New gaming/General Use PC

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hazexban

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Oct 20, 2004
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Hi All,

Just wanted to post the list of parts I just ordered. It's ordered so not much I can do now but any hints/tips/flaws in my ways would be appreciated.

This is a pretty substantial upgrade I think.

Thanks!

MB:ASUS P5Q-E LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard
CPU: Q6600
RAM: OCZ Platinum 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066
PS: CORSAIR CMPSU-1000HX 1000W
Video: VisionTek 900250 Radeon HD 4870 X2 2GB
Cooling: XIGMATEK HDT-RS1283 120mm CPU Cooler

I also got the bracket for the XIGMATEK.

I plan to OC the Q6600 and hopefully I can learn to get it to about 3.0 without a problem.
 
HX1000 was bit overkill for that system, and i am surprised you didn't go Q9450 or even Q9550 over the Q6600, if your spending that amount on PSU and GPU...

you also don't really need that 1066 mhz ram for the Q6600, but i would have done the same, just gone with the highest speed ram i could :D
 
Aww shucks you should have asked for opinions before you bought the parts. That 1000 watt ps is definitely overkill for 1 x HD4870X2 when a 750 Watt PS will do. G. Skills DDR2 800 for $70 or the DDR2 1000 for $75 is a better deal than those OCZ Platinums 1066mhz RAM. I am assuming you have at least a 24" lcd for that HD 4870X2? If not, that's overkill for resolutions lower than 1920 x 1200 res.
 
Definitely could have decreased cost on that PSU and RAM, and snagged a good 45nm Quad. Oh well, it will still be a nice system.
 
Thanks for all the suggestions.

I really went with that PS to be relatively future proof as home electrical systems pretty much prevent much larger thank a 1000 watt PS.

The RAM I got was so I could OC the CPU without too much trouble, since this will be really my first time doing it.

The CPU was chosen for the fact that I want to OC for the first time and everything I read leads to the fact that I should be able to.

I definitely splurged on the Video Card, I have no arguement there sadly and in hindsight I should have gone with the 280 or the non X2. ( I am using only a 20.1'' screen currently, plan to upgrade to 24'' soon though)

I look forward to putting this all together and seeing the performance I can get.

I just got married 2 weeks ago and this was a sort of present to myself hehe.

Thanks again for all the comments. I glad no one has to come out and say I made a HUGE mistake or anything.
 
Well going from DDR2 800 to DDR2 1066 won't make your overclocking any "easier" it would just allow you a higher clock speed, chances are you're not going to hit 4 ghz on air...We're just saying you spent about an extra $300 or so that you didn't need to lol...

But, glad to hear you're excited about a new upgrade, it's always fun! Good luck with your OCing!
 
Present to yourself for getting married? o.0

Both Q6600 and Q9450 OC to around the same clockspeed.

/*------------- <cut n paste> -------------*/
Formulas for Intel platform @ 1:1 settings: (base FSB speed is SDR, or single data rate)
c × [Base FSB speed] = CPU Clock speed (c = CPU Multiplier)
2 × [Base FSB speed] = RAM speed (DDR: double data rate)
4 × [Base FSB speed] = Effective FSB speed (QDR: quad data rate)

On Intel platforms, running the RAM higher than a 1:1 ratio with the CPU is, for the most part, useless, so don't bother trying to do so. If the BIOS does it for you, just let it. All you need is a 1:1 config, though. Here's some possible clock speeds (as always with OC'ing, your results will vary):

Q6600: 9 × 266 = 2.4Ghz, DDR2-533 << STOCK speeds
Q6600: 9 × 333 = 3.0Ghz, DDR2-667 << Nice OC
Q6600: 9 × 378 = 3.4Ghz, DDR2-756 << Good OC, near max for B3 stepping w/ good air cooling
Q6600: 9 × 400 = 3.6Ghz, DDR2-800 << Great OC, near max for G0 stepping w/ good air cooling
/*------------- </cut n paste> -------------*/

Let us know how the OC'ing goes.
 
Thanks for that enginurd! Yeah my wife and I talked about me building a new pc after the wedding once we had all the expenses paid off. My wife is great though she doesn't play games or anything but thats ok!

I think I will be ok with the OC, I understand most of it, but I think if I need to adjust my timings on the RAM that might be over my head. A stable 3.0 to 3.2 would be awesome I think. I checked when the parts arrived yesterday and I did in fact get the G0 stepping.

I am very very excited.
 
Parts.jpg

FrontMB.jpg
 
Got Vista installed last night. Was debating to use XP but think I will stick with Vista for now.

My only issue which isn't a HUGE issue is that since the PS is much longer I can't use a couple of the holes in my chassis for cable management and its a little messy compared to how neat I had it before.

Also I noticed that the power cables for the Corsair are actually pretty short which made it hard to route for a clean look.

I will post completed pics tonight.

Oh one quick question. How tight was I supposed to tighten the HS screws to the plate? I went semi-tight to the point the HS was flush on the processor and not wiggling, but the springs were not completely compressed.

Thanks!
 
Pics of my OC screens.

I ran Prime for a total of 12 hours so far and all the temps look the same as this screen which was taken after about an hour of running.

Looks good to me, but all I did was lower the CPU voltage and raise the FSB to 333 and do 1:1 ratio. I haven't touched the SB voltage, RAM timings or anything else.

If its working well like this should I worry about anything else?

Thanks!

OC1.jpg
 
Nice... looks ok to me. What are your idle temps and ambient? just curious.
 
My idle was 39/40 degrees C. Ambient temp in my apt was prolly about 75.

Thanks!
 
Also it appears even though Speedstep is disabled in the BIOS the CPU throttles down to a multiplier of 6 when not in user.

Is that Speedstep issue or another setting I need to use as well?
 
Idle is kinda high. Your CPU fan is probably slowing down when idle. You can turn that smart/thermal control feature off if you don't mind the fan noise (some people notice it, others dont).

If you want to disable speedstep, disable C1E as well as EIST. However, there's no real reason to disable speedstep once you have reached your OC'ing goal. There's no performance difference with it enabled or disabled, however there is power savings with it enabled. ;)
 
I might be off on the idle temp, I will check when i get home from work.

Also I am using AS5 and it hasn't "cured" yet so I am thinking the temps might drop a little down the road.
 
hazexban said:
Thanks for that enginurd! Yeah my wife and I talked about me building a new pc after the wedding once we had all the expenses paid off. My wife is great though she doesn't play games or anything but thats ok!

I am very very excited.
Click to expand...

Where can I find this "wife" of yours?
 
S3th13 said:
Where can I find this "wife" of yours?
Click to expand...

Home in our apartment doing my laundary haha, seriously. But we each have our chores that we are responsible for around the apartment.

I don't know how I found her but she is great and I love her.

/end sappyness :p
 
/startprevioussappyness

But really.... whats your address?

/end beingacreepyfuck

nice setup, I'm sure that X2 is going to play anything to throw at it.
 
hazexban said:
I might be off on the idle temp, I will check when i get home from work.

Also I am using AS5 and it hasn't "cured" yet so I am thinking the temps might drop a little down the road.
Click to expand...

Only a few degrees at most after as5 cures. Idle should be in the upper 20's, low 30's.
 
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