[HenryParry]

Hey, I plan to get a 1100T, I have a few questions.

Setup will be as follows;

Gigabyte GA-880GM-UD2H 880G Socket AM3 8 Channel Audio mATX Motherboard
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/218935

AMD Phenom II X6 1100T Black Edition 3.3 GHz Socket AM3 6MB Cache Retail Box Processor
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/249987

Questions.

The specifications for the 1100T state that;
"Supported memory type; DDR2 667/800/1066, DDR3 800/1066/1333"
Will I be able to somehow overclock the above components to use the Corsair Vengeance @ 1600MHZ?
http://www.corsair.com/memory-3/veng...m3a1600c9.html

I plan on Overclocking this processor, what's the maximum for stable? (I'll be running this 24/7). I'll be needing a CPU Cooling fan for this, I'm not going to get Watercooling, could you please post the names of a few suggested CPU Cooling fans?


Thanks!

[QuietIce]

to OCF!


First off you really don't want to use three sticks of RAM for OC'ing. This is the kit you should be looking at and even then I have to wonder why you would need more than 4 Gb?

http://www.corsair.com/memory-3/veng...m2a1600c8.html

Second, yes, all CPUs (incl. Intel) are only rated at 1333 and most boards have a 1600 (800 MHz) option for RAM speed.


Overclocks are VERY dependent on the CPU but most X6s have been clocking in the 4.0 GHz range easy - 4.2 GHz for a high average and top ends on excellent air cooling ~4.5 GHz. It's all a matter of hardware choices, and the board will probable hold you back.


Keep us posted on your progress!

[HenryParry]

Thanks for the response. I will be using the 12gb (8gb isn't enough, tested). I heavily multi-task and run very demanding programs, 12gb will be necessary.
(Unless Three sticks of ram is a problem in some way? Please notify me of this)
A 4.0Ghz-4.2Ghz overclock sounds decent. My case will be a Coolermaster Elite 430 w/500w PSU. I will be running the case with a rear, front, side and two top 120m fans to keep it cool. Could you advise me towards a CPU Cooling fan which will allow me to maintain a decent temperature for a 4.0-4.2Ghz overclock? Or does the stock fan cut it?

Thanks.

[Psykoikonov]

Originally Posted by HenryParry

Thanks for the response. I will be using the 12gb (8gb isn't enough, tested). I heavily multi-task and run very demanding programs, 12gb will be necessary.
(Unless Three sticks of ram is a problem in some way? Please notify me of this)
A 4.0Ghz-4.2Ghz overclock sounds decent. My case will be a Coolermaster Elite 430 w/500w PSU. I will be running the case with a rear, front, side and two top 120m fans to keep it cool. Could you advise me towards a CPU Cooling fan which will allow me to maintain a decent temperature for a 4.0-4.2Ghz overclock? Or does the stock fan cut it?

Thanks.

3 Sticks means the computer will be running in single channel instead of dual (basically half the Ram speed). So you could get 4x4GB for 16GB but you may have to slack the timings a bit and/or increase ram/cpunb voltage to get it stable.

The stock fan will almost definitely not do 4.0Ghz, my guess is 3.6Ghz with reasonable load temps. To do 4.0Ghz+ you'll likely need something serious, Notcua D14, Thermalright Silver Arrow, Thermalright Archon, Thermalright Venomous X, Prolimatech Megahalems, something of that nature.

Also which 500W PSU you have or are planning on could play a key role, wouldn't hurt to let us know.

[HenryParry]

Coolermaster Elite 500w PSU.
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/235611

I've come to the conclusion that I will be purchasing 8GB of Vengeance and overclocking the CPU to 3.5ghz with the stock fan.
From there I will use it for around a week and see what's the limiting factor slowing me down, CPU or RAM. If it's RAM then I'll look into overclocking it to 2000mhz or ordering anothe 8GB set if it's CPU then I'll look into buying a high-end fan.

Another question.
Will the RAM be stable with the components previously mentioned at 2000mhz without additional cooling aside from the case fans? (Front/rear/side/2xtop)?

Edit; Another question.
What challenges would installing 4x4GB Ram sticks cause? You mentioned having to tweak the voltage to get it stable, after that would it run smoothly @ 1600 or 2000 OCed?

And another question.
Are there any reasonably priced 6GB Single sticks of RAM? 2X6GB Would be perfect infact.

[Saaby900t]

Originally Posted by HenryParry

Coolermaster Elite 500w PSU.
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/235611

I've come to the conclusion that I will be purchasing 8GB of Vengeance and overclocking the CPU to 3.5ghz with the stock fan.
From there I will use it for around a week and see what's the limiting factor slowing me down, CPU or RAM. If it's RAM then I'll look into overclocking it to 2000mhz or ordering anothe 8GB set if it's CPU then I'll look into buying a high-end fan.

Another question.
Will the RAM be stable with the components previously mentioned at 2000mhz without additional cooling aside from the case fans? (Front/rear/side/2xtop)?

Edit; Another question.
What challenges would installing 4x4GB Ram sticks cause? You mentioned having to tweak the voltage to get it stable, after that would it run smoothly @ 1600 or 2000 OCed?

And another question.
Are there any reasonably priced 6GB Single sticks of RAM? 2X6GB Would be perfect infact.

How good is your mobo going to be? I have no Gigabyte boards so I dont know. But with What your talking about wanting to do I would step up to 890FX board.

[Saaby900t]

Originally Posted by HenryParry

Coolermaster Elite 500w PSU.
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/235611

I've come to the conclusion that I will be purchasing 8GB of Vengeance and overclocking the CPU to 3.5ghz with the stock fan.
From there I will use it for around a week and see what's the limiting factor slowing me down, CPU or RAM. If it's RAM then I'll look into overclocking it to 2000mhz or ordering anothe 8GB set if it's CPU then I'll look into buying a high-end fan.

Another question.
Will the RAM be stable with the components previously mentioned at 2000mhz without additional cooling aside from the case fans? (Front/rear/side/2xtop)?

Edit; Another question.
What challenges would installing 4x4GB Ram sticks cause? You mentioned having to tweak the voltage to get it stable, after that would it run smoothly @ 1600 or 2000 OCed?

And another question.
Are there any reasonably priced 6GB Single sticks of RAM? 2X6GB Would be perfect infact.

A unless you go into server memory I don't think there is 6gig sticks.

And for what it is worth if you plan on doing any overclocking at ALL. Get a cooler master Hyper 212 to keep things Cooler.
As with anything on computer more volts means prolly won't last as long.

IF YOU USE 3 STICKS OF RAM you are CUTTING THE RAM SPEED IN HALF.

[v1ks_]

IMHO the most limiting part on the list is your mobo. It's a budget mATX board with 880G Chipset, 4+1 power and no MOSFET cooling. Not really meant to be a performer or extreme clocker. In fact, I'd even think twice about pairing it with 1100T since the CPU has high-ish TDP and you plan to overclock it.

Also, what do you plan to use your system for? Gaming, as a graphic/sound workstation, just movies and internet? Unless it's meant to be a workstation which you will use for 3D modeling, video editing/encoding or sound processing/encoding, those 8GB would be a complete overkill, not even going to mention what 16Gb would be...

In your case I'd say aftermarket heatsink (because heat will limit you ever more than mobo) > better mobo > faster and tighter RAM > more RAM.

Quick edit:
A decent PSU alone costs about twice of what you're planning to spend on your case AND PSU. Would recommend a solid PSU even before a good heatsink.

[HenryParry]

Alright, it would appear that I've not acknowledged that motherboard effects overclocking.
I'll have to send it back.
Please can I have suggestions for good-value;
AM3 Overclocking motherboard
PSU

Thanks

[Saaby900t]

Originally Posted by HenryParry

Alright, it would appear that I've not acknowledged that motherboard effects overclocking.
I'll have to send it back.
Please can I have suggestions for good-value;
AM3 Overclocking motherboard
PSU

Thanks

ASUS has an this http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131655

Which should get the job Done.

[fat jez]

either buy 2x4GB and 2x2 GB to give 12GB in total or buy 4x4GB to give 16, but watch the height of the DIMMs with any CPU cooler you choose.

[fat jez]

Originally Posted by Saaby900t

ASUS has an this http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131655

Which should get the job Done.

Do NOT buy this motherboard for overclocking. I ditched mine after the mosfets kept overheating and throttling the CPU. Asus stuck some of the power circuitry on the rear of the board where there are no heatsinks and no airflow. Look at the Gigabyte GA-890FXA-UD5 instead, it's a much better board. I now use the UD7 version and have my CPU stable at 4.2GHz. 4 was as high as I could get on the Asus without the extra current draw overheating the power circuitry.

[v1ks_]

Well, the boards with 890FX chipset is pretty much the top of the food chain. Ideally you should be looking to get one of those, or, if you don't care much about SATA3 and USB3.0, you could go for previous gen. 790FX boards, both will be better for OCing than 880G, but you won't find any of those in mATX form factor.

The Asus board suggested in previous post is a solid option. If you're looking for something slightly cheaper, but still delivering the power, you might want to look at Biostar TA890FXE, which seems to be highly regarded here on OCF and costs whopping $50 less(after MIR) than the Asus one.

Now, I don't normally use caps lock when I write, but I will do this time around. Unlike 880G, the 890FX boards DOES NOT COME WITH INTEGRATED GRAPHICS. That means you will need to buy a graphics card as well. Those things are fairly expensive as you might already know.

If you can't afford a GPU, your best bet is getting an 890GX board, which comes with IGP. Needless to say, 890GX boards won't perform as well as their FX counterparts.

As far as PSUs go, you're best bet is to get one of the more popular units of known manufacturers. You could just check sigs in the forum or do some reading yourself. I'd recommend looking here and here.

I'd also recommend you get a slightly more powerful PSU if you plan to add a single, mid to high end GPU, or an even more powerful PSU if you have plans to run SLI/CrossFire. Around 600W should be OK for single GPU and 700-750 for dual GPU, unless you're really getting some high end cards (that might require up to 1000W).

You should be looking at something like Corsair (skip the CX line), Antec, Seasonic, SilverStone, etc...

[fat jez]

Originally Posted by Psykoikonov

I would get a Gigabyte GA-890XA-UD3, should be a great clocker with good voltage regulation.

It's a good board, but it seems to have vanished off Gigabyte's website which leads me to suspect it has been end of lifed - hence why I suggested the UD5 instead. If you can find one, it should stand you in good stead.

[v1ks_]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't the only difference between 890XA-UD7 and UD3 the form factor, UD7 being eATX and UD5 normal ATX? Or maybe I'm thinking some other Gigabyte board...

Anyway, that board still costs more than the Biostar alternative, which actually comes at a ridiculous price if you can get it off the egg... $120 is impossible to beat for a 890FX board, plus a fairly decent one from what I've read.

[fat jez]

UD-3 and UD-5 are ATX, with both supportting crossfire (two 16x slots). The UD-7 is ATX-XL (about 2cm longer than ATX, same width) and has support for quad crossfire (four slots running at 8x each, or use two running at 16x).

UD-5 is the sweet spot for versatility verses cost and is what I would have bought, had I not got a good deal on the UD-7 which made it only slightly more expensive. The UD3 lacks cooling on the power circuitry, which would hamper overclocking.

[QuietIce]

Originally Posted by HenryParry

Alright, it would appear that I've not acknowledged that motherboard effects overclocking.
I'll have to send it back.
Please can I have suggestions for good-value;
AM3 Overclocking motherboard
PSU

Thanks

The ASUS linked above is a good choice as is the Gigabyte 890FXA-UD5.

If you're looking at extreme, air-cooled overclocking you'll also need a good CPU heatsink. I like the Sunbeam CCT 120mm, others prefer the Hyper 212+, and for excellent cooling you'll need something like a ThermalRight Ultra Extreme (TRUE) with some good fans or Noctua NH-D14. The Noctua is very big, the TRUE is more compact and can usually be oriented to work with any RAM combination.

The best place to look for PSU choices is here: http://www.overclockers.com/forums/s...d.php?t=589708
The guys that keep this list up to date do a lot of testing for Johnny Guru.


Not sure what you're doing that you need so much RAM but many (most) applications work better with lower latency RAM than higher speeds.

[Psykoikonov]

Originally Posted by HenryParry

Coolermaster Elite 500w PSU.
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/235611

I've come to the conclusion that I will be purchasing 8GB of Vengeance and overclocking the CPU to 3.5ghz with the stock fan.
From there I will use it for around a week and see what's the limiting factor slowing me down, CPU or RAM. If it's RAM then I'll look into overclocking it to 2000mhz or ordering anothe 8GB set if it's CPU then I'll look into buying a high-end fan.

Another question.
Will the RAM be stable with the components previously mentioned at 2000mhz without additional cooling aside from the case fans? (Front/rear/side/2xtop)?

Edit; Another question.
What challenges would installing 4x4GB Ram sticks cause? You mentioned having to tweak the voltage to get it stable, after that would it run smoothly @ 1600 or 2000 OCed?

And another question.
Are there any reasonably priced 6GB Single sticks of RAM? 2X6GB Would be perfect infact.

That PSU, (scroll down to part number=Model RS-400-PSAR-J3 / RS-400-PSAP-J3) unless they switched it, is not a 500W...it's a 400W according to Coolermaster. With a max 12V wattage of ~276W (324W in review).

As mentioned, I would get a 500-600W Corsair TX/HX or a Seasonic (or check the PSU stickies for a list of decent performers), I wouldn't trust that Coolermaster, not when a 1090T overclocked to 4.0Ghz can draw ~150W.

For motherboards with onboard video that should be good clockers have a look at the ASUS M4A89GTD PRO/USB3 or the Gigabyte 890GPA-UD3H