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Conroe?!

T

tiesto

n00b
Joined
Jul 26, 2006
Messages
21
Hi! I'm upgrading my computer really soon and I opted for the Intel side. Well, since I'm not really accustomed to Intel (I've been an avid AMD fan for years), I have some questions.

First of all, I will probably get an E6600. Although I'm not a maniac overclocker like some here are, but I might probably overclock it a little bit (if I got nothing to do) to get some juice. Is a heatsink (or whatever it's called, I'm not used to that) really needed to overclock the E6600? If yes, is there one not too cheap but not too expensive that can do the job?

Also, I know that the Core 2 Duo is not really picky on RAM, but the fact that all the benchmarks were done with Uber-DDR2 (DDR2-1066), just scared me. Am I okay with "only" DDR2-800 (PC2-6400)? Will the performance hit be huge (as compared to the benchies)?

As an example, is this RAM good? (I'm not used with the timings and the latency...) : OCZ Platinum XTC PC2-6400 2GB 2X1GB DDR2-800 CL4-5-4-15

For now that's about it. I hope my questions will be answered.

Thank you guys!

EDIT : Finally, does someone know when the nForce 5xx chipset will be out for Intel?
 
As for heatsink, yes you will need one. Actually, you have no choice of using one, unless you want your processor to fry. If you buy a "boxed" version of the CPU, you will get the retail one which is pretty good, even under some mild overclocking.

PC2-6400 seems to now establishes itself as the norm these days, since the Core 2 Duo is officially supporting DDR2-800. Something like Corsair, G.Skill, OCZ, Mushkin is a good start. Timings do not mather much, well, not as much as it once did. I would suggest timings in the line of CAS 4-4-4-12. These days, 1 gb is a minimum and 2 gb is a must. RAM prices are so low so there are no reason not jumping on somethinge less than 2 gb. PC2-1066 is "needed" only if you are in some serious overclocking. And it won't provide day and night type of performance difference so you don't really need it IMHO.

Regarding the nForce5, I guess no one knows for sure, except nVidia themselves but people are talking about somewhere in august.

Hope this helps,

Para
 
Thank you! I've searched for nForce 5xx and I've seen mid-late August.

When you say mild overclocking, what does it mean? Less than 400 MHz boost? If I do need one, which one would you recommend?

About the RAM, I have found a couple of them in the shop where I want buy my parts (NCIX, as I lived in Canada). Can someone be kind enough to tell me which one, if there is, stands out or if I should be whichever is the cheapest?

$243 CAD Mushkin EM PC2-6400 2GB 2X1GB DDR2-800 CL5-5-5-12 240PIN DIMM Dual Channel Memory Kit
$217 CAD (with M-I R) OCZ Gold XTC PC2-6400 2GB 2X1GB DDR2-800 CL5-5-5-12 240PIN DIMM Dual Channel Memory Kit
$271 CAD Corsair XMS2 TWIN2X2048-6400 2GB 2X1GB PC6400 DDR2-800 CL 5-5-5-12 240PIN DIMM Dual Channel Memory
$258 CAD OCZ Platinum XTC PC2-6400 2GB 2X1GB DDR2-800 CL4-5-4-15 240PIN DIMM Dual Channel Memory Kit
 
Freezer 7 Pro , also the the CPU does not get as hot as the Pentium D , so you really dont have to take extreme measures fro when it comes to cooling.Also if you know what your doing it will take about 2 minutes to overclock it to 3ghz.

As you seen from thr benchies the E6600 straight from the box is even better than the FX-62. I have just sold my amd and now waiting for the conroe, its also going to be E6600
 
tiesto said:
Thank you! I've searched for nForce 5xx and I've seen mid-late August.

When you say mild overclocking, what does it mean? Less than 400 MHz boost? If I do need one, which one would you recommend?

About the RAM, I have found a couple of them in the shop where I want buy my parts (NCIX, as I lived in Canada). Can someone be kind enough to tell me which one, if there is, stands out or if I should be whichever is the cheapest?

$243 CAD Mushkin EM PC2-6400 2GB 2X1GB DDR2-800 CL5-5-5-12 240PIN DIMM Dual Channel Memory Kit
$217 CAD (with M-I R) OCZ Gold XTC PC2-6400 2GB 2X1GB DDR2-800 CL5-5-5-12 240PIN DIMM Dual Channel Memory Kit
$271 CAD Corsair XMS2 TWIN2X2048-6400 2GB 2X1GB PC6400 DDR2-800 CL 5-5-5-12 240PIN DIMM Dual Channel Memory
$258 CAD OCZ Platinum XTC PC2-6400 2GB 2X1GB DDR2-800 CL4-5-4-15 240PIN DIMM Dual Channel Memory Kit
Click to expand...
I have gone for the DDR1000 2X1GB Supertalant which will be more futureproof for the future CPUs .Also its the price is very similar to these.

The Vitesta Extremes , or Treem, Keep it cheap as possible and fast as possible too.
 
Also set your ddr speed to DDR800 if you buy the DDR1000 one and work your FSB up until you reach a point where you might need to give some voltage increase but the chances are you will get to 3000mhz without any increasing of current.
 
I'm totally lost. When you say fast, does it mean low timing numbers?

Will the Conroe motherboards be compatible with DDR2-1000 and DDR2-1066 (and not downclock their speed into DDR2-800)? Nooh, are you sure the price is similar, because the cheapest DDR2-1000 and DDR2-1066 2 X 1GB are around $500+ CAD. I can't afford this, sorry. Because I will not overclock like a beast and I thought these speeds were specially there for overclocking.

That may sound like a dumb question but, are you sure that the Freezer 7 Pro will be compatible with the Conroe (as it was out on the market before the C2D)? I know it's the same socket and all but I just want to make sure...

Finally, the four items (RAM) I showed were the cheapest I could've found (at least here in Canada). Is there one that stands out or are they all the same and I should just pick the cheapest?

$243 CAD Mushkin EM PC2-6400 2GB 2X1GB DDR2-800 CL5-5-5-12 240PIN DIMM Dual Channel Memory Kit
$217 CAD (with M-I R) OCZ Gold XTC PC2-6400 2GB 2X1GB DDR2-800 CL5-5-5-12 240PIN DIMM Dual Channel Memory Kit
$271 CAD Corsair XMS2 TWIN2X2048-6400 2GB 2X1GB PC6400 DDR2-800 CL 5-5-5-12 240PIN DIMM Dual Channel Memory
$258 CAD OCZ Platinum XTC PC2-6400 2GB 2X1GB DDR2-800 CL4-5-4-15 240PIN DIMM Dual Channel Memory Kit

Thank you
 
tiesto said:
I'm totally lost. When you say fast, does it mean low timing numbers?

Will the Conroe motherboards be compatible with DDR2-1000 and DDR2-1066 (and not downclock their speed into DDR2-800)? Nooh, are you sure the price is similar, because the cheapest DDR2-1000 and DDR2-1066 2 X 1GB are around $500+ CAD. I can't afford this, sorry. Because I will not overclock like a beast and I thought these speeds were specially there for overclocking.

That may sound like a dumb question but, are you sure that the Freezer 7 Pro will be compatible with the Conroe (as it was out on the market before the C2D)? I know it's the same socket and all but I just want to make sure...

Finally, the four items (RAM) I showed were the cheapest I could've found (at least here in Canada). Is there one that stands out or are they all the same and I should just pick the cheapest?

$243 CAD Mushkin EM PC2-6400 2GB 2X1GB DDR2-800 CL5-5-5-12 240PIN DIMM Dual Channel Memory Kit
$217 CAD (with M-I R) OCZ Gold XTC PC2-6400 2GB 2X1GB DDR2-800 CL5-5-5-12 240PIN DIMM Dual Channel Memory Kit
$271 CAD Corsair XMS2 TWIN2X2048-6400 2GB 2X1GB PC6400 DDR2-800 CL 5-5-5-12 240PIN DIMM Dual Channel Memory
$258 CAD OCZ Platinum XTC PC2-6400 2GB 2X1GB DDR2-800 CL4-5-4-15 240PIN DIMM Dual Channel Memory Kit

Thank you
Click to expand...
There are cheaper ones and yes you can downclock to 800 , most people will have ddr800 and thats what the bios will be set to ddr800 and then just work yourself up.There is a CPU:RAM ratio on the board where you can do this.

Also i paid £200 for mine from ebay and they are SuperTalant ones 2X1GB, check reviews on them, there are also one or two which are slightly cheaper than that, also sorry didnt reply earlier.
 
The stock HSF is more than sufficient for a 400Mhz overclock. Some people have hit 1Ghz+ on the stock HSF dual prime stable. YMMV.

Those rams you have listed, the difference between them will be negligible, they will all give you almost the exact same performance.

DDR2-800 will allow you to reach 3.6Ghz on a E6600 ((800 / 2) * 9), which is way above what you are planning to clock to, so that is way more than sufficient for you. Hell DDR2-667 will be sufficient for you, though is less future proof.
 
tiesto said:
Thank you! I've searched for nForce 5xx and I've seen mid-late August.

When you say mild overclocking, what does it mean? Less than 400 MHz boost? If I do need one, which one would you recommend?

About the RAM, I have found a couple of them in the shop where I want buy my parts (NCIX, as I lived in Canada). Can someone be kind enough to tell me which one, if there is, stands out or if I should be whichever is the cheapest?

$243 CAD Mushkin EM PC2-6400 2GB 2X1GB DDR2-800 CL5-5-5-12 240PIN DIMM Dual Channel Memory Kit
$217 CAD (with M-I R) OCZ Gold XTC PC2-6400 2GB 2X1GB DDR2-800 CL5-5-5-12 240PIN DIMM Dual Channel Memory Kit
$271 CAD Corsair XMS2 TWIN2X2048-6400 2GB 2X1GB PC6400 DDR2-800 CL 5-5-5-12 240PIN DIMM Dual Channel Memory
$258 CAD OCZ Platinum XTC PC2-6400 2GB 2X1GB DDR2-800 CL4-5-4-15 240PIN DIMM Dual Channel Memory Kit
Click to expand...

Hello,

Well mild overclocking is, let's say, something below 25% overclock.. From one person to another, the term "mild" might be perceived differently but 25% overclock can be qualified "mild" in my book.

As someone pointed out, early reports show the Conroe E6600 to break easily the 3GHz mark, which is fastest than the faster chip available, which I find pretty good. Anandtech in various reviews of the Conroe acheived 3.6GHz at stock voltage and if I am not mistaken, with standard boxed heatsink. As far as I see it, Conroe has it all : runs cool, multitasks like a beast, overclock like a champ, games like a god, etc. ;)

If you already don't have a good CPU heatsink, there is no point getting one since the retail boxed one is very efficient.

As for memory, there are many fans of the G.Skill bran name. For good reasons. It is great stuff and is pretty cheap. From what I have read, they have a good RMA service, in case something goes wrong.

Check at www.anitec.ca They are authorized reseller of G.Skill in Canada. From all the four memory sets you pointed out, I would choose none of them. I would pick this one :

G.Skill Extreme F2-6400PHU2-2GBHZ 2GB PC2-6400 DDR2 Kit
http://www.anitec.ca/product/6039/g.skill_extreme_f2_6400phu2_2gbhz_2gb_pc2_6400_ddr2_kit/

It is a bit more expensive here in Canada but still, a very good set for the money. If you want to save a couple of bucks, I would personnally go with the Mushkin set solely based on my past experience with Mushkin. A little tad slower but still good enough for day to day use.

Hope this helps,

Para
 
Thank you!

I've still got some questions:

Can I install a heatsink months after having installed the computer? I mean, can I install it if I want to overclock a little bit more 6 months after having purchased and installed and runned it?

Also, the G.Skill Extreme F2-6400PHU2-2GBZX 2GB PC2-6400 DDR2 Kit 4-4-4-12 is $15 bucks more expensive as these RAMs :

Mushkin EM PC2-6400 2GB 2X1GB DDR2-800 CL5-5-5-12 240PIN DIMM Dual Channel Memory Kit
Corsair XMS2 TWIN2X2048-6400 2GB 2X1GB PC6400 DDR2-800 CL 5-5-5-12

Should I really take G.Skill? (the timings of the GSkill are 4-4-4-12 as compared to 5-5-5-12 for the Mushkin and the Corsair... I don't know if it's better though).

Thank you!
 
Personally I would go for the G.skill as they are definetely binned better and have built themselves a name in the oc world. As for HSF you can always open it up and swap out hsf's if you would like. Now a good cooler for Conroe is gonna cost you $50-$60 if you want a good one that will take you to some good heights
 
Thank you!

So between the Mushkin, $25 CAD less (not $10, it was on rebate and I didn't see it) and the G.Skill, you really recommend the G.Skill?

If I say I don't intend to overclock as soon as I get my CPU and if I do overclock it, it would probably not be that much (reaching 3 GHz would be great for me, as I'm a beginner), do you recommend me the heatsink right now AND the G.Skill?
 
Heat sink can wait for the future especially as it will just be an addition not replacing an expensive part. The reason I say taht is because there is a much better chance that it use D9GMH chips which once you really get oc;ing you will notice a difference.
 
Thank you! And about the RAM.... I know Mushkin and G.Skill are two great brands but some here are really liking G.Skill. I just want to know if the $30 more spent on the G.Skill (4-4-4-12) (compared to the Mushkin, with 5-5-5-12 timings) are worth it, overclocking or not?

Thank you!
 
That would be nice if someone could answer this little question...

Is there a big difference between the Mushkin PC2-6400 @ 5-5-5-12 and the G.Skill PC2-6400 @ 4-4-4-12
 
I would go with the G.Skill as I've already said. A lot of people on this board (and many other) use G.Skill and the general consensus is that it is good stuff. One thing I like about the fact that purchasing some stuff many people have is that it is easier to get support, since a lot of people have the same stuff. Yes, timings with 4-4-4-12 is better than 5-5-5-12. Actually, the lower the better.

BTW, I am from Canada too, Québec to be precise so I know most of the canadian e-tailers.

Thanks

Para
 
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