Building new OC machine

[Gilda]

Long, long time lurky here, been building since the late 80's. Last system I built for myself was a Barton 2500 system that is comfortably OC's at 2.3mhz.

I'm looking to build a high performance gaming machine that will have tremendous OC'ing capabilities. I'm not looking for anything EXTREME, but I'm seeking high-end performance.

This is what I'm currently considering:

MOBO: DFI LANPARTY nF4 SLI-DR Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 SLI ATX AMD Motherboard

The MOBO is a firm, no questions on this.

CASE: THERMALTAKE Tsunami VA3000BWA Black Aluminum ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

This is a nice case with some great airflow. I wouldn't mind opinions on this. There are so many to choose from so it is hard to choose the best one for my needs.

HEATSINK: ZALMAN CNPS7000B-Cu LED 2 Ball Blue LED Light Cooling Fan

Should I go for the 7700? Or will the 7000 be good for OC'ing?

HARDDRIVE: 2 X Western Digital Raptor WD740GD 73GB 10,000 RPM Serial ATA150 Hard Drive RAID 0

This system is a gaming system, so storage space is NOT an issue. I want speed, speed and more speed. I wouldn't mind opinions on this. Are there any other drives out there that would perform just as well for less money?

RAM: OCZ 1GB (2 x 512MB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 500 (PC 4000) Unbuffered Dual Channel Kit System Memory Model OCZ5001024ELDCGEVX-K

This choice is pretty firm. It seems that this RAM can OC well beyond anything else out there when coupled with the DFI MOBO.

POWERSUPPLY: OCZ OCZ520ADJ ATX 520W Power Supply

This is a tough choice. I wouldn't mind opinions on this. I was also thinking about going with the Noisetake 485W from Thernaltake.

CPU: AMD Athlon 64 3500+ Winchester Integrated into Chip FSB Socket 939 Processor Model ADA3500DIK4BI

Another tough choice. I wouldn't mind opinions on this. Is the Winchester the best OC'er? Sandiego? Venice? Ugh..

VIDEO: eVGA 256-P2-N376-AX Geforce 6800GT 256MB GDDR3 PCI-Express x16 Video Card

This seems to be a good choice. I current have a 6600GT AGP in another system, I wanted more power, so I decided to go with the 6800GT. I wouldn't mind opinions on this.

I have a NEC 3520A burner and a CREATIVE Sound Blaster Audigy2 ZS Platinum with some Klipsch speakers.

The entire PC will cost me about $1765 after shipping. Not terribly bad.

So there you see my attempt at building a good air-cooled OC'er for under $2000.

Opinions are needed.

 

[MobiusPizza]

CPU: Wait for the newer Venice Core, it has better memory controller, bug fixes and added SSE3 support.
Venice is actually the better OCer than Winchester. Sandiego is even better for its unlocked multiplier, but it is too expensive and I wouldn't recommend.

Are you planning to run SLI? SLI isn't really attractive; high cost, performance gain unreliable... If you are not going for SLI then the DFi nForce 4 Ultra motherboard is cheaper. It has the exact same design with the SLI board but much cheaper

RAID 0... WD Raptors are fast enough on their own if you don't do anything crazy like video editing or fileserving all the time

 

[cptCuervo]

I would recommend you getting a 24pin PSU... (i.e. one with dual 12v rails)

such as Enermax Noisetaker 485W

There are lots of choices for this

The Venice Core for the AMD64 runs at a lower voltage and is better for OC'ing (I believe).

Looks good.

 

[qbek]

IMO Raptors in RAID 0 is way overkill.
Sure, games will load a couple of seconds faster, but is it really worth the extra couple hundred $$ for you?
You are not likely to notice any differences during the gameplay.

 

[MobiusPizza]

Originally posted by: cptCuervo
I would recommend you getting a 24pin PSU... (i.e. one with dual 12v rails)

Not just recommend. You MUST get one if you are using DFI boards. They won't run stably without 24-pin motherboards

 

[Gilda]

Originally posted by: AnnihilatorX
CPU: Wait for the newer Venice Core, it has better memory controller, bug fixes and added SSE3 support.
Venice is actually the better OCer than Winchester. Sandiego is even better for its unlocked multiplier, but it is too expensive and I wouldn't recommend.

Are you planning to run SLI? SLI isn't really attractive; high cost, performance gain unreliable... If you are not going for SLI then the DFi nForce 4 Ultra motherboard is cheaper. It has the exact same design with the SLI board but much cheaper

RAID 0... WD Raptors are fast enough on their own if you don't do anything crazy like video editing or fileserving all the time

* New Venice core? Is there is a newer one coming out?

* I was thinking about SLI in the next couple of years. You have a very good point though.

* I agree, the WD Raptors are plenty fast.

 

[Gilda]

Originally posted by: cptCuervo
I would recommend you getting a 24pin PSU... (i.e. one with dual 12v rails)

such as Enermax Noisetaker 485W

There are lots of choices for this

The Venice Core for the AMD64 runs at a lower voltage and is better for OC'ing (I believe).

Looks good.

My first choice was the Enermax Noisetaker 485W, but I read an article on about testing the OCZ RAM on the DFI board and it seems they used the OCZ Powerstream 520. http://www.anandtech.com/memory/showdoc.aspx?i=2386&p=3

Are you saying this PS doesn't have the 24pin connector? Am I way off base here?

 

[CreativeTom]

I don't think you need to go with the two raptors, it's a waste of money. I also think that spending a little bit extra on the San Diego Core would be worth your while.

 

[Gilda]

Originally posted by: qbek
IMO Raptors in RAID 0 is way overkill.
Sure, games will load a couple of seconds faster, but is it really worth the extra couple hundred $$ for you?
You are not likely to notice any differences during the gameplay.

Any suggestions on cheaper high'ish performance HDs?

 

[MobiusPizza]

No. I just meant Venice is newer than Winchester

 

[Gilda]

Hehe, I had to be sure!

I can get a Athlon 64 3700+ 1MB 90nm Rev. E (ADA3700DAA5BN) (939) Sandiego for $334

OR

the AMD Athlon 64 3500+ Venice 1GHz FSB Socket 939 Processor Model ADA3500DAA4BP - OEM for $272

Is the $62 worth the future proofing and performance increase?

 

[MobiusPizza]

I don't think that would extend the lifespan of your build long. Dual core is around the corner anyway. Just grab the cheaper one and expect to upgrade in 2-3 years.

 

[Gilda]

I'm looking for performance too. $60 isn't a big deal to me. I think I will go with the 3700+ Sandiego for the 1mb cache. =)

 

[CreativeTom]

Originally posted by: Gilda
I'm looking for performance too. $60 isn't a big deal to me. I think I will go with the 3700+ Sandiego for the 1mb cache. =)

Yeah I would....I have seen that they seem to overclock well also. I think this is an area, even though you won't get a whole lot out of it, you will regret not spending the extra $60.

 

[cptCuervo]

I don't think that the 520W OCZ is 24 pin, but the 600W PowerStream is (although a bit overkill IMO):
http://www.ocztechnology.com/products/p...anagement/ocz_powerstream_power_supply

It says on their specs on the left column that the 520W only has one 12V rail, but the 600W has 2! However the 600W is over $200!

As for the HD's, I need not say that the Raptors are awesome... But getting 2 in a raid will NOT boost game performance. It will increase program loading and file access for sure. So, saving the $$ and just getting one will be sufficient for high performance gaming.

 

[Gilda]

I think I'm going to pull the trigger on this order:

MOBO: DFI LANPARTY UT nF4 Ultra-D Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 Ultra ATX AMD Motherboard

I decided to go with the non-SLI. Just not worth the extra money at this point. Faster video cards will be out by the time games will require 2 6800's to run them.

Does the OEM

CASE: THERMALTAKE Tsunami VA3000BWA Black Aluminum ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail

Great case.

HEATSINK: ZALMAN CNPS7000B-Cu LED 2 Ball Blue LED Light Cooling Fan - Retail

The 7700 is TOO big.

HD: Seagate Barracuda 7200.8 ST3250823AS 250GB 7200 RPM Serial ATA150 Hard Drive - OEM

I decided to go with 1 drive instead of 2 in RAID 0. This is a gaming PC and not a server. These drives are fast enough by themsleves.

RAM: OCZ 1GB (2 x 512MB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 500 (PC 4000) Unbuffered Dual Channel Kit System Memory Model OCZ5001024ELDCGEVX-K - Retail

Great RAM

PS: ENERMAX Noisetaker EG495P-VE SFMA ATX 485W Power Supply - Retail

I guess for the 24 PIN connector.

VIDEO: eVGA 256-P2-N376-AX Geforce 6800GT 256MB GDDR3 PCI-Express x16 Video Card - Retail

Nice solid 6800GT. I can easily OC this to match the current fastest cards. (when they are running at stock speeds)

CPU: AMD Athlon 64 3700+ 1MB 90nm Rev. E (ADA3700BNBOX) (939) (Retail Box-w-Fan)

I would kick myself if I didn't get the Sandiego. Mmmm 1MB cache.

The bill comes out to about $1500


Any opinions are welcome, maybe I will hold off a couple of days.

 

[cptCuervo]

Great build.. DO IT! DO IT!

LOL.

 

[Gilda]

Originally posted by: Gilda
I think I'm going to pull the trigger on this order:

MOBO: DFI LANPARTY UT nF4 Ultra-D Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 Ultra ATX AMD Motherboard

I decided to go with the non-SLI. Just not worth the extra money at this point. Faster video cards will be out by the time games will require 2 6800's to run them.

Does the OEM

CASE: THERMALTAKE Tsunami VA3000BWA Black Aluminum ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail

Great case.

HEATSINK: ZALMAN CNPS7000B-Cu LED 2 Ball Blue LED Light Cooling Fan - Retail

The 7700 is TOO big.

HD: Seagate Barracuda 7200.8 ST3250823AS 250GB 7200 RPM Serial ATA150 Hard Drive - OEM

I decided to go with 1 drive instead of 2 in RAID 0. This is a gaming PC and not a server. These drives are fast enough by themsleves.

RAM: OCZ 1GB (2 x 512MB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 500 (PC 4000) Unbuffered Dual Channel Kit System Memory Model OCZ5001024ELDCGEVX-K - Retail

Great RAM

PS: ENERMAX Noisetaker EG495P-VE SFMA ATX 485W Power Supply - Retail

I guess for the 24 PIN connector.

VIDEO: eVGA 256-P2-N376-AX Geforce 6800GT 256MB GDDR3 PCI-Express x16 Video Card - Retail

Nice solid 6800GT. I can easily OC this to match the current fastest cards. (when they are running at stock speeds)

CPU: AMD Athlon 64 3700+ 1MB 90nm Rev. E (ADA3700BNBOX) (939) (Retail Box-w-Fan)

I would kick myself if I didn't get the Sandiego. Mmmm 1MB cache.

The bill comes out to about $1500


Any opinions are welcome, maybe I will hold off a couple of days.

Trigger pulled! Will have all the stuff by Monday latest...maybe even Friday.

 

[kongs]

Whooooo good luck man that looks like a great machine!

 

[Gilda]

Ugh, this weekend is going to seem sooo long. All my stuff is going to be on my doorstep sometime Monday.

I will let you all know how things go!!

 

[mpgros02]

This build takes the words right out of my mouth. I'm currently putting together:

Lanparty nForce 4 Ultra-D Mobo
3500+ Winchester (goal is to o/c to >= 2.6Ghz)
1GB OCZ PC3200 Gold-VX
2x 40GB raptors in raid0
XFX geForce 6600GT pci-e
Thermaltake Tsunami Case (black)
Rosewill 550D ps w/ 24-pin power

I have heard people have had problems with the OCZ gold-vx memory in Lanparty nForce 4 Ultra-D/SLI mobos.

see http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview...atid=28&threadid=1590931&enterthread=y

in which I have posted my concerns. I would really like to know how your system turns out as mine is so close to your specs. As well as any problems you run into while putting it together. The combination seems to be ungodly for o/c and I can't wait until all my parts arive.

Best of luck

 

[SVT Cobra]

if you really want to OC i would seriously consider water or phase change cooling....

 

[Bushman5]

VIDEO CARD: get a x850 pe hands down the faster card available

 

[DfiDude]

isnt the X850 XT (not pe) already faster than the 6800 ultra pci-e itself?

 

[The Pentium Guy]

If you want performance get an XP90 or an XP120. One more thing.... on Newegg, the DFI Lanparty Ultra-D is OEM..... so no cables and no warantees