building new Q6600 based system to OC - which MB?

[robr]

Time to replace my old 3200+ system. I've been reading all night and have decided to go with a Q6600 G0 (assuming I can find one still in stock somewhere). The jury is still out on the motherboard but I think I'm leaning toward a P5K Deluxe or IP35 Pro. Would most agree that people are getting the most speed out of the P5K with the G0?

For RAM I assume I need to go with 4x1GB for the best overclocking. Any recommendations on reasonably priced RAM that's decent at OCing? I'm not looking to get every last drop of performance out of this rig, so I'm hoping to come in under $50/gig for RAM (after rebates if necessary). Price vs. performance is the key here.

I'll go with some sort of Zalman for a CPU cooler most likely, and the jury is still out on a power supply and graphics card.

Thanks for your suggestions, it's been a long time since I've had to build a rig and I'm a bit behind the curve these days.

 

[cmdrdredd]

Get the IP35 saving some money and then you can get a better cooler (Thermalright Ultra 120 maybe) and take your CPU further.

 

[KingGheedora]

Originally posted by: robr
Time to replace my old 3200+ system. I've been reading all night and have decided to go with a Q6600 G0 (assuming I can find one still in stock somewhere). The jury is still out on the motherboard but I think I'm leaning toward a P5K Deluxe or IP35 Pro. Would most agree that people are getting the most speed out of the P5K with the G0?

For RAM I assume I need to go with 4x1GB for the best overclocking. Any recommendations on reasonably priced RAM that's decent at OCing? I'm not looking to get every last drop of performance out of this rig, so I'm hoping to come in under $50/gig for RAM (after rebates if necessary). Price vs. performance is the key here.

I'll go with some sort of Zalman for a CPU cooler most likely, and the jury is still out on a power supply and graphics card.

Thanks for your suggestions, it's been a long time since I've had to build a rig and I'm a bit behind the curve these days.

Why do you say that 4x 1GB would give best overclocking results? Is that better than 2x 2GB for some reason?

 

[Capt Caveman]

Tuniq Tower or TR Ultra Extreme 120 instead of a Zalman.

 

[bryanW1995]

yeah, a zalman gets clobbered by a quadcore. Too bad though, they're so easy to install.

 

[robr]

ok, then I'll go with an Antec P182B case and a Tuniq Tower which seems to be about 1/2 the price of the TR Ultra Extreme 120. Are these things a PITA to install?

As for why 4x1gig vs 2x2gig, I had read here that the 1gig parts are typically more tolerant of overclocking. If that's not accurate I'd rather just go 2x2. Plus further reading has indicated that overclocking memory these days doesn't provide much of a return, so I may just save some $$$ and go 2x2 anyway.

 

[cmdrdredd]

Originally posted by: robr
ok, then I'll go with an Antec P182B case and a Tuniq Tower which seems to be about 1/2 the price of the TR Ultra Extreme 120. Are these things a PITA to install?

As for why 4x1gig vs 2x2gig, I had read here that the 1gig parts are typically more tolerant of overclocking. If that's not accurate I'd rather just go 2x2. Plus further reading has indicated that overclocking memory these days doesn't provide much of a return, so I may just save some $$$ and go 2x2 anyway.

put the backplate on, apply As5 or similar, screw it down, done.

 

[robr]

Thanks. My config, going to pull the trigger tomorrow, all from Newegg except the Q6600 which will likely be Tankguys:

Q6600 G0 - ~$300
ABIT IP35 Pro LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail - $180
SAMSUNG SpinPoint T Series HD501LJ 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM - $120
Leadtek PX8600GT 256MB Standard GeForce 8600GT 256MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail - $90 (yes I know, I know, I have a hard budget of about $100, regardless of how I cut corners elsewhere - business thing)
Tuniq Tower 120 P4 & K8 CPU Cooler - Retail - $45
Antec P182 Gun Metal Black 0.8mm cold rolled steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail & Antec True Power Trio TP3-550 ATX12V 550W Power Supply with Three 12V Rails - Retail - $195 package deal
(Qty 2 = 4gig)- G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-6400CL4D-2GBHK - Retail - 4-4-3-5 timings - $220

Total - approx $1200 give or take a few bucks.

 

[cmdrdredd]

Substitute the GSkill DDR2-800 for this http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16820146565

Crucial Ballistix PC6400 DDR2-800 4-4-4-12 2.2v 2GB (2x1GB sticks) Using Micron D9 ICs (D9GMH most likely). These will overclock higher than the memory you have listed and are cheaper after you get the rebates. This memory uses the same IC that my memory does and it will boot at DDR2-1200 at 2.3v 5-5-5-15. If you want tight timings it will do DDR2-800 3-3-3-8 at 2.25v. You can expect something similar.

$110 - $30 rebate = $80

P.S. I've never had a rebate fail on me ever.

 

[robr]

I'll take your word for it . I just threw in a Pioneer 18X DVD±R DVD Burner Black E-IDE/ATAPI Model DVR-112D - OEM as well.

 

[RussianSensation]

cmdrdredd awesome deal on the ram

Also, make sure you know what you are paying for that IP35 Pro version because you can get the regular version for $71 after $20MIR

Again there are tons of other great budget OC boards like Gigabyte P35-DS3L. Don't overpay for features you won't use like 8 SATA ports, or RAID unless you know that's what you need. Remember Q6600 at 400FSB x 9 already will give you 3600mhz which is basically close to the limit of air cooling and almost any board will give you that.

For the power supply I'd rather get something quieter than the Antec PSUs like Corsair 520 Watt for $90 or even Corsair 620 for $110. Also OCZ has a promotion at sites like ZipZoomFly and Mwave for OCZ 700 watt near $105. Lian Li case for $100 looks good Of course you can always find a cheaper case.

The Tuniq at Newegg is excellent value right now.

If you can stretch it, X1950Pro for $115 after MIR >>> 8600GT

 

[cmdrdredd]

Originally posted by: RussianSensation
cmdrdredd awesome deal on the ram

Also, make sure you know what you are paying for that IP35 Pro version because you can get the regular version for $71 after $20MIR

Again there are tons of other great budget OC boards like Gigabyte P35-DS3L. Don't overpay for features you won't use like 8 SATA ports, or RAID unless you know that's what you need. Remember Q6600 at 400FSB x 9 already will give you 3600mhz which is basically close to the limit of air cooling and almost any board will give you that.

For the power supply I'd rather get something quieter than the Antec PSUs like Corsair 520 Watt for $90 or even Corsair 620 for $110. Also OCZ has a promotion at sites like ZipZoomFly and Mwave for OCZ 700 watt near $105. Lian Li case for $100 looks good Of course you can always find a cheaper case.

The Tuniq at Newegg is excellent value right now.

If you can stretch it, X1950Pro for $115 after MIR >>> 8600GT

The Pro has no double start and a better cooling setup.

 

[nyker96]

Originally posted by: robr
Thanks. My config, going to pull the trigger tomorrow, all from Newegg except the Q6600 which will likely be Tankguys:

Q6600 G0 - ~$300
ABIT IP35 Pro LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail - $180
SAMSUNG SpinPoint T Series HD501LJ 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM - $120
Leadtek PX8600GT 256MB Standard GeForce 8600GT 256MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail - $90 (yes I know, I know, I have a hard budget of about $100, regardless of how I cut corners elsewhere - business thing)
Tuniq Tower 120 P4 & K8 CPU Cooler - Retail - $45
Antec P182 Gun Metal Black 0.8mm cold rolled steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail & Antec True Power Trio TP3-550 ATX12V 550W Power Supply with Three 12V Rails - Retail - $195 package deal
(Qty 2 = 4gig)- G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-6400CL4D-2GBHK - Retail - 4-4-3-5 timings - $220

Total - approx $1200 give or take a few bucks.

I love this setup, just wanna make a few changes:
PSU: maybe get a better one like HX 520/620
G-card: 8800GTS 320MB
HD: maybe double it up for RAID 0 but that's it.

 

[robr]

Again thanks for all the advice. I'll also check out the alternate power supply, the one I picked was a NewEgg package deal with the Antec, so it was only about $30 but I budgeted $100 for a PS.

I just ordered the Q6600 G0 from ClubIT, it's now back in stock.

 

[robr]

OK, here's the new gear sitting in my basket ready to go tomorrow AM.

Q6600 G0 - $295 (already ordered)
Pioneer 18X DVD±R DVD Burner Black E-IDE/ATAPI Model DVR-112D - OEM $29.99
Antec P182 Gun Metal Black 0.8mm cold rolled steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail - $159.99
MITSUMI Black 1.44MB 3.5" Internal USB 2.0 digital card reader with Floppy Drive - OEM - $18.99
SAMSUNG SpinPoint T Series HD501LJ 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM - $119.99
HIS Hightech H195PRF256DDN-R Radeon X1950PRO 256MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Video Card - Retail - $144.99
CORSAIR CMPSU-520HX ATX12V v2.2 and EPS12V 2.91 520W Power Supply - Retail - $124.99
(2) Crucial Ballistix 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model BL2KIT12864AA804 - Retail - $219.98
ABIT IP35 Pro LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail - $179.99
Tuniq Tower 120 P4 & K8 CPU Cooler - Retail - $44.99

$1358.04 plus shipping, excluding rebates

 

[slyydrr]

Excellent choice swapping the PSU to the Corsair That's why I just ordered, both because of the reviews I've seen online, and also the experience my friends have had!

 

[idiotekniQues]

mmmmm corsair power supplies.

teh sexay!

 

[RussianSensation]

Looks good except to me personally $160 on an Antec case is too much $. Have you seen it in person? It's heavy and not very attractive looking at all. But cases are a personal opinion, so it's up to you.

Let us know your overclocking results

 

[robr]

screw it.

EVGA 320-P2-N815-AR GeForce 8800GTS 320MB 320-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail - 576MHz core - 299.99.

 

[robr]

the memory price is for QTY 2 (2x1gig), ie 4gig of memory (and it does have a $30 rebate)
I own an Antec P180 and really like that particular case, so rather than try something new, I figured I'd stick with what I know works well, is quiet and can fit the Tuniq. It's also $135 after rebate. Do you have another suggestion that's significantly cheaper that I might want to consider? Nothing with glowing neon, fancy silkscreening or plexi please.

n/m, looks like you edited your post to remove the comment about memory price

 

[drakore]

I am pretty sure the Corsair 520HX is on sale at www.buy.com for like 80$ if you use google checkout... also why not get the DVR-212D instead... this way you wont have any bulky cables in the way.

 

[robr]

ahhh!!! I JUST submitted my order 10 seconds before you posted. I *HAD* meant to get the SATA drive, I just attempted to cancel the order, lets see what happens.

the corsair does have a rebate, not as cheap as $80 but I can't use google checkout with the corporate card i'm using.

 

[RussianSensation]

We want pics !

 

[jules301h]

In case you didn't know, got the 620 from ZZF the day before the rebate went from $20 to $30. This is a good deal and one of the best power supplies.
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/...jsp?ProductCode=373110

 

[robr]

Everything is now ordered, I replaced the power supply with the CMPSU-620HX. The 620 was cheaper at ClubIT than the 520 was at NewEgg.

So we have:
Q6600 G0
Pioneer 18X DVD±R DVD Burner Black SATA Model DVR-212BK
Antec P182
MITSUMI Black 1.44MB 3.5" Internal USB 2.0 digital card reader with Floppy Drive
SAMSUNG SpinPoint T Series HD501LJ 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
CORSAIR CMPSU-620HX
(2 for a total of 4GB) Crucial Ballistix 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model BL2KIT12864AA804
ABIT IP35 Pro LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard
Tuniq Tower 120 P4 & K8 CPU Cooler
EVGA 320-P2-N815-AR GeForce 8800GTS 320MB 320-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Ready 576MHz core

Finallly I can close the million windows I have open with orders everywhere and fatwallet and upromise cash back cookies, etc!! Now I get to sit back and wait for parts to roll in.