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First Time PC Builder/Overclocker looking for advice

M

ManCannon

2[H]4U
Joined
Aug 9, 2004
Messages
2,451
I've recently decided to build myself a PC and let my brother have the one I use now. I've been looking at parts and have kept myself at around a $1000 limit. This is my first time doing this sort of thing so I'm looking for a little help from you guys. I'm building this PC with overclocking in mind, that's why I posted this here. So before I continue, here are the parts I have so far.

Videocard: GeForce 6800
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=14-130-202&depa=0

Cooling for the Card: VANTEC Spectrum Fan Card
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=35-888-112&depa=0

Processor: AMD Athlon 64 3200+
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=19-103-483&depa=0

Motherboard: ASUS K8V SE Deluxe
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=13-131-490&depa=0

Memory: Corsair XMS Extreme Memory Speed Series
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=20-145-450&depa=1

Hard Drive: Maxtor 80GB 7200RPM SATA
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=22-144-318&depa=0

DVD/CD-RW Drive: Rosewill CD-RW & DVD Black Combo Drive
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=27-190-003&depa=1

Case: Raidmax Cobra
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=11-156-140&depa=1

Cooling: SPEEZE 80mm Clear Crystal Case Fan x4
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=35-150-044&depa=0

Total: $1037

Now my first question is how well will this CPU/Mobo combo overclock? I also planned to overclock the video card to 400/800. So my second questions is since I plan to overclock both my CPU and Vidcard, will the cooling I have in mind be sufficient? The case I'm getting comes with a side fan, and 2 rear exhaust fans, but has space for four intake fans on the front. So with that card fan, and 7 fans in the case itself, will my my temperatures be alright?

Now here is the third and most important question. After looking at the Doom 3 benchmarks (one of the main reason I'm building this PC is for Doom 3) I'm noticing that the AMD Athlon 64 3000+/ ABIT KV8 Pro Combo is looking damn good in the overclocking department. So if I were going to rely on overclocking to get the best speeds out of my CPU, which combo would be better for me? The one I mentioned or the 3000+/KV8Pro combo? The cheaper this PC the better, as this is already putting a big ent in the pocketbook as it is. Also, I noticed that the RAM used in the Doom 3 benches is a lot more expensive than the RAM I'm looking at. I'm sure this is because it's a lot better but will the $100 cheaper RAM I'm looking at be sufficient or will it not be able to sustain the type of overclocking I'm thinking about?

I'm open to suggestions and any help is much appreciated. Like I said this is my first time getting into this kind of stuff (just started researching two das ago) and I'd like to get the most out of my money, but still be safe. Wouldn't want to get shoddy components and then burn out something whn I start the overclocking.
 
Should be working now. Also, if I have 5 intake fans and only 2 exhaust fans would that cause any problems?
 
Yeah I was thinking the same thing. I'm only going to be putting videogames on here though, it's just going to be a gaming rig and web surfing rig. If I plan to download something I'm just going to use this computer as it has a 160 GB HD. I don't know though, I might consider it.
 
Via sucks. Here's a much better mobo option:

http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductDesc.asp?description=13-123-219&depa=0

I don't think you can go wrong with Corsair, but there are other options out there, like Kingmax with D5 Hynix:

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=20-156-012&depa=1

It will run a much higher HTT (250+), but with looser timings. It's a wash in most cases.

Get rid of the Vantec slot cooler. It's unnecessary.

By my count, my suggestions would equal a savings of $57. That means you could upgrade to a 3400+ for only $33 more than your original total. I think it would be a worthy upgrade.

Just some ideas. Just be careful overclocking that retail chip with the stock cooler.

Enjoy your system!
 
So I should get rid of the Vantec cooler even though I plan to overclock the card? That wouldn't help at all to keep the temperature on the card down? Also I heard that RAM that wasn't lower then 2337 wouldn't be fit for overclocking. I realize that the RAM you showed is PC4000 not 3200, but would it be alright for overclocking? Also I'm still curious about the 3000+/KV8 Pro CPU Mobo combo. It looks like it overclocks great, and if I downgrade to that I'll spend the extra money on a different cooler. Looking at this article:

http://www.hardocp.com/article.html?art=NjI5LDI=

To quote the article it looks like "Logic would dictate that our $100 ABIT KV8Pro motherboard and its VIA K8T800Pro chipset just turned our $200 CPU in a $600 CPU."

Will the CPU's you mentioned overclock a lot higher than this? Because for the money this seems like a GREAT deal.
 
Also I've readin some places that the 3200+ runs at 2.0 Ghz stock but on the newegg page it says it runs at 2.2 Ghz stock. Supposedly it's around the same as a 3000+ but with a bigger cache. So I should be able to overclock it to 2.4-2.45 Ghz right? And the added benefit of a larger cache would allow it to outperform the 3000+ correct? Also, will the 2336 RAM I have listed be sufficiet or do I need to upgrade to the 2326 RAM?
 
I would say that you shouldn't use a stock heatsink/fan, and check out svc.com, they have some great deals on that kinda stuff. Plus I agree the pci 2 fan lighted cooler is a waste of money, put it towards a bigger hd or faster cpu. Since the cpu seems to be wat is bottlenecking games like doom3. :p
 
What HSF would you guys recommend? Also, how far do you think I could overclock this 3200+? I'm thinking of starting at 2.4, then seeing how stable my system is and what kind of temps I'm getting, than trying 2.5 Ghz. Do you think it would function at 2.5?

And since the general consensus seems to be that I not get the Vantec, will my card be alright with no extra cooling at 400/800?

Also I'm still wondering if I'll run into any problems with 5 intake fans and only 2 exhaust fans.
 
I'm still kind of looking for recommendations here. So to recap my questions, Will having five intake fans and only 2 exhaust fans cause any problems, what heatsink fan do you guys recommend, and what would be the best bang for my buck RAM wise with overclocking in mind? I plan to OC both my vidcard and CPU, so I'd like some good RAM.
 
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