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Memory Choice/ New Build

R

rollingbones77

n00b
Joined
Feb 11, 2006
Messages
10
I am getting ready to build my first pc,but have some questions concerning memory.I want to be able to play the lastest games,but I enjoy video encoding,music,and dvd burning.I decided on a Athlon 64 3700+ for a few reasons.The X2's are way to expensive if you want the 1mb L2 cache,so I would not be happy with a 3800+ X2 chip.I dont need to play games and encode video at the same time( I have a PS2,I'll kick back in the lazyboy).It's not that big of a deal.I love the sweet spot for the 3700+ cpu.I little over 200 dollars is a great price.I imagine with the release of the M2 socket the X2's will drop in price,and create some sweet spots down the road.

I really dont want to spend hours and hours trying to oc,and worry about cooling and making adjustments all the time .The board I decided on is supposed to be very stable,and has a oc program that will help me oc 10 to 15%.My concern is memory.What is the best choice for my money.I have decided on this G.Skill sticks,as you can see in my specs.

1.Am I making the right choice?

2.Can I or should I by faster ram?

BUILD:

GIGABYTE 3D AURORA GZ-FSCA1-ATB Black Aluminum ATX Full Tower Computer Case – $149.00

ASUS A8N5X Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 ATX AMD Motherboard - $90.00

AMD Athlon 64 3700+ San Diego 1GHz FSB 1MB L2 Cache Socket 939 Processor - $223.00

XFX PVT70GUDF7 Geforce 7800GT 256MB 256-bit GDDR3 VIVO PCI Express x16 Video Card -$289.00

G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM Unbuffered DDR 400 (PC 3200) – Retail-$167.00

Western Digital Raptor 74GB 10,000 RPM 8MB Cache Serial ATA150 Hard Drive – OEM-$155.00

Western Digital Caviar SE16 250GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive-OEM $110.00

OCZ PowerStream OCZ520ADJSLI ATX, BTX, SATA, P4 and EPS12V 520W Power Supply -$139.00

PLEXTOR PX-740A 16X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 16X DVD-R 4X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2M Cache IDE DVD Burner Retail- $79.99

SONY Black 1.44MB 3.5" Internal Floppy Drive Model MPF920 Black – OEM-$9.99
 
rollingbones77 said:
I really dont want to spend hours and hours trying to oc,and worry about cooling and making adjustments all the time .The board I decided on is supposed to be very stable,and has a oc program that will help me oc 10 to 15%.
Click to expand...
before i get into the ram you should pick out.. i'd like to comment on this. stay away from asus for 2x1gb oc'ing... and stay away from those evil auto-oc'ing tools.

when you overclock, it is as hard as you make it. you can just mess with the memory speed ratios and htt to get the cpu clock up and leave it at that, or you can get so indepth that you start modding your board to supply cleaner power and have finer intervals between voltage steps than the bios will allow. it's all up to you.

that said, get a dfi nf4 ;)

also, the sticks you picked out are the red ones, yes? they're not bad, but aren't really all that great for much oc'ing, being kinda value oriented.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820231032
 
(cf)Eclipse said:
before i get into the ram you should pick out.. i'd like to comment on this. stay away from asus for 2x1gb oc'ing... and stay away from those evil auto-oc'ing tools.

when you overclock, it is as hard as you make it. you can just mess with the memory speed ratios and htt to get the cpu clock up and leave it at that, or you can get so indepth that you start modding your board to supply cleaner power and have finer intervals between voltage steps than the bios will allow. it's all up to you.

that said, get a dfi nf4 ;)

also, the sticks you picked out are the red ones, yes? they're not bad, but aren't really all that great for much oc'ing, being kinda value oriented.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820231032
Click to expand...

Yes they are the red ones.Your the memory man...Sweet.I am going to get the board you suggest,and ditch the Asus board.I love pc's so I will stop being a wuss and learn to oc with better ram.I spent 2 hours today studying alot of your threads.I really like the way you express your concepts.It makes it easier for the new guy.I hate to ask,but am I making the wrong choice on the chip.Thanks for the response!

On a side note: I thought if your cas number drops below 2.5, you sacrifice speed for stability.What is the disadvantage here?
 
rollingbones77 said:
Yes they are the red ones.Your the memory man...Sweet.I am going to get the board you suggest,and ditch the Asus board.I love pc's so I will stop being a wuss and learn to oc with better ram.I spent 2 hours today studying alot of your threads.I really like the way you express your concepts.It makes it easier for the new guy.I hate to ask,but am I making the wrong choice on the chip.Thanks for the response!
Click to expand...
Awesome, Man! Great choice in getting the DFi. I highly doubt you'll regret it. And yes, CF does know his stuff, and quite well.

Happy OC'ing to ya!
 
This is a big jump sideways in board and memory selection.I want to make smart choices from the start.I'm a first time builder,and adding the oc concept now,has my head spinning.Its all good.It's just another direction change,which comes down to more research,and decsions.
 
ah.. oc'ing is kinda just something that really needs hands on experience.

also, lower timings = faster, but if your ram can't handle the timings, it will be unstable. ;)
 
(cf)Eclipse said:
ah.. oc'ing is kinda just something that really needs hands on experience.

also, lower timings = faster, but if your ram can't handle the timings, it will be unstable. ;)
Click to expand...

After reading some of your threads I feel safer on procedure.So it comes down to money.You need to buy faster ram for stability because of the tighter timings.How does your chip affect this puzzle?

How much will 2 gigs cost that is good for over clocking.I checked out the G.skill you directed me to at newegg for 194.00.Thats the stuff.Correct?
 
I forgot about cooling.

This case:
GIGABYTE 3D AURORA GZ-FSCA1-ATB Black Aluminum ATX Full Tower Computer Case

This has 3 120mm's 1 in the front 2 in the back.As far as air goes,I think I'm covered,but I will have to scrap the retail hsf.A good 3rd party hsf will be needed.I also need help on this choice.
 
rollingbones77 said:
I forgot about cooling.

This case:
GIGABYTE 3D AURORA GZ-FSCA1-ATB Black Aluminum ATX Full Tower Computer Case

This has 3 120mm's 1 in the front 2 in the back.As far as air goes,I think I'm covered,but I will have to scrap the retail hsf.A good 3rd party hsf will be needed.I also need help on this choice.
Click to expand...
Try for this:
http://www.xoxide.com/thermalright-xp-90c-cpu-cooler.html

And pair it up with a nicer fan. This is an incredible cooler, a little pricey though. It's worth it.
 
bLaCktIGErs91 said:
Try for this:
http://www.xoxide.com/thermalright-xp-90c-cpu-cooler.html

And pair it up with a nicer fan. This is an incredible cooler, a little pricey though. It's worth it.
Click to expand...

Yup! pricey.That think looks heavy and big.I would hate to get hit with that thing! Is it hard to install?It looks like it can pull the cpu out of the socket.Damm.Also I'm thinking about interference with case,devices,ect..

I will cut back on a few goodies to make a better budget for the board,ram,and hsf.

2 things I will also need are artic silver 5,and artic clean to dissolve those nasty thermal pads.I read some good reviews on artic clean.
 
rollingbones77 said:
Yup! pricey.That think looks heavy and big.I would hate to get hit with that thing! Is it hard to install?It looks like it can pull the cpu out of the socket.Damm.Also I'm thinking about interference with case,devices,ect..

I will cut back on a few goodies to make a better budget for the board,ram,and hsf.

2 things I will also need are artic silver 5,and artic clean to dissolve those nasty thermal pads.I read some good reviews on artic clean.
Click to expand...
Its a REALLY nice HSF with GREAT cooling. One of the best avaible unti lyou go to watercool!

AS% is a must, and Arcticlean is really good as well. So which memory are you going to be getting, after all this :p
 
(cf)Eclipse said:
yeah, i really like those. if you want something that'll work better at non-oc'ed speeds that'll still have a bit of headroom, look into these:
http://newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820231032
Click to expand...

Thanks for the link.I definitely plan to oc,but just making the right board choice,and ram will make a big difference.I'm confident about my build,even though this is my first build.I will NOT ask you alot of oc-ing questions.I need to do alot more studying,and finish this build.I will be ordering my parts soon.

One last shot here-Does the dfi nf4 have a good instruction manual?

Thanks for all the solid advice Eclipse!

bLaCktIGErs91-I do like that hsf.It looks like a overclockers buddy!
 
rollingbones77 said:
Thanks for the link.I definitely plan to oc,but just making the right board choice,and ram will make a big difference.I'm confident about my build,even though this is my first build.I will NOT ask you alot of oc-ing questions.I need to do alot more studying,and finish this build.I will be ordering my parts soon.

One last shot here-Does the dfi nf4 have a good instruction manual?

Thanks for all the solid advice Eclipse!

bLaCktIGErs91-I do like that hsf.It looks like a overclockers buddy!
Click to expand...
I wish I could afford that HSF...All ive heard about it, is all good.

I dont see why It WOULDNT have a good manual. If not, Theres a plethora of information online, always look here for any OC'ing advice, never in your manula :p
 
What would be advantage of him going to pc-4000 instead of pc-3200?

There really isn't a big price difference between those speeds.

If I remember right the G.Skill pc-4000 are $189 at the Egg.
 
Bigshot said:
What would be advantage of him going to pc-4000 instead of pc-3200?

There really isn't a big price difference between those speeds.

If I remember right the G.Skill pc-4000 are $189 at the Egg.
Click to expand...
Right. I would get that. It's up to him though, the PC-3200 is fine. GL, rolling Bones, and may the OC Force be with you :p
 
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