[drewby newby]

Hi guys, I've posted once here before and got a great response. Now I feel like I'm getting ready to pull the trigger on a new system. The system is for audio production, NOT GAMING! so I don't need any special video cards, just one that will work with my system, that's cheap, and that will support multiple monitors. I've put together a list of items here that I've come up with so far and am wondering if I can get some advice as to how I'm doing so far. I'd like to be able to overclock it, and don't know if the MOBO or the RAM i've got selected is good for that or if I should think about something else. My main concern is making this thing quiet!! Thanks for the help! And if I should be posting this in a different category, let me know.

Case
Antec Performance I P180 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811129154
Motherboard
ASUS P5B Socket T http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131030
Processor
Intel Core 2 Duo E6700 Conroe 2.66GHz http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115002
Ram
CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145034
Heatsink
Scythe SCNJ-1000 Ninja heatsink http://www.silentpcreview.com/article251-page1.html
Power Supply
SeaSonic S12-500 ATX12V 500W Power Supply http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817151024
Fans
Noctua 120mm
Video Card
GeForce 7100GS http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814121027
Hard Drives
SAMSUNG SpinPoint T Series HD321KJ 320GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822152054

-Drew

[BMac420]

what kinda soundcard you looking to get, or do you have one already?

[splat]

if the main goal is sound production, are you considering pro sound cards? also, do you have intentions of overclocking the rig or leaving it stock? I'm guessing that you are not going to overclock, and if that is true, i think those specs look decent.

[[SC]Ceasar]

I would save some money on the cpu by going for e6400 or the e6600.

[drewby newby]

thanks for the replies. I already have a mackie 400f so I'm good on the soundcard. I'm just looking for a faster machine.

So all I'll need is a core 2 duo 2.4? And you say that it will OC at about the same rate, and that is with the heatsink that I currently have selected?

Is there a cheaper alternative to the ram I have selected that is better or should I stick with it? Again, I am new to this level of computing, so the advice is welcome!

If I choose not to OC, is the extra performance that the e6700 offers over the e6600 really worth it for an extra couple hundred bucks? i am definitely thinking about overclocking however. I'd like to get extra performance. I certainly don't want to do anything that pushes it too hard. I'm looking for a stable system first and foremost, but I would like to OC to a safe limit.

Thanks,
Drew

[jtjuska]

Welcome to the Forums!!!!

If you are going to Overclock I would save some money and go with an E6400 or a E6600 and use it for a better sound card instead. If you are not going to overclock I would look to get some cheaper memory that is rated at DDR2 533 (stock speed for C2D) since the DDR2 800 rating would never be touched if you arent going to OC it. Other than that it looks to be a great system!!! Good luck with it and have fun!

~jtjuska

[splat]

Originally Posted by drewby newby

thanks for the replies. I already have a mackie 400f so I'm good on the soundcard. I'm just looking for a faster machine.

So all I'll need is a core 2 duo 2.4? And you say that it will OC at about the same rate, and that is with the heatsink that I currently have selected?

Is there a cheaper alternative to the ram I have selected that is better or should I stick with it? Again, I am new to this level of computing, so the advice is welcome!

If I choose not to OC, is the extra performance that the e6700 offers over the e6600 really worth it for an extra couple hundred bucks? i am definitely thinking about overclocking however. I'd like to get extra performance. I certainly don't want to do anything that pushes it too hard. I'm looking for a stable system first and foremost, but I would like to OC to a safe limit.

Thanks,
Drew

the scythe ninja is very well suited for overclocking. the e6600 is the better deal overall, OCed or not. Since it's going to be a production box, i'd probably just take it to the max on stock voltage. make sure you test it thoroughly with orthos.

and you can probably get away with ddr2-667 ram like this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820141211 to save a few bucks

[drewby newby]

Originally Posted by splat

the scythe ninja is very well suited for overclocking. the e6600 is the better deal overall, OCed or not. Since it's going to be a production box, i'd probably just take it to the max on stock voltage. make sure you test it thoroughly with orthos.

So, just to make sure I understand, "taking it to the max on stock voltage" is NOT overclocking it correct? And you suggest this because it will be the most stable this way? Am I reading you correctly? Just wanted to make sure.

[splat]

as soon as you raise the speed of the processor/mobo, you are overclocking. I am saying that you can overclock the processor a few hundred mhz while leaving the vcore at stock. Raising the clock puts stress on the system, but raising the vcore puts a lot of stress on the system. more voltage also means more heat, which means more cooling to offset. So, if you want your system to stay quiet and cooler, as well as ensure decent life of the components, it is best to leave the voltage alone.

[batboy]

Yeah, save a few bucks and get the E6600.

What was suggested (and I agree) is to just do a modest O/C with default vcore. That means overclocking what you can without raising voltage (or only raising vcore a tiny bit). This will keep temps down which mean you can use quieter fans. It will also be very stable.

The PSU you selected is dual rail. It will probably work for your purposes though since you won't be trying a max O/C with a power hungry vid card. But, the OCZ Power stream for about the same price is a better unit (see link).

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817711002

With an E6600 running at a modest 3 gig (very possible with low voltage) is only 333 FSB, so DDR2-667 RAM would be ok. If you want to O/C higher at some later point or just want to be ahead of the curve, then get DDR2-800 RAM. That Corsair you picked would be fine.

Zalman heatsinks are a good option for a modest O/C. They are extremely quiet.

[drewby newby]

well, I'm now looking at the SeaSonic S12-430 ATX12V 430W Power Supply.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817151023

I was told over at silentpcreview.com that this power supply would be more than enough for my setup even if I was overclock the mess out of it. true? I'm really looking to just have a very quiet, stable system. I think I'll still go with the DDR 800 if I decide to get more power hungry later. And what was that about the PSU being dual-rail. I don't understand what that means. Thanks for the responses so far though, ya'll have already probably saved me a couple hundred bucks by advising me away from the e6700 to the e6600.

and the scythe ninja heatsink is ok for an e6600 running at 3 gig, correct? I have the option to use the fan or not. I'm guessing that I will probably want the fan running if I'm going to be overclocking it like this? Or is this a modest enough overclock that I won't have too?

[splat]

i don't know anything about that Seasonic, but i think you can safely stay below 500w with this setup

[dkizzy]

I have a noctua and a tuniq, on this comp i oc a tuniq on my bros x2 4200 the noctua, its a good sink but get a tuniq if you can later on. The noctua will do the job for sure though