New build, need advice please

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Psycot

n00b
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Feb 27, 2008
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Hi all,

First, congratulations for yours great site and forum :)
And sorry for my English...

I'm going to build a new PC (gamer PC), I have already selected all the items, here they are:


-Cooler Master Mystique RC-632S
-Seasonic S12 Energy+ 650W
-ASUSTeK Maximus Formula (Intel X38 Express)
-Intel Core 2 Duo E8500
-Sapphire Radeon HD 3870 X2 - 1 Go
-Zalman CNPS9700 NT
-Arctic Silver 5
-Corsair XMS2 DHX TWIN2X4096-6400 C5 - Twinx 4 Go
-Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Gamer
-Samsung SH-S203D/BEBE - DVD(+/-)RW/RAM 20/8/20/6/12x DL(+/-) 16/12x CD-RW 48/32/48x SATA
Western Digital Caviar SE16 500 Go 7200 RPM 16 Mo Serial ATA II

I did'nt notice major compatibily issues, but i saw on other sites ( yes, I confess, I sometime go elsewhere, don't kill me pls) that a few items have some problems. I explain :

-The memory requires a lot of energy, by default it's set at 1.8V, but it cause instability problems, we need to rise the votlage to 2.1V to solve that.
Question : does it reduce the average life of the memory? Will I need a better cooling system?

-The mobo doesn't recognize the E8500, a bios-flash is needed, it is said that you can flash the mobo with a USB key, is that work 100%? Or does I need to install a compatible CPU just for flashing?

-The power-supply :is 650W enought?


And i saw on some bench that the CPU can gain 40-50% efficiency after O/C :eek:, but I'm a noob in O/C.
I know the mobo is an exellent one for overclocking, but I don't know for the memory...
Do you think the Zalman is enought or may I add some fans?
Could you give me some advices, voltage and FSB set that I musn't reach, etc...?

I agree, there are too many questions, but I know you can answer without matter :D

Thanks in advance for all your replies ;)
 
What's your price range? Check the General Hardware section in Hardforum for numerous pc builds ranging anywhere from $400 - $2000. This will give you an idea of what pc components they recommend. There is just numerous new build threads posted.
 
Thanks for your reply :)

I don't need you show me a PC build, I have already chosen it, I just want to know your opinion, and possibly modify my build depending your suggestions.

Anyway, this build cost 1500€ (around 2200$) and it's already pretty expensive for me :eek:

So if the 6400 memory is too bad, I wouldn't replace it by a better one.

My post is just here to get your advice on the build and the capcity of overclocking.
 
if you plan to overclock, then I would recommend getting another case with better cooling such as the cooler master 690, antec (p180,180b, 182). theres also the antec 900 but cable management can be a pain in the butt.
 
That's right, when I chose this case, I did'nt want to O/C, I have just taken a "basic" case, thanks for the suggestions, I gonna look for it ;)
 
- If the RAM is rated for 2.1V, then no it would not reduce the average life of the memory. And no, you do not need additional cooling for the RAM. Just make sure that some airflow goes over the RAM and you should be set.

- Yes falshing the mobo with a USB will work 99%. Nothing in life is ever 100% assured. But you will need a compatible CPU in order to flash the BIOs. Basically, you can't flash the BIOS without a CPU in the mobo.

- 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. The more amps you have, the more upgrades (hard drives, video cards, PCI cards, etc) you can add. You determine the amperage on the +12V rails by first finding out what's the total combined or max wattage set aside for the +12V rails/section alone. So for example, that Seasonic has 624W total 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, 624W divided by 12 is 52A. So that Seasonic has 52A on the +12V Rail. And that's plenty of power and more for your current system. So yes, that power supply will be enough.

- That's a poor choice for RAM since you can get RAM rated at DDR2 1000 for the same price, therefore allowing you to reach a higher OC without the need to OC the RAM:
G.SKILL F2-8000CL5D-4GBPQ 2 x 2GB DDR2 1000 RAM - $110

- I do not recommend the Zalman since there are much better HSF for the price of that Zalman:
Tuniq Tower 120 HSF - $45
ZEROtherm Nirvana NV120 120mm HSF - $45
Thermalright Ultima-90 HSF - $46 & Panaflo FBA09A12M 92mm Fan - $3
Thermalright Ultra-120 Extreme HSF - $57 & Scythe S-Flex SFF21E 120MM Case Fan - $14

- Read this guide on how to OC:
http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1198647

- Why did you choose that particular motherboard over a P35 based motherboard?

- And finally, drop the E8500. The extra .5 multiplier of the E8500 does not warrant the extra money over the E8400. In terms of price to performance ratio, the E8400 is a far far better choice.
 
Thanks very much for yours greats answers!

First for the case, I will definitely choose an other, I didn't notice harddrive bay was so inconvenient, thx, you save my money :D

I have chosen that mobo coz i saw it was really well rated on the net, the X38 chipsets seams to be better than P35 ones (maybe I'm wrong) , it is an exellent choice for overclocking, support PCI-express 2 and other things.... but I'm not an expert in this domain, maybe is there something better?

I live in France, and Gskill memories are not very well featured at this place. And the rare marketplaces which feature it are not trusty. So I am a little stuck: a memory over 6400 either is too expensive, or bad quality one.

For the fans, I never heard about these ones, I only saw some test between Zalman/Noctula, I gonna take a look at yours. ;)

But for the flashing the mobo, can i flash with a 8500 (or 8400, I think I will take this one :D) which is NOT recognized before flash? Or should I buy a little celeron (damn, buy a cpu just a little flash! :mad:) ?

Finally your O/C tutorial seams to be a good one, time to study , thanks for the link, and for all! :)
 
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