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Budget OC build

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Anticus

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Feb 7, 2001
The ole a64 3200 has finally met it's match to the tune of the venerable Flight Simulator X.

Thustly, it must be gone.

But alas, the woman holds my purse strings with a deft grip.

Anyway, a friend offered to take my current setup off my hands for $200 bucks so i was thinking if i kept it around $450 or so she can just be happy i'm not spending more right?

Here goes, what think?

Processor
Intel e4300 core-2 duo oem $160.61
http://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?p=E4...9de81566fe70bf0f2d285708805070600eb266295348c

HSF
Sunbeam CR-SW-775 Ceramic Shaft and Bearing CPU Cooling Fan/Heatsink $17.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16835207001

Motherboard
ABIT IB9 LGA 775 Intel P965 Express ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail $109.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16813127018

Ram
CORSAIR ValueSelect 1GB 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 667 (PC2 5300) $74.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16820146580

Video Card
BFG Tech BFGR76256GTOCE GeForce 7600GT 256MB $92.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814143049

I'll keep my current WD2.5g sata2 hdd and audigy gamer sound card.

Total $454 bucks -200 = $254 bucks spent.

Opinions?
 
yeah, for FSX you will most likely want 2gb of ram. if you are going to stick to 1gb, get two 512mb sticks instead of one 1gb stick, that way you will be running in dual channel.

and about the videocard, i agree. but if you are on a tight budget, you might just have to make it do. you could always replace the vid in the future.
(maybe you could mow some lawns on the side or shovel some driveays, or do some extra chores around the house to get some extra coiin ;))(i am kidding of course ;)).

*edit* from that newegg link and the pics they've got, that IB9 is the first 965 board i've seen with 2 ide connectors!
 
batboy said:
Quick, jump on this RAM deal (see link), it's 2X1GB of Super Talent DDR2-667 RAM for only $124. Supposedly you can take another $5 off if you use the code "ewizbucks" when you order.

http://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?p=T6UX2GC5&c=fr

What PSU do you plan to use? Hopefully you already have a good one.
Click to expand...

Hey thanx batboy :thup: , I just ordered it and man, is it on time. I've got 1 GB Ballistic PC6400 in my E6600 and I'm gonna put this RAM in my E6300 with a new mobo (your favorite a ABIT AW9D-MAX ) I only want 2.4 GHz to 2.8 Ghz out of the cpu, right now it's only at 2.0 GHz in a "vanilla" P5B with 1 GB of 677 RAM
What do you think? What do you think this RAM will allow me?:confused:

Edit: The E6600 is in a P5B DLX Do you think I should swap boards?
 
jws2346 said:
Edit: The E6600 is in a P5B DLX Do you think I should swap boards?
Click to expand...

yes, the p5b-dlx can do 500fsb+ so you can max out your e6300. the e6600 needs only 400fsb to be maxed out usually, so your abit will be suitable.

(mind you, i don't think that ram you ordered will do 500mhz, or ddr2-1000 speeds, so you would be held back there anyways..still a great deal on the ram..the ballistix however would probably get you there)
 
hUMANbEATbOX said:
yes, the p5b-dlx can do 500fsb+ so you can max out your e6300. the e6600 needs only 400fsb to be maxed out usually, so your abit will be suitable.

(mind you, i don't think that ram you ordered will do 500mhz, or ddr2-1000 speeds, so you would be held back there anyways..still a great deal on the ram..the ballistix however would probably get you there)
Click to expand...

Thanx hUMANbEATbOX, what do you think about this? I take the E6300 and put it in the P5B DLX with the Ballistic (PC 6400) and put the E6600 in the Abit with the RAM I just ordered? (PC5300) :confused: Like I said, I would like to get 2.5 to 2.8 GHz out of the E6300, nothing like your 3.5 GHz. :drool:

Edit: would the E6600 do 3.0 GHz with the PC5300 RAM?:confused:
 
jws2346 said:
Thanx hUMANbEATbOX, what do you think about this? I take the E6300 and put it in the P5B DLX with the Ballistic (PC 6400) and put the E6600 in the Abit with the RAM I just ordered? (PC5300) :confused: Like I said, I would like to get 2.5 to 2.8 GHz out of the E6300, nothing like your 3.5 GHz. :drool:

Edit: would the E6600 do 3.0 GHz with the PC5300 RAM?:confused:
Click to expand...

That's a good game plan. The E6300/P5B/Ballistix is a good combo. Running at 2.8 gig is a no brainer.

Not sure how well that cheap Super Talent will O/C, but I have yet to see any RAM that didn't O/C a little. Regardless, 3 gig with an E6600 is 333 FSB, which means at the 1:1 memory ratio PC2-5300 RAM is perfectly in spec. I'll bet with a bump in vdimm, it might do close to 3.2 gig.
 
yeah, 2.8ghz on the E6300/P5B/Ballistix like batboy said will be a cake walk. really, a setup like that would BEG for more. ;) there is no reason to stop there, even 3.2ghz would be relatively simple, and still conservative (and i'll let you in on a little secret, my 3.5ghz was a pretty simple oc as well ;)).
 
dont forget you two that cooling is going to play a part in that as well. when using the D9's at high speeds with high volts... like 2.2v+ you are going to want to activly cool the ram. as well when getting to 3.2ghz cooling is going to need to be looked at...
 
Evilsizer said:
dont forget you two that cooling is going to play a part in that as well. when using the D9's at high speeds with high volts... like 2.2v+ you are going to want to activly cool the ram. as well when getting to 3.2ghz cooling is going to need to be looked at...
Click to expand...

You are sooo.. right Evilsizer. I've got a Tuniq Tower 120 on my E6600 and a Zalmans 9700 on my E6300. As with a lot of personal preferences, I ordered another Zalmans 9700 for my E6600, I like the Zalmans 9700 a whole lot better than the Tuinq Tower 120 and the cooling capacities are similar. (I get better results with the Zalmans) :attn:

Edit: I have 120's, front and back both cases. I have a 120 mm fan "blow hole" on both case also. Plus the E6600 has a 120 mm side fan + a 80 mm side fan, the E6300 has a 120 mm side fan and a hole for a 80 mm fan?
 
Last edited:
We used to run regular DDR routinely at 2.8v or more. I know DDR2 is not the same, but 2.2v ain't that much as long as you have good case ventilation.
 
jws2346 said:
You are sooo.. right Evilsizer. I've got a Tuniq Tower 120 on my E6600 and a Zalmans 9700 on my E6300. As with a lot of personal preferences, I ordered another Zalmans 9700 for my E6600, I like the Zalmans 9700 a whole lot better than the Tuinq Tower 120 and the cooling capacities are similar. (I get better results with the Zalmans) :attn:

Edit: I have 120's, front and back both cases. I have a 120 mm fan "blow hole" on both case also. Plus the E6600 has a 120 mm side fan + a 80 mm side fan, the E6300 has a 120 mm side fan and a hole for a 80 mm fan?
Click to expand...
thats odd the TT is a much better cooler allround. 6 heatpipes vs 2, i never tried a TT or 9700 since i have a Ninja my self. what reviews of the 9700 i saw showed me that it is more for someone running stock speeds and wants silence.
 
Evilsizer said:
thats odd the TT is a much better cooler allround. 6 heatpipes vs 2, i never tried a TT or 9700 since i have a Ninja my self. what reviews of the 9700 i saw showed me that it is more for someone running stock speeds and wants silence.
Click to expand...

Brotherman, I don't know from "jack" about "odd", but I do know I have reseated the TT 120 several times, used the "stripe method of AS5, the "squish dot in the center method" AS5 and I STILL prefer the Zalmans 9700 because it gave me a 1 c or 2 c better cpu load temp (plus it's my money anyway)

EDIT: plus I like the installation method of the Zalmans better, no shorting backplate problems (I've googled it and read where several people have had to modify the TT 120 backplate)

Edit again: you're gonna have to explain this 6 heatpipes vs 2 thing, I thought it was all about tower vs non tower cooling the mobo chips

Edit again: I just did some googling and according to a couple of reviews and Zalmans themselves the 9700 has 3 heat pipes configured to act like 6 ? :confused:
 
Last edited:
kyleslater said:
If you must get graphics now... Get the 7800 if you can but try to wait for an 8600 GT...
Click to expand...

I have to do graphics. Current is an agp 6800. I was thinking i should go as cheaply as i can whilst still being acceptable for current gaming since within a year i'll be buying a dx10 card.

Besides, from everythinig i've read, FSX is far more cpu bound than gfx.
 
Question about this board. It says:

Notice: Only DDR2-800 memory supporting JEDEC approved 1.8V operation with timings of 5-5-5 or 6-6-6 is supported on Intel Desktop Boards based on Intel 965 Express Chipsets.

Does that mean I cannot use ddr2-667 or does it mean that IF is use ddr2-800 it must meet those specifications?
 
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