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Uncle Humjaba

Limp Gawd
Joined
May 6, 2006
Messages
440
hey there

so my current rig isn't quite cutting it anymore... my $1100 tablet notebook is better....
anyways, i plan on reusing the hard drives (80gb wd, 250gb seagate), case and sound card. the old psu is a 400w rosewill that's 3 years old... served me well but not sure if 400w is enough?

ASUS P5Q Pro LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail ($114.99)

OCZ Fatal1ty Edition 4GB (2x2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail (The Official Memory of the Championship Gaming Series) - Retail ($42.99)

MSI N260GTX-T2D896 OC GeForce GTX 260 896MB 448-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail ($229.99)

Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz LGA 775 Quad-Core Processor Model BX80562Q6600 - Retail ($182.45)

Antec EA650 650W ATX12V Ver.2.2 / EPS12V version 2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply - Retail ($64.99)

XIGMATEK HDT-S1283 120mm Rifle CPU Cooler - Retail + bracket ($40.48)

TOTAL: $675.89

Thoughts? I will be using this for gaming on my 24" LCD and most likely for CAD stuff and music production as well. Some video production as well.
 
Budget is about $800, I would like to overclock but I dont want to spend extra on an aftermarket cpu cooler and my case only has 3 80mm fans running air through it.

I'm not seeing that combo? The only combo i see on the asus page is with a 750w rosewill psu, and on the q9550 page for a 950w rosewill (!!)

I subbed in the asus anyway (cheaper) and the antec and the total is $1 less.
 
If you look at the Asus P5Q Pro mobo on NewEgg, scroll down and when you see Combo Deals (view all) click on view all and you should see it listed with other combo deals. The combo price is $399.98
 
Also, with a budget of $800 you can spare to upgrade your HDD to the WD 6400AAKS 640gig. Yes, you have a 250gig and an 80gig. But, when you look at gaming and CAD files and video, 250gigs is nothing even with the extra 80gig. I myself have a 500 gig SATA drive and I filled up 300 gigs already with just games and movies. Blazing fast and it's quiet. I personally worked with this drive and it's fast. With this new upgrade, prepare to see a MASSIVE performance gain from existing build.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136218
 
Yeah. I can hardly watch TV smoothly at times... It's sad that I transfer video projects to my laptop to render because it's so much quicker...

I think I'll hold off on the hard drive right now (it's not like disk space is getting more expensive). I have a virtually unlimited amount of network space to store old stuff on so we'll see if I end up needing it. I've had this rig for 3+ years and still have about 140 of the 330gb free.

Now another question. Is it worth it to dual boot XP and vista? I have Vista on my laptop and havent had any problems with it. Cost isnt an issue, I can get them through my university for like $10.
 
Oh ok. No problem. But, good lord you will see a HUGE jump in overall performance from where you are coming from. It's sick! LoL. 7600GT 128MB to a GTX 260 Goodness, goodness!. Single core Athlon cpu to a 45nm Quad Core Q9550 running at 2.83ghz/core. 1gig DDR ram to 4gig DDR2 800 RAM. Sheesh. I'm jealous. LoL. my build is not at this level. Let's see... about 9,463% performance increase from your existing build.
 
Uncle Humjaba said:
Now another question. Is it worth it to dual boot XP and vista? I have Vista on my laptop and havent had any problems with it. Cost isnt an issue, I can get them through my university for like $10.
Click to expand...

If you have a legit and transferable copy of XP and don't mind only being able to use 3 to 3.GB of RAM due to 32bit OS limitations, then stick with XP. If you want to be able to use all 4GB of RAM, then get Vista 64bit.

If you have an app or particular peripheral that needs XP or does not have Vista drivers, then use XP. If not, go full bore into Vista 64bit.
 
Danny Bui said:
If you have a legit and transferable copy of XP and don't mind only being able to use 3 to 3.GB of RAM due to 32bit OS limitations, then stick with XP. If you want to be able to use all 4GB of RAM, then get Vista 64bit.

If you have an app or particular peripheral that needs XP or does not have Vista drivers, then use XP. If not, go full bore into Vista 64bit.
Click to expand...

Alright... No other comments on the list? I'll probably order soon. Last me for the next 3 years or so.
 
Uncle Humjaba said:
Alright... No other comments on the list? I'll probably order soon. Last me for the next 3 years or so.
Click to expand...

Do you have a final and updated list for everyone to look at? Also, what case are you using?

And just to make sure you know what you're buying: The Q9550 is roughly 10% faster than the Q6600. But you pay an extra $137 for that extra performance. But the Q9550 does use a little bit less power than the Q6600. Both OC about the same actually.
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Uncle Humjaba View Post
Alright... No other comments on the list? I'll probably order soon. Last me for the next 3 years or so.
Do you have a final and updated list for everyone to look at? Also, what case are you using?

And just to make sure you know what you're buying: The Q9550 is roughly 10% faster than the Q6600. But you pay an extra $137 for that extra performance. But the Q9550 does use a little bit less power than the Q6600. Both OC about the same actually.
Click to expand...

3 years is always a stretch that falls into future proofing category, I would save on the Q9550 and get Q6600 other than that, your good to go.
 
This one was mediocre when I got it, and it's lasted 3 years with no problem. Can the q6600 be OC'ed to the q9550 speeds on a stock cooler, with stock voltage and all that? Even with the q9550's more memory? The updated list is in the original post.

And this is the case I have. I have removed the fdd bay already so graphics card fitement shouldnt be a problem.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147011
 
If you stick with the Q9550 and P5Q Pro, use the combo link for $35 off:
http://secure.newegg.com/Shopping/AddToCart.aspx?Submit=ADD&ItemList=Combo.138375

Clock for Clock, a Yorkfield will be up to 15% faster than a Kentsfield if and only if the app takes advantage of SSE4.1. Otherwise, they perform very similarly. Can you OC a Q6600 to 3Ghz on the stock cooler? Sure. Is it advisable? No, but it depends on your temps. The Q6600 can reach around 3.6Ghz, and the Q9550 can reach around 3.8Ghz -- both with a good cooler like the HDT-S1283. Is the Q9550 worth $140 more than the Q6600... not in my opinion, but its up to your whether those things I mentioned are worth it or not.
 
Alright, I'll just go with the q6600. If I find myself waiting too long on cpu-intensive things like rendering then I will try to bump it up. I wasnt planning on oc'ing the q9550 at all, so a 2.8ghz q6600 should be more or less the same. Like I said, though, I plan on running this system for at least 3 years so I dont want to overclock anything unless I need the performance (my logic: overclock = more stress = shorter life).

The MSI GTX 260 I have listed comes OC'ed from the company and I'm even considering moving that back to stock speeds to avoid any length of service issues.

EDIT: Well, I saved getting the q6600... Is the "ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro 92mm CPU Cooler" any good? Reviews would seem to indicate so. Does it come with the little thermal patch on the bottom, or do I have to get some AS5 seperately?
 
Aww man...with the Q6600 and O/C it will only be 9,394% performance increase from your existing build.
 
The beauty of these Core2 chips is that they run extremely cool, yet are so easy to OC. Even a major OC with proper cooling will keep the chip running for a LONG time. OC'ing will not shorten the life of the chip if heat is kept in check.

The AC F7 Pro is great for a dual core, but not great for a quadcore. You'd be better off with the Xigmatek HDT-S1283 w/ ACK-I7751 retention bracket. Not only will it keep your CPU extremely cool, OC'd or not, it will also be quieter than both the stock HSF and the F7Pro.
 
Lol @ hardwareguru

Alright... What's the $9 retention bracket do that the stock one doesnt? And I'm not sure that beast will clear the side of my case... The whole case is only ~7" wide on the inside...
 
The retention bracket allows you to install the 120mm Xigmatek heatsink in an easier manner than those ridiculous pushpins. I hate the pushpins. It's like you are not sure whether you got the pins all the way through the mobo mounting holes. The 120mm Xigamatek will fit in your case. But, you need to remove that funnel intake on the side panel.
 
I would just use the included gunk. I used Arctic Silver before and wasn't really impressed with it. I am not sure how good AS5 now but, a good heatsink/fan is the main factor to cooling a cpu with good airflow in the case. You just need the grease to fill the gap between the CPUs heatspreader and the surface of the heatsink as it won't be completely flat when mounted. This is where the grease comes into play. No need to apply too much also. On the Xigmatek Bracket, make sure you get this one:

XIGMATEK ACK-I7751 Retention Bracket
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233019

+

XIGMATEK HDT-S1283 120mm Rifle
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233003

It's going to barely fit where it just about touches the window of your Rosewill case. It will make it though.
 
I've not used AS5 in the past - my current rig has radioshack grease on it and it works fine (only because I took the psu heatsink off after using it). So stock gunk it is.

And that stupid ugly funnel thing has been gone since I got this rig.

Computing happiness, here I come :)

2v7xd06.jpg
 
There's a special way to apply the TIM (thermal interface material) to exposed heatpipe bases. Apply it to the grooves, and put a bit more than usual, so it spreads around and fills in the deep grooves. There's a link somewhere, hopefully someone can find it for you. Sorry, I can't find it right now, lol.

AS5 works good, and so does TX-2 and MX-2. The AC F7 Pro comes with MX-2 pre-applied, but you don't want the F7 Pro. The stock Xigmatek TIM works fine, but there's only enough for a single shot... so if you mess up, you may not have enough. If you plan on taking out the HSF a couple times to check contact methods, then pickup a tube of either of the 3 I listed.
 
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