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SFF Build, need advice:

S

stehle

n00b
Joined
Jan 21, 2006
Messages
38
I need some advice. I'm making my new gaming rig and I'm not entirely sure I'm buying the right components. I am stuck on the Shuttle case so that is the core of this new rig.

Shuttle SX38P2 case
Intel Core 2 Duo E6850 Conroe 3.0GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80557E6850
mushkin 2GB 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) x 2 (4GB total)
EVGA 512-P3-N806-A1 GeForce 8800GT SSC 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 HDCP

The plan is to dual-booting XP and Vista (damn DX10 and Crysis), 32-bit version (I may go to 64-bit OS hence the 4 GB).

Will I be able to overclock to some degree with the vanilla Shuttle case?

I hoped this system would be a little more future proof in the sense that I can upgrade to the next generation of graphics cards when they come out and I could switch to a quad core when they hit higher clock speeds / lower price.

Thoughts? Thanks in advance.
 
Ditch the E6850 and get the E6750 which is $100 less. For $100 more, all you get with the E6850 is an extra 333Mhz. The E6750 and E6850 OC about the same as well. So the E6750 is a much better buy.

Though if you're willing to spend that much anyway on a CPU, just go with the Q6600 right now.
 
Thanks Danny, I think I will end up going with the quad core.

As an aside, has anyone actually been able to find a place to buy a Shuttle SX38P2 PRO? The Shuttle website says it is no longer "coming soon", but none of the usual sites have it. Nothing is more annoying that being fully prepared to lay down the cash--only to find out the product is available...

slight derail...

I was also curious about the PCIe 2.0. The specs say it supports ATI Crossfire--would it be reasonable to assume that you could perhaps put two 8800GT in SLi mode instead (or does it require a special controller)?
 
stehle said:
slight derail...

I was also curious about the PCIe 2.0. The specs say it supports ATI Crossfire--would it be reasonable to assume that you could perhaps put two 8800GT in SLi mode instead (or does it require a special controller)?
Click to expand...

You need a mobo based off an Nvidia mobo chipset in order to use SLI. Right now the current SLI chipset based mobos, 650i/680i, does not have PCI-E 2.0 slots. Though Nvidia's new nForce 700 will have PCI-E 2.0 slots.
 
Danny Bui said:
You need a mobo based off an Nvidia mobo chipset in order to use SLI. Right now the current SLI chipset based mobos, 650i/680i, does not have PCI-E 2.0 slots. Though Nvidia's new nForce 700 will have PCI-E 2.0 slots.
Click to expand...

And you might want to consider the Shuttle's size; you're not fitting SLI 8800GT's in there.

Well, you could, but one would over heat.

Cooling: You can only use the stock Shuttle solution; consider that when buying a quad core.

Also, how hot is the X38? You could get the P35 version; its roughly the same. On the outside anyways. You won't be able to go [H] on the processor anyways.
 
Leman said:
And you might want to consider the Shuttle's size; you're not fitting SLI 8800GT's in there.

Well, you could, but one would over heat.

Cooling: You can only use the stock Shuttle solution; consider that when buying a quad core.

Also, how hot is the X38? You could get the P35 version; its roughly the same. On the outside anyways. You won't be able to go [H] on the processor anyways.
Click to expand...

I was just questioning the SLi because I noted the P38 supported crossfire. I assumed crossfire was similar to SLi--but then again I have never seen the setup. It would be nice to get a SLi setup for the 8800 GT, but it may not be necessary because of the newer versions of the n92 core coming out (more on-board memory, etc).

I'm also curious as the amount of heat a quad core and 8800 GXX will generate. I might need to get one of the PCI slot fans...
 
I would recommend this RAM, 2 sticks are better tha 4. I am running these at full speed in the SP35P2 you can see in my sig.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231145

Can I ask why the SX38P2 and not the acutally available SP35P2? If you can wait until Christmas or so, then I guess you may as well.

IMO, get the Q6600 (G0 if possible) and overclock it to at least 3GHz. For less than $300 you get effectively a $1000 QX6850.

No SLI, just get it out of your head. If you want dual graphics, then yes SX38P2 will be the way to go, and since you will have to wait for that, then it will follow that you can wait for the ATI 38XX series cards to do XFire in the case with.
 
Overclocking is limited on the Shuttles, you will not need a PCI fan (you only have 2 slots... don't even dream of wasting them in this way). The integrated ICE cooling system should handle whatever the bios will actually allow you to do with you CPU. If you need more cooling, do as I and other have done, which is to replace fans and add more of needed.

Don't put a GTX in the shuttle, it will work (possibly, some issues have been seen) but the GT has near enough the same performance except at really high resolutions (running 2560x1600? then get a full rig with SLI).
 
canislupy said:
I would recommend this RAM, 2 sticks are better tha 4. I am running these at full speed in the SP35P2 you can see in my sig.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231145

Can I ask why the SX38P2 and not the acutally available SP35P2? If you can wait until Christmas or so, then I guess you may as well.

IMO, get the Q6600 (G0 if possible) and overclock it to at least 3GHz. For less than $300 you get effectively a $1000 QX6850.

No SLI, just get it out of your head. If you want dual graphics, then yes SX38P2 will be the way to go, and since you will have to wait for that, then it will follow that you can wait for the ATI 38XX series cards to do XFire in the case with.
Click to expand...

The big reason I was waiting was for the SX38P2 was because it supported PCI-Express Gen 2.0 which is a "nice-to-have" with the new N92 cards (such as the recently released 8800GT). I assume there is a performance increase, however slight, using this combination. I would be inclined to actually get the SP35P2 if it had this feature (maybe it does, but it wasn't evident in the literature).

The memory suggestion is great--thanks. Would you mind telling me what modifications you have made to your SP35P2 for cooling? What settings did you use to OC? I usually run my systems vanilla, but I'd like to explore overclocking this system.

Any advice is welcome--I usually only brush up on my PC building skills once every 18 months...
 
You will see effectively zero performance increase due to the PCIE 2.0 interface. Nice to have for future, but no gains right now.

There are a few threads over on the sudhian forums that cover overclocking of the SP35P2, including my own experiences and explanation of Shuttles bios setting for CPU:MEM devider setting.

Here is a link to the thread specifically: http://www.sudhian.com/index.php?/forums/viewthread/99900/
 
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