 10%+. And the CPU that you've purchased can do 3.8 GHz without breaking a sweat. You're looking at very significant productivity gains.

Before you start cranking things up, though, you should really get a better CPU Heat Sink Fan (HSF). You'd be doing a disservice to your system by trying to overclock with the stock HSF.
 
Overclocking ( as stated above) would help your rendering a lot. I'd buy an after market cooler before you start any OC'ing though. There are plenty of threads on this site to help you with that. Also get a new card lol. That one would be fine for normal desktop use but if you are doing 3d rendering I'd throw a 5850 or at least a 5750. ( Oc'ing a 5750 can get you results similar to a 5850 but not quite as good) You could buy a 5750 for a little over 100 dollars and OC it right out of the box. Just watch your temps, it's good to keep below 60 or lower if possible. The card will be fine up into the 80's or 90's but I like to keep things on the safe side.
 
Thank you so very much. Ok I will take the advice on the Graphics Card.

Just for a very quick test, I tried to OC this using a feature that came with the motherboard. "Smart 6" on the GA-X58A-UD3R lets you Turbo Boost the system. I'm not sure how to know what it went to from the starting point of 2.80ghz. All I know is that I downloaded a thing that lets you track the temp (yes, i figured it out somehow! lol) and the very highest it reached is 78 degrees after 30 minutes straight of rendering an animation.

Is this a bad temp if i'm doing it in bursts of an hour a day? Not full speed all day long.. just little bits here and there? I will get a nice fan next month... just wondering if i'm doing a bad thing. Idle temp is 50s or less and the majority of the time it is upper 60s during big renders... it just peaks at those upper 70s every so often.

Thanks for your wonderful guidance again!
 
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