New College Comp

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general_specific

n00b
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Jul 15, 2005
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I'm building a computer to go off to college with. I have a budget of $3,000. First I will go over the goals of this system.

1). This system is to be a nice gaming machine that will be able to keep up with new games for a reasonable length of time.
2). I plan to overclock, but this will be my first experience with overclocking. With this in mind, the system should be reasonably n00b-friendly.
3). This will be in a dorm room, so compactness and quietness do play a role here. I do not, however, want to sacrifice too much performance.
4). I would like the system as a whole to be aesthetically pleasing. I would like it to have a blue glow coming through the side window.

This is the list of parts I came up with. Please feel free to recommend changes, make suggestions, and tell me if I'm spending too much money on stuff I don't need.

1). AMD Athlon 64 X2 4400+ Toledo 1GHz FSB Socket 939 Dual Core Processor.
2). DFI LANPARTY nF4 SLI-DR Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 SLI
3). BFG Tech BFGR78256GTXOC Geforce 7800GTX 256MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 (one for now. I will get another when the price drops.)
4). CORSAIR XMS 2GB (2 x 1GB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) Unbuffered
5). SeaSonic S12-600 ATX12V 600W Power Supply
6). Maxtor DiamondMax 10 6B300S0 300GB 7200 RPM Serial ATA150 Hard Drive - OEM
7). Lian Li PC-65B Black Aluminum ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
8). CREATIVE Sound Blaster Audigy2 ZS Platinum Pro
9). Microsoft Windows XP Professional X64 Edition

I also have a few questions.

1). I have heard that the 7800GTX has some cooling problems. Should I get a case with a side air duct?
2). What is dual channel memory? Should I use it?
3). I thought about getting a Western Digital Raptor WD740GDRTL 74GB for use as my OS drive. Is this useful or a waste of $240.
4). I am completely lost when it comes to cooling. The Lian Li fits 4x 80mm case fans. Is this enough to provide sufficient airflow? What type of case fans do you recommend? Should I get blue glowy fans or should I use a cold cathode kit for the lighting?
5). I assume that the stock AMD heatsink and fan will not be enough if I overclock. What heatsink and fan combo do you think would work best with this setup? Should I go water-cooled?

With the setup as it currently is I have a good $500 to play around with. I'm also looking at picking up a good gaming mouse (The Razer Diamondback Plasma looks nice), a good gaming keyboard, a DVD burner, and maybe some speakers.
 
general_specific said:
1). AMD Athlon 64 X2 4400+ Toledo 1GHz FSB Socket 939 Dual Core Processor.
2). DFI LANPARTY nF4 SLI-DR Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 SLI
3). BFG Tech BFGR78256GTXOC Geforce 7800GTX 256MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 (one for now. I will get another when the price drops.)
4). CORSAIR XMS 2GB (2 x 1GB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) Unbuffered
5). SeaSonic S12-600 ATX12V 600W Power Supply
6). Maxtor DiamondMax 10 6B300S0 300GB 7200 RPM Serial ATA150 Hard Drive - OEM
7). Lian Li PC-65B Black Aluminum ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
8). CREATIVE Sound Blaster Audigy2 ZS Platinum Pro
9). Microsoft Windows XP Professional X64 Edition

I also have a few questions.

1). I have heard that the 7800GTX has some cooling problems. Should I get a case with a side air duct?
2). What is dual channel memory? Should I use it?
3). I thought about getting a Western Digital Raptor WD740GDRTL 74GB for use as my OS drive. Is this useful or a waste of $240.
4). I am completely lost when it comes to cooling. The Lian Li fits 4x 80mm case fans. Is this enough to provide sufficient airflow? What type of case fans do you recommend? Should I get blue glowy fans or should I use a cold cathode kit for the lighting?
5). I assume that the stock AMD heatsink and fan will not be enough if I overclock. What heatsink and fan combo do you think would work best with this setup? Should I go water-cooled?

With the setup as it currently is I have a good $500 to play around with. I'm also looking at picking up a good gaming mouse (The Razer Diamondback Plasma looks nice), a good gaming keyboard, a DVD burner, and maybe some speakers.
Click to expand...

omfg I'm so pissed. I had a huge ass reply typed out and the damn website logged me out while I was typing so it all deleted itself. FUCKFUCKFUCK. Sorry if this is shorter, but I'm just plain pissed...

parts:
1). AMD Athlon 64 X2 4400+ Toledo 1GHz FSB Socket 939 Dual Core Processor.
4200+ X2 or 3200+ Venice since OCing
2). DFI LANPARTY nF4 SLI-DR Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 SLI
good
3). BFG Tech BFGR78256GTXOC Geforce 7800GTX 256MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 (one for now. I will get another when the price drops.)
$491 at dell
4). CORSAIR XMS 2GB (2 x 1GB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) Unbuffered
Corsair = bad. Get 2x this Crucial 1GB.
5). SeaSonic S12-600 ATX12V 600W Power Supply
good
6). Maxtor DiamondMax 10 6B300S0 300GB 7200 RPM Serial ATA150 Hard Drive - OEM
make sure you are getting the 16mb cache version
7). Lian Li PC-65B Black Aluminum ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
ok, just make sure there are fans in all the slots
8). CREATIVE Sound Blaster Audigy2 ZS Platinum Pro
I like onboard, but your choice.
9). Microsoft Windows XP Professional X64 Edition
ok

questions:
1). nah, your current case is good. Watercool maybe...
2). Dual channel is automatic if you use two (or 4, but that doesn't work as fast as 2) sticks of the exact same RAM in the right slots (usually 1+3 or 2+4). You will have it, don't worry.
3). waste b/c of the 16mb cache of the Maxtor AND the 2gb of ram
4). Panaflo fans for everything. Cold Cathode b/c Panaflo doesn't come with lights.
5). It will be fine for minor OCs. Get either a Thermalright XP-90 (NOT 90c) and a 92mm Panaflo OR watercooling. See the thread in my sig for a water cooled setup with links to everything.

other stuff:
mouse:
The Logitech MX518 (best possible IMHO)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16826104178

keyboard:
Your choice, keyboards are pretty much all the same except for extra function buttons on top. I wouldn't get wireless b/c there will be a delay.
DVD burner:
NEC, only way to go
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16827152047

speakers:
Logitech X-530, good, un-expensive, 5.1. nuff said.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16836121118
 
Great suggestions Russ. Thanks a bunch.

I'd like to get the Audigy 2 ZS mainly because of the EAX and DTS support it has.

I think I will stay air-cooled for now and get the xp-90 heatsink. Wll I need thermal paste with that?

With this setup, how far do u think I should be able to push the 4400+ ?
 
general_specific said:
Great suggestions Russ. Thanks a bunch.

I'd like to get the Audigy 2 ZS mainly because of the EAX and DTS support it has.

I think I will stay air-cooled for now and get the xp-90 heatsink. Wll I need thermal paste with that?

With this setup, how far do u think I should be able to push the 4400+ ?
Click to expand...

looks good - and yes - get the Thermalright's XP-90, probably the best heatsink there is...
 
id say get another harddrive of some sort
just for backup purposes of your more important data unless you go the way of burning cds/dvds

clark
 
I don't think that I'd go with a DFI mobo. Sure, you can get the stupid high OCs off it, but they are SO incredibly prone to serious issues that I don't touch them with a 100ft pole unless I absolutely have to. Take a look at DFI_Dashi's posts about DFI boards so I don't have to repeat him again. :p

http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=926666

If you feel the need to get a DFI board, make sure that you get fast memory (ie not what you have there, but something like PC 4400 or higher) and ensure that it responds well to increasing voltage - that's the #1 way of hitting the really high OCs on those boards.

Depending on how much HDD room you actually need and will use, you may want to consider getting either 2 smaller drives, or another of the 300GB ones that you have there and put it into a mirrored RAID configuration. That way you're less likely to have critical errors on it when you're at school, errors that invariably come up when you're writing papers, or something along those lines.

You don't have it listed, but you should also seriously consider getting a USB pen drive if you don't already have one. About the last thing you need is to be relying on floppy disks, and you can never rely on email/networks to be functioning when you most need them.

Seeing as how you're choosing a SATA drive, don't forget to get a floppy drive so that you can load the required drivers when you're installing windows. You probably won't need it for anything other than that, but the damn things are still necessary.

Hope that that helps!

 
Nothing wrong with a floppy. :p

"If you feel the need to get a DFI board, make sure that you get fast memory (ie not what you have there, but something like PC 4400 or higher) and ensure that it responds well to increasing voltage - that's the #1 way of hitting the really high OCs on those boards. "

You def don't need pc4400. Just head over to the memory forum and you can find some memory that accepts high voltages (high voltage means good timings AND high speeds, two things not often found together). I don't think they make high voltage 1GB sticks though, so if you want 2GB, don't worry about voltage. The $106 Crucial will serve you well, even in your overclocking adventures (and in BF2).

I would keep the DFI board for overclocking purposes. Most people don't have problems with DFI, and if you do, just return/RMA it until you get a good one.
 
To address general_specific's and others' concerns and comments...

1.) Athlon 64 X2 4400+
- Not a bad choice, but I'll have to partially agree with Russ and say that you should seriously consider the 4200+ for maximum value once OCing is factored into the mix.

2.) DFI Lanparty NF4 SLI-DR
- This would be my personal choice for what you want to do. Don't let DamienThorn and DFI_Daishi's comments scare you. Sure there are problems sometimes, perhaps more than we'd expect from such a prominent company. Problems such as these have plagued DFI boards for years, and yet they're still top choices for enthusiasts. In fact, a while ago, other name brands like Abit and ASUS were dogged with manufacturing problems such as poor capacitors. Just like Russ said: If the one you get is a turkey, RMA it and see if you get a good one. The main reason that I would recommend against DFI in your case is that its BIOS is not for beginners. The wealth of tweaking options will overwhelm and confuse you. The alternate that I would suggest is MSI's nForce4 SLI board. It shared AnandTech's award with DFI's board in their SLI round-up. It overclocks virtually equally as well as the DFI board.

3.) BFG GeForce 7800 GTX
- See if the Dell deal still stands right now.

4.) Corsair XMS 2x 1GB DDR400
- There exists a myth about RAM that more is better. This can lead to a lot of wasted money. Having 2GB of RAM in your system is nice, but it's practically worthless because of a certain law of diminishing returns. Benchmarks have proven that a doubling of RAM capacity results in a speed increase of half the amount attained with the previous doubling of capacity. Thus, while going from 32MB to 64MB and from 64MB to 128MB resulted in noticeable performance gains, going from 1GB to 2GB will not be noticeable at all. The reason is that more space means more memory addresses to track, resulting in a lag that counterbalances the space increase. Additionally, Windows makes the size of its page file (virtual memory) proportional to your RAM capacity, so having a doubly large page file, which is already larger than your RAM, is frightening. Imagine the fragmentation. With 2GB, you can theoretically turn off virtual memory with almost no immediate problems, but this is not advisable because virtual memory exists for a reason: The more RAM you use, the more it tends to be fragmented, especially due to the high-speed, random access nature of RAM. More RAM merely lets you run more applications or applications that work with large amounts of data, such as Photoshop. (Diminishing returns with RAM also applies to video cards: Having the 512MB version of a video card will give you a largely unnoticeable gain over the 256MB version of the same card because hardly any games are optimized to take advantage of the space.) All this should make pretty clear why most top-end consumer systems still use 1GB of memory, why 2GB or more is found primarily in high-end workstations and servers. Having 2GB will not improve your gaming -- at least, not by any significant amount. Instead, I suggest that you spend a little more and get OCZ's PC4800 RAM. That'll do the trick. For closer to $200, you can still get excellent stuff, like OCZ's PC4000 VX, which is just as fast as PC4800 but requires the DFI board (or the DDR Booster) and active RAM cooling. (You might want to get a fan to blow over any high-end memory anyway.) By the way, I don't know of any other enthusiast than Russ who would say that "Corsair = bad" (as far as premium RAM like XMS goes).

5.) Sea Sonic 600W S12-600 ATX12V
- The appeal of Sea Sonic's PSUs is lost on me, but I suppose that they're solid, efficient stuff. Consider an Enermax PSU also. Personally, I think that 600W is overkill even with the GeForce 7800 GTX in SLI. Also check out the Aerocool Turbine Power 550W, which I think is the best modular power supply.

6.) Maxtor DiamondMax 10 300GB SATA
- Enough has been said by others about the hard drive scene. The Raptor's only really good in RAID 0 configuration, which is expensive and puts your data at risk. The DiamondMax 10 with 16MB cache will be fine.

7.) Lian Li PC-65B
- If this is what suits your tastes, then get it by all means. Lian Li is fabulous.

8.) Creative Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS Platinum Pro
- If you don't want to wait, go ahead and get this. Personally, I would think that the best course is to use the already very good onboard audio for a few months until the first X-Fi sound cards debut.

9.) Windows XP Professional x64 Edition
- Don't bother with this unless your school can offer it to you for a few bucks. (For instance, I know that the University of Texas at Austin sells a two-pack of 32-bit and 64-bit Windows for only $10.) Even if that's so, you should not use it as your main OS. Despite the hype about 64-bit memory addressing, no applications have shown much if any performance advantages in their 64-bit incarnations. Add to that the fact that you'll be getting headaches over compatibility issues with software and drivers and even over some security issues. x64 Edition is actually a subset of x86 Windows, with certain features missing, not an upgrade. Read Paul Thurrott's review of x64 Edition at http://www.winsupersite.com. Install 64-bit windows only to play around with it for now.

Okay, let's address some of your other questions.
1.) I haven't looked extensively into the GeForce 7800 GTX, but if you have good airflow, cooling it should not be a problem. You could alternately wait and see what ATI has to offer with their next generation; it might just trump NVIDIA (again). You could also look into Crossfire, ATI's (generally considered superior) answer to SLI, although this would require a completely different set of motherboards from which to choose.

2.) Dual-channel memory is where there are two separate channels for input/output to/from RAM on the motherboard. When these two channels are used simultaneously, you get theoretically double the memory bandwidth. The principle's similar to SLI and RAID 0. There is no such thing as "dual-channel memory" in and of itself; dual channels are accomplished on the motherboard only, and all high-end motherboards support it. Simple-minded explanations/introductions to dual-channel DDR say to just buy a dual-channel kit or that the modules have to be specially matched in order to work in dual-channel configuration. In reality, any two modules of the same brand and model number are almost certain to work in dual-channel mode. Sometimes even modules from different manufacturers will work together. The dual-channel kits are really a rip-off as they tend to cost more than just buying the modules separately. But the actual benefit of dual-channel memory is dubious. Some say that it makes games and applications feel smoother, but all agree that benchmarks show virtually no difference between dual-channel mode and single-channel mode. Should you "use" it? It certainly doesn't hurt. Enabling it is as simple as installing the modules in the right slots as specified in your motherboard's manual. DFI's nForce4 boards have dual-channel on slots 2 and 4 (the orange ones).

3.) I've already addressed the Raptor above. One more thing to consider: It runs really hot, and with SATA-II drives on the horizon, not much time will pass before Western Digital releases updated versions of the Raptor. If you want one or two, wait; in the meantime you can save up for them.

4.) Lian Li's cases are among the best designed in the world, fully optimized for maximum airflow. Four 80mm fans is plenty. You need not worry. I would get no more than four 80mm fans for a case anyway; they add up to quite a bit of noise. As far as case lighting goes, I just got into it myself, and you'll be astonished with how many options you have. Your lighting plan is up to your design tastes, but you should have at least a cold cathode because that provides a greater spread of light inside your case. To see all the options that are available, visit the following sites: Xoxide.com, Jab-Tech.com, BestByte.net, CrazyPC.com. Just look in their case mod and lighting sections. Just remember that you don't have room for everything, nor would having everything look very attractive! As for fans, get ones that are low-noise, like anything below 30dBA (27dBA is common and good). You won't be sacrificing much airflow buy going a little more quiet.

5.) Thermalright's heatsinks are regarded as the best on the market. In fact, the very best HS, the XP-90C, cools just like mid-range water cooling with its low temperatures and surprising resistance to decreased fan speeds that have brought down so many fine heatsinks. However, there is not much difference between the XP-90C and the XP-90 aside from the metals from which they are made. The XP-120 is a bit overrated; it's too big and expensive and yet performs worse than the XP-90. People merely assume that it's the greatest based on its size. There is one new option that demands consideration (and I'm not talking about the upcoming Zalman CNPS9500 LED). Gigabyte's new G-Power Pro is extremely similar to the XP-90 and provides very comparable performance. It comes with a very nice, large fan with built-in blue LEDs. The XP-90 may provide better performance, but with the separate fan added, the total may be more than the Gigabyte HS. But you may not mind that. For a fan, I recommend Evercool's 92mm "aluminum" fan with blue LEDs. It provides an excellent airflow to noise ratio with great looks, but be warned: You will not be able to mount it on the XP-90 using fan clips; for a computer that I built for a friend, I had to use a rubber band. I suggest that you wait a couple of weeks for Zalman's new offering to debut and be reviewed. It may just be the new choice. Avoid water cooling because it's only worth the money and trouble if you're going to go all out, DIY.

As for the mouse, the Razer mice are exceptional; some consider them better for gaming than the Logitech mice. I use the MX1000, but then again, that's not for gaming. The NEC 3520A is the best value in a DVD burner out there. And as for speakers, yes the Logitech X-530 is good, but given that you'll be living in a dorm, you might want to consider high-end, uber-expensive headphones. According to Tom's Hardware Guide, the Medusa 5.1 Surround Sound headphones are the best. You'll need thermal paste no matter what; at $5.99, some still say that Arctic Silver 5 is too expensive, but it's still pretty much the best option short of epoxy. You could also follow clark45's advice and buy a second hard drive. Make sure it's the same size as the first, and put it in RAID 1 configuration. This will automatically duplicate all your data for you, and you won't be able to use the extra capacity, but you will have security. RAID 1 also paradoxically increases hard disk I/O speed by an insignificant amount. As for your last question: Don't expect much OCing out of your Athlon 64 X2. The dual cores will be generating a lot of heat, so expect not much better than 4800+ speed.
 
d17 said:
2.) DFI Lanparty NF4 SLI-DR
- This would be my personal choice for what you want to do. Don't let DamienThorn and DFI_Daishi's comments scare you. Sure there are problems sometimes, perhaps more than we'd expect from such a prominent company. Problems such as these have plagued DFI boards for years, and yet they're still top choices for enthusiasts. In fact, a while ago, other name brands like Abit and ASUS were dogged with manufacturing problems such as poor capacitors. Just like Russ said: If the one you get is a turkey, RMA it and see if you get a good one. The main reason that I would recommend against DFI in your case is that its BIOS is not for beginners. The wealth of tweaking options will overwhelm and confuse you. The alternate that I would suggest is MSI's nForce4 SLI board. It shared AnandTech's award with DFI's board in their SLI round-up. It overclocks virtually equally as well as the DFI board.
Click to expand...

I would certainly agree that the MSI board is a decent enough board. Central issues with the DFI board that extend beyond the board itself include, but are not limited to:

1) Going to the premier DFI forum, DFI Street, is not a reliable method of resolving problems. It tends to be populated by people that are incapable of utilizing detailed, step by step instruction sets that will walk you through any problems that you may have. There are usually a couple solutions that are popularly employed (swap PSUs, Flash BIOS, and a couple others), after which you are typically unable to recieve help for your problem. I see this as possibly hindering your ability to resolve difficulties that may arise.
2) DFI tech support is damn near useless. It wasn't until DFI Daishi hit the QC techs in China that he started getting some straight answers - and those answers related to the poor QC that was (and continues) to be used when DFI boards are manufactured
3) MSI's NF4 boards are VERY stable. This is critical in a system where you're going to be writing papers and such; you don't necessarily have time to deal with a flaky mobo. The MSI is less likely to cause huge headaches.
4) On an admittedly more personal level, I try to avoid companies that refuse to repair long-term problems. DFI has had problems plague them from the NF2 - NF4 boards, and they're the same damn problems. This is unacceptable, and spending money on their boards simply validates their decision to refuse to resolve critical underlying faults in their mobos.

 
Ok, I need to reply to some of the things d17 has said...
3.) BFG GeForce 7800 GTX
The Dell deal does NOT stand anymore (I just checked tonight). At least, I think it doesn't
You CAN, however, get a MSI 7800GTX for $549, the lowest I've ever seen it besides Dell. And it has free 2nd day shipping.

4.) Corsair XMS 2x 1GB DDR400
Ok, I'm not saying the XMS will perform badly, I just think it is a waste of money (compared to other brand's prices - maybe not as much on the 1GB stick scene, the 512mb is much more fragmented). 2x 1GB is good if you play BF2 now, and probably will be more necessary for games that are not out yet. 2x 1GB will perform significantly faster than 2x 512mb IRL if a game uses more than 1GB of space, like BF2. If you only have 1 GB it will proceed to the page file of your hard drive, which is much slower than any DDR ram you would feasibly have.

Also if you run a lot of things while you are gaming, then you will want 2x 1GB.

Your call. Ask us if you decide on something but can't find what you want.

5.) Sea Sonic 600W S12-600 ATX12V
If you aren't gonna be using SLI, then the Seasonic S12-500 is more than enough. I recently found the S12-500 for $105! Check out the thread in my sig and click the link.
The S12-600 can be found on the same site for $130:
http://www.case-mod.com/store/seasonic-s12600-s12-series-600w-600-watt-atx-power-supply-p-1580.html

both are great buys because the Seasonic has GREAT efficiency (sometimes over 80%) and it is VERY quiet.
 
so touching that my posts are sometimes linked.

i really don't think that a board/memory pairing targeted towards high-voltage, high-overclocking is a terribly good idea when you are away at college. if something cooks, you could be rather abruptly SOL, and have a significant wait before you can get back up and running.

however, if you really do want to go for the volts and high overclock: http://www.mushkin.com/doc/products/memory_detail.asp?ID=198 is quite fearsome.

i use the PC4400, TCCD based, low voltage sticks, for myself, because i think it is less likely to go to hell in a handbasket.

reasonably cheap things to keep handy when OCing on DFI: 1) old, cheap pci video card. follow the link "beautifull....56K no" in the thread that DamienThorn put up to find out why. 2) a BIOS saviour. they can save you from a LOT of headaches, especially while overclocking. 3) a small, cheap, stick of generic RAM. when you hear the good old rambulance error tone (alternating, repeating, high-low, beeps) a stick of value ram and a cleared CMOS fix things a lot more quickly than the hoops that you sometimes have to jump through to get the high performance stuff to work properly. 4) needle nose pliers, because i can assure you that you will be needing to use the clear CMOS jumper pretty regularly while getting things running for the first time, and as you try and OC. the pliers make it far easier to reach in there.

every board manufacturer has a few bad boards make it into circulation. that is fair. having the same damn problem across multiple generations of product is just unacceptable.

good luck.
 
d17 said:
2.) DFI Lanparty NF4 SLI-DR
- This would be my personal choice for what you want to do. Don't let DamienThorn and DFI_Daishi's comments scare you. Sure there are problems sometimes, perhaps more than we'd expect from such a prominent company. Problems such as these have plagued DFI boards for years, and yet they're still top choices for enthusiasts. In fact, a while ago, other name brands like Abit and ASUS were dogged with manufacturing problems such as poor capacitors. Just like Russ said: If the one you get is a turkey, RMA it and see if you get a good one. The main reason that I would recommend against DFI in your case is that its BIOS is not for beginners. The wealth of tweaking options will overwhelm and confuse you. The alternate that I would suggest is MSI's nForce4 SLI board. It shared AnandTech's award with DFI's board in their SLI round-up. It overclocks virtually equally as well as the DFI board.
Click to expand...
assuming that he is going to school in the US, and he has as credit card, then DFI RMA wouldn't be too bad. if he is international, then he's looking at almost two months to get a replacement board out of DFI directly.
 
Why plies to pull out the cmos jumper? Fingers work fine for me

System is looking sick dude, my build was a bit toned down from that since I didn't have as large a budget.

Definitly make sure your carefull when overclocking or have backup parts. I'm goin to college in Boston and my uncle lives about 30min from there, and his house has about as much stuff in it as Fry's :eek: . I'd bet your not as lucky however
 
n64man120 said:
Why plies to pull out the cmos jumper? Fingers work fine for me
Click to expand...
on this board it depends on how neatly you are cabled, but pulling the jumper shouldn't be too bad.

on my own, the vid card gets in the way of reaching the jumper cap.

mainly, i feel that they are just good to have when your fingers/hand are just too big to easily reach a specific jumper cap.
 
Russ said:
But expensive!! KNow any cheaper stuff that fits that description? :D
Click to expand...
the best overclocking memory is. i paid over $500 CDN for my original mushkin PC3500 high performance level 2, BH-5 based memory.

this is the closest competetor to the mushkin that i put up: http://www.monarchcomputer.com/Merc...duct_Code=140979&Category_Code=Unbuffered_OCZ

although you can probably find either for cheaper elsewhere.

this might interest you at a somewhat lower price point.
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1056164&CatId=0

it won't do as well as the redline, but it can most likely get up into the FSB 240-250 range with CL2.0 and high voltages.

there are many kinds of value ram kicking around out there, that can hit reasonable OCs with CL2.5, but for the high overclocks, with tight timings, and high voltages, i have put up the kind of stuff that you should be looking at.

me, i think that hunting around untill you find some normal sticks of ram that use samsung TCCD chips and accepting CL2.5 opperation, with a good overclock and not more than 2.8 volts is the best VALUE.

given the kind of budget this guy seems to be opperaqting with, i thought that he was looking at the high-end memory.

edit, how about these? http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=723383&CatId=0
 
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