Overclocking/formatting help needed

[mthunderwolf]

Greetings all!
I am building my first computer in 10 years! Last one was a Pentium 4 with 1 gb ram!
The new build is:
Intel DX79TO
Intel i7 3930K
Corsair HX 1050 power
Corsair H100 water cool
PNY Nvidia GTX 660
Crucial 128 SSD
Seagate 3TB
Corsair Vengeance 16gb - 9-10-9-27 1866 (just ordered)
Windows 7
Corsair Obsidian 650 case

My question is what steps to I take to overclock this when I get the ram put in and start to get everything loaded? I will be using the SSD for the os and possibly some other programs.
Any and all help and suggestions will be greatly appreciated!

 

[Theocnoob]

Please tell me you haven't bought the parts yet. SO many issues with that build.

1. Intel boards are not known for high quality components or good power delivery designs

2. 3930K is a 2011 part. You don't want a 3 year old CPU. You want a 4930K or a 4770K, depending on which platform (X79 vs Z87/97) you choose. Keep in mind that Devil's Canyon (Z97) CPUs are coming in late June as well.

3. A 1050W power supply is not needed here. a 600W PSU would be fine

4. The H100 is an old inferior model. You want the H100i. Honestly though, I dislike all these AIO water cooling solutions. The pumps are cheap and if they ever fail you're screwed. Big Air (NHD15/14) is much more reliable.

5. The GTX 660 is an old, and not very good card. No sense spending so much money on an enthusiast class CPU and pairing it with such a low grade GPU. you should be looking at a GTX 780 for a build like this.

6. Which Crucial SSD specifically? The M500 is ok but the Samsung 840 Evo and Pro are better

7. The Obsidian 650D is a YEARS old case and much more refined Corsair designs are available today.

If you are buying this used I would really try to steer you away from it. For Gaming, you could build yourself a much more appropriate system new for the same or less money that would perform better in games.

I'd guess you're paying about $1200 for that setup?

For that much you can almost afford a 4670K, Z87-A, 8GB of RAM, a 1TB HDD and a GTX 780, giving you much higher gaming performance.

If you already have the system head over to the Intel CPU section and check out the ultimate stickies thread. If you don't find your answer there make a new thread. Also you can watch Youtube Videos "Overclocking Sandybridge-E".

 

[mthunderwolf]

Thanks for the advice! I have been putting this system together for over two years and buying parts that I thought would be good. I realize there are better systems/components out there but this is it. I am not a gamer but rather a musician. I record on my computer to get basic tracks to take to the studio and do my own artwork for my CDs. As for the GPU this is one that one of my videographers suggested and he has had good success with it. Perhaps I should have come to this forum first but I ahve found that on some of these forums people read but don't reply unless it is of interest to them. I suppose I could return the PNY card and get a newer one but perhaps I will just sell it and buy another when I can afford it!
Thanks again for your help and I will visit the intel section you suggested!

 

[freakdiablo]

If all you're doing is music production, you really don't need a GTX 660. I've heard some video manipulation and image processing software uses CUDA and OpenCL acceleration, which is probably why your friend uses it.

I don't know how much you paid for it (Newegg shows it in the $180-$210 range), but since you're playing games, you can get away with a lower end card, or switch to a motherboard with onboard graphics (assuming that's one of the parts you haven't bought).

If it is, you will need some sort of card. Some of the cheaper current generation cards are the ATI R7 240 cards, which can be found in the $70-$80 range. XFX has one with a passive heatsink, in case you want to eliminate some background noise. There are cheaper, older generation cards, but then you risk losing out on some of the gains of newer tech like possibly power efficiency, better long term driver support, etc.

 

[Theocnoob]

Thanks for the advice! I have been putting this system together for over two years

That's your problem right there. You can't do that. By the time you finish, half your parts are obsolete or obsolescent. You want to build a computer in one shot and buy the parts in one shot, choosing from the best of what's available at the time.

As was mentioned if you're doing music production a GPU won't do you much good unless your apps use CUDA and I can't imagine why an audio app would.

I understand now why you went for the enthusiast class cpu.

Next time you build a PC, save up and buy all the parts at once.

Btw, your motherboard only has 6+1 phase VRM and the chokes they're using don't look very robust. Don't expect a very high overclock. You're going to be beating the living snot out of your VRM section if you overclock on that board. Rampage IV is the way to go for that platform.

 

[mthunderwolf]

That's your problem right there. You can't do that. By the time you finish, half your parts are obsolete or obsolescent. You want to build a computer in one shot and buy the parts in one shot, choosing from the best of what's available at the time.

As was mentioned if you're doing music production a GPU won't do you much good unless your apps use CUDA and I can't imagine why an audio app would.

I understand now why you went for the enthusiast class cpu.

Next time you build a PC, save up and buy all the parts at once.

Btw, your motherboard only has 6+1 phase VRM and the chokes they're using don't look very robust. Don't expect a very high overclock. You're going to be beating the living snot out of your VRM section if you overclock on that board. Rampage IV is the way to go for that platform

What is rampage IV?

 

[EarthDog]

What is rampage IV?

Useless for you honestly. I am not sure why he suggested an 'extreme' overclocking board for a music production system...

So, what parts do you have already? All of them?

 

[Theocnoob]

Useless for you honestly. I am not sure why he suggested an 'extreme' overclocking board for a music production system...

So, what parts do you have already? All of them?

I suggested the Rampage IV because I believe that if you own a ridiculously expensive CPU you should buy the best aftermarket cooler you can afford and the best board you can afford and overclock the CPU as far as you can. It's a waste of an expensive part to buy an SB-E and run it stock. And it's a waste to put that CPU on a board with such cheesy power delivery. JM2C.

There is always method behind my madness.

 

[EarthDog]

I guess that is where we go our different ways. There is no need for a ~$500 board to overclock the chip.

Hell, the X79 Rampage IV Gene will be fine at half the cost. The Deluxe or Sabertooth as well. Hell I would put it on the ASUS P9X79 as well and still reach the same clocks (he will be heat limited before board limited).

 

[Theocnoob]

I guess that is where we go our different ways. There is no need for a ~$500 board to overclock the chip.

Hell, the X79 Rampage IV Gene will be fine at half the cost. The Deluxe or Sabertooth as well. Hell I would put it on the ASUS P9X79 as well and still reach the same clocks (he will be heat limited before board limited).

You learn something new every day.

I thought the hex chips were more like FXs in that they needed the really robust power delivery only a top tier board can deliver.

 

[EarthDog]

You are right, but took it to an extreme. I'm not saying go buy a $200 board with 4+2 and go. The boards listed have a robust enough power delivery section to not be the limiting factor.