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Help on a new Build.

T

TechBoy

2[H]4U
Joined
Oct 1, 2006
Messages
2,529
Ok so I want to play games like COD4 and crysis and do my engineering stuff at damn well fast. So I decided to upgrade and I was just wondering if you guys have any suggestions for my build.

E6600
ATi HD3870
2gb corsair DHX ram
ASUS P5N-E SLi

Is the B2 or G0 stepping better for the e6600? Also anyone know if the ASUS P5N-E SLi is a good overclocker? I already bought the asus and 3870 because they were really cheap.

Suggestions would be nice.
 
G0 stepping = newer = and almost always a better overclocker. There are always exceptions to the rule, and overclocks aren't guaranteed, but G0 stepping chips in generally have a lower default voltage and generally overclock much better.

I probably would have skipped on the SLI board, as SLI / crossfire is a waste of time & money for most people and went with a more stable P35 motherboard. The Abit P35 only costs about $90 and is a great board. But I guess too late for suggestions on that part.
 
o also is a 630 watt power supply good enough to power my system? I dont want to have the system not functioning correctly.
 
TechBoy said:
o also is a 630 watt power supply good enough to power my system? I dont want to have the system not functioning correctly.
Click to expand...

What PSU do you have? Like specific model?

Don't bother with the E6600. It's been replaced in that price bracket by the E6750. Or did you mean Q6600, the quad core CPU?

Don't bother with that Corsair RAM. You won't notice any performance increase outside of synthetic benchmarks with the lower latency. Also if you're going to spend that much on RAM, at least get a set with Micron D9 chips that can OC well:
Buffalo Firestix FSX800D2C-K2G 2 x 1Gb DDR2 800 RAM - $70
 
Hmm, Well I have a Raid max modular psu 630 watts.

Whats wrong with the e6600? Its still a pretty damn good cpu isnt it? Also the ram I heard was a pretty good overclocker too and I went out and got it on sale for $50.
 
Get a new power supply. Raidmax licenses/makes some of the shittiest PSUs out there. I really recommend getting a better quality power supply that won't kill your system. Any of these power supples are of vastly better quality that that Raidmax PSU:
Corsair 450VX 450W PSU - $70
Corsair 550VX 550W PSU - $91
Corsair 520HX 520W PSU - $101
Corsair 650TX 650W PSU - $137
Corsair 620HX 620W PSU - $140

Remember that wattage doesn't mean as much these days. What matters most is where those watts are being delivered. For current rigs, it's all about how much amps are on the +12V rail since most PC parts draw their power from there. You determine the amperage on the +12V rails by first finding out what's the total combined wattage set aside for the +12V rails alone. For example, the Corsair 450VX has 396W on the +12V rail. Divide that total wattage for the +12V by 12 and you get how much amps the PSU has on the +12V rail. In this case, 396W divided by 12 is 33A. So the Corsair 450VX PSU has 33A on the +12V Rail. And that's plenty of power for your current system.

For a comparison, that Raidmax 630W PSU you have only has 30A on the +12V rail. That's pretty pitiful for a 600W+ PSU. The Corsair 620HX 620W PSU above has 50A on the +12V rail.

As for the E6600, I thought you were getting it for new hence why my recommendation against it. But since you got it for $50, it's a good choice. However IIRC some of the later batches of E6600, can't recall which batches, did not OC well. 3.2Ghz was around the max I believe, bad considering that the earlier batches reached 3.6Ghz.
 
now How do you know my psu is so shitty with out even knowing what model it is? Are you making a generalization?
 
also apparently it states that mine has a a combined total of 36A, as It lacks 1 less +12v line then the corsair 620 watt powersupply that you posted, albeit its kinda sad, but I already bought it and I guess If i see another better one thats around $50 ill grab that one. I didnt even notice when I bought it :( but hell its a modular power supply and it does its job.
 
I'm assumed that it was the Raidmax 630W Volcano, correct?

And yes I am making a generalization. However, it is the common consensus of many enthusiasts, especially the ones whose hobby/specialization are power supplies, i.e JonnyGuru, etc, that Raidmax branded PSUs just plain suck, both in quality and performance.

You don't add up the +12V rails to get the total Amperage on the +12V rail. I quote myself:

Remember that wattage doesn't mean as much these days. What matters most is where those watts are being delivered. For current rigs, it's all about how much amps are on the +12V rail since most PC parts draw their power from there. You determine the amperage on the +12V rails by first finding out what's the total combined wattage set aside for the +12V rails alone. For example, the Corsair 450VX has 396W on the +12V rail. Divide that total wattage for the +12V by 12 and you get how much amps the PSU has on the +12V rail. In this case, 396W divided by 12 is 33A. So the Corsair 450VX PSU has 33A on the +12V Rail. And that's plenty of power for your current system.
Click to expand...

If you download the Volcano manual, you'll see that it has only 360W available on the +12V rails. Divide that by 12 and you get the total Amperage on the +12V rail, which is 30A. Like I said earlier, pretty pitiful considering that it's supposedly a 630W PSU.

For a $50 PSU, I recommend this PSU since it's made by CWT, makers of some pretty good PSUs, it offers the same amount of power as your current PSU and it should be more stable than that Raidmax:
XClio Goodpower 500W PSU - $50
 
TechBoy said:
now How do you know my psu is so shitty with out even knowing what model it is? Are you making a generalization?
Click to expand...

All RaidMax PSUs are horrible. Period, end of story. They're on the "potentially dangerous" list in the PSU subforum for a reason. Like... catching fire when pushed to their rated capacity, for example.

Also, don't expect wonders from the single Radeon 3870 in Crysis. It should do well enough at lower resolution with some options turned down, though. Unfortunate you're using an ATI card in an SLI enabled board.
 
does that really hurt performance? I mean using an ATi card on an SLi board, I havent noticed anything wrong yet since I also atm have an SLi board.
 
hmmm, I've been reading around apparently my psu has so very good reviews. Also mine arent actually made by Raidmax, they are rebadged Topower units.
 
Check the side of your PSU for this number: E130843

If it has that number, then it's a Topower unit.
 
TechBoy said:
does that really hurt performance? I mean using an ATi card on an SLi board, I havent noticed anything wrong yet since I also atm have an SLi board.
Click to expand...

It doesn't hurt performance, no, but the 3870 does much better in Crossfire than alone, and you can't use Crossfire because you have a SLI rather than a Crossfire capable board. With that in mind it'd make much more sense to get an 8800GT or used 8800GTS/GTX, as you could add a second card later if you decided that was necessary.
 
silent-circuit said:
It doesn't hurt performance, no, but the 3870 does much better in Crossfire than alone, and you can't use Crossfire because you have a SLI rather than a Crossfire capable board. With that in mind it'd make much more sense to get an 8800GT or used 8800GTS/GTX, as you could add a second card later if you decided that was necessary.
Click to expand...

true, but I had problems finding a 8800gt so i said screw it and got a 3870 since it was cheaper and had somewhat similar performance. Oh does anyone have a good recommendation for a modular power supply since my case is small, a modular power supply helps the airflow quite a bit.
 
Check my second post for two excellent quality modular PSUs: the Corsair 520HX and 620HX.
 
Danny Bui said:
Check my second post for two excellent quality modular PSUs: the Corsair 520HX and 620HX.
Click to expand...

thanks I didnt know they had modular versions, I will look for one of those thats on sale or has a deal on the. I just bought a new case and would love to get new psu with it. Thanks man for the advice. Corsair FTW! lol. Also I noticed danny bui are you vietnamese? Seems like it since my last name is also Bui. Hahaha well happy thanks giving.;)
 
TechBoy said:
thanks I didnt know they had modular versions, I will look for one of those thats on sale or has a deal on the. I just bought a new case and would love to get new psu with it. Thanks man for the advice. Corsair FTW! lol. Also I noticed danny bui are you vietnamese? Seems like it since my last name is also Bui. Hahaha well happy thanks giving.;)
Click to expand...

LOL! Yes I am Vietnamese. :D

That's definitely a first, finding someone with the same last name as me in a forum. LOL! Pretty rare Viet surname, at least from what I can tell. :)

Check out ClubIT.com or buy.com to find deals on the modular Corsair PSUs. They come around every few weeks or so. A few weeks ago, ClubIT had the Corsair 620HX for $80 after rebate.
 
man I really need to check on that lol. Yea and it is a rare surname! I rarely see anyone with it lol. Yea thanks for the info my unit is a topower unit.
 
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