Help Choosing the Right CPU and Memory for the best O/C

[DPOverLord]

Greetings,
I have the opportunity to pick up the Infinity 975 Rev1. motherboard and OCZ DDR2 2GB (2x1GB) PC2-6400 800MHz Dual Channel Kit - OCZ2P8002GK [Neweggfor a relatively good price. I was wondering what cpu choice would be the best option since I plan on overclocking.
I have looked at the E4300, E6400 and the E6600. Out of these it seems the main Difference between the E6600 and the 6400/4300 is that the E6600 has 2mb more of cache and set at a higher frequency. Considering that I plan on O/C would it make more sense to get the 4300 since it seems many people have been able to hit 3Ghz with relative ease?

My concern is that if I go with a e4300/6400 (50$ difference between the two) is my ram going to be sufficient? I believe they use Micron 9 chips but I have not purchased them and can?t check ( is there a database?). Then is it worth me spending the extra money for the 6400 (220$) over the 4300(170$) if I choose not to go with the 6600(310$). I would rather save as much money as possible getting the most bang for my buck. I was looking at heatsink and fans and still have not been able to decide on the best combination. I will be happy with a 3.1-3.5Ghz O/C but I was not sure if my combination will give me a good amount of success. Please tell me what you think since I would like to purchase something this week ( don?t want to miss out on the ram deal).

Edit put the two posts into one:

So I have the option of buying the following Ram, but I was not sure how they would perform O/C in a C2D 4300/6400/6600 build I am putting together on a:

IDFI Infinity 975X/G

With that being said I am looking at certain chips to give me a DRAM of 1:1 and a nice stable O/C ( MHZ is king in this). I have the opportunity to pick up some chips for a good price and was wondering what you pros thought.

The Ram chips I was looking at for this mobo are:

OCZ DDR2 2GB (2x1GB) PC2-6400 800MHz Dual Channel Kit - OCZ2P8002GK
* 800MHz DDR2
* Platinum Mirrored XTC Heatspreader*
* Lifetime Warranty
* 2.1 Volts
* 240 Pin DIMM
* OCZ Enhanced Latency Technology
* 2.2V EVP** Part Number: 2GB Dual Channel Kit P/N - OCZ2P8002GK
I can get a really good deal on these for around $150

OR

OCZ Platinum Revision 2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail
*2GB Dual Channel Kit P/N - OCZ2P800R22GK
*800MHz DDR2
*CL 4-4-4-15
*(CAS-TRCD-TRP-TRAS)
*Unbuffered
*Platinum Mirrored XTC Heatspreader*
*Lifetime Warranty
*1.9 - 2.1 Volts
*240 Pin DIMM
Can Snag these for around $160
OR

OCZ / 2GB DDR2 PC2-8500 / 1066MHz / NVIDIA® SLI?-Ready Edition / Dual Channel OCZ2N1066SR2GK

* 1066MHz DDR2
* EPP 5-5-5-15
* (CAS-TRCD-TRP-TRAS)
* Also available in a 1GB module
* Unbuffered
* SLI-Ready XTC Heatspreader*
* Lifetime Warranty
* 2.1 Volts
* 240 Pin DIMM
These chips are going to cost around 190$ but I am not sure if they are worth the price

OR
My other option was the:
G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit F2-6400CL5D-2GBNQ
I have a had a lot of good luck with OCZ but I want to make sure that I choose the right ram for this setup since I know Ram can be finicky. Please tell me what you think. I would rather save the $50 on the ram and put that towards the CPU since MHZ is power. Tell me what you think.

 

[digitizer123]

I guess it depends on how much your are trying to OC. Do you ned to set record - it will cost you a lot. Or do you need a value rocket? I have spent a lot of time researching trying to find the combination of conponents so that they work well and OC well without spending a lot of money on expensive memory or mobo. Just made my first attempt and system is running stable at 380 FSBX9 . . . . 3.42Ghz. Vcore is @ 1.36875V. I think I can get more. Sys temp @ 37c / Cpu temp @ 34c. That was a simple OC and I am sure it will go much higher if I add more expensive ram. But my goal was to build a sysytem around $800 that outperforms e6800 extreme - which I got to very easily. e6800 extreme runs just under 3 ghz - my e4300 is running close to 3.5 and will probably go up more. If you haven't bought your stuff yet, I strongly reccommend that you get
GA965P DS3, e4300, aftermarket cooling maybe, DDR2 800 ram, make sure you update mobo bios before starting anything. You will easily make 3.5ghz.

 

[sbuckler]

E6420 is the obvious choice for cheap but high performance (an E6400 with 4mb cache). E6300/E6320 are more likely to hit FSB limits in the chip (not the motherboard - there's nothing you can do) so you need to get pretty lucky for a very high overclock.

 

[DPOverLord]

Well,
I was considering getting a E4300 since the price seems so right and was not sure if it was worth spending another 70$ more for a E6400. Then as for the Mobo I was debating between the Infinity 975 and the Gigabyte... Its a hard choice which I am still having trouble making since they seem to both be great motherboards. As for ram how is the OCZ I listed at the top of my list?

BTW:
These were the chips I was considering going with:

http://shop1.outpost.com/product/4815800

 

[Jhatfie]

I am in a similar boat as you. About to move on from my opteron 146 at 3.0ghz and try my hand at Intel. Want to get in as cheap as possible while still getting maximum performance. The e4300 looks like a good stepping block for me as well, getting my feet wet will DDR2 and the intel platform. the extra 2MB cache of the upcoming E6420 (and existing 6600) would be nice but does not make a huge difference in lots of applications/games. If I can get 3.2-3.5ghz out of a e4300 I'd be very pleased. I could wait until this time next month for the price cuts, but I am pretty impatient, but I have waited a year with no upgrades when in the past I would get something new pretty much monthly.....lol.

Prolly going the e4300, Gigabyte DS3 and Gskill 2GBPk (DDR2 800 4-4-4)route myself.

 

[DPOverLord]

I am just questioning if I should wait for price cuts....

 

[DPOverLord]

Do you think the South Bridge needs the VC-RE? Or would it make more sense to just cool the north bridge and dont worry about the SB? On top of that I am looking at the ThermalRight Ultra-120 eXtreme for the CPU cooler now and am going to buy either the

Buffalo Firestix 2 GB
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16820150054
THE DDR sheet says they could be:
PC6400 Firestix

Use:
FSX800D2C-K2G
5.0-5-5-X @ 2.1V
Micron D9GMH (B6-3)
Elpida AG-6E-E (some)

or the

OCZ Platinum Revision 2
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16820227139
Us:
PC6400 EL Platinum Rev 2.0
4.0-4-4-15 @ 1.9 ~ 2.1V
ProMOS

They are the same price and it all depends on which company is the best I am still leaning OCZ due to there awesome service and that I have not used Buffalo before. They are potentially the Micron 9 though... What do you think?

 

[TeejayV]

i've got a couple questions myself....

does OCing a 4300 on a DS3 mean that i NEEEEEEEED to get pc800 ram? Cuz right now i've just got Kingston Value ram 2x1gb at ddr667. do i need to go and get better ram in hopes of getting a 3.0ghz stable OC?

also, do u know if the DS3 will support quadcore cpu's? i know i that if i get the e4300 tomorrow with a DS3.. i will want to upgrade to a q6600 in July when the price cuts come... if so, the e4300 will tide me till then.. if the DS3 supports quadcore cpu's.

third and finally, will i NEED an aftermarket cooler to achieve those kinds of OC's? (3.0ghz stable, nice temps). That is, if my RAM will even let me up that high. I'm not sure on it, but i can't afford new RAM atm. I can only afford a DS3 and the e4300. Please let me know! Thanks in advance.

 

[DPOverLord]

get it should be fine you can get the Quad core on it no problem in the future

 

[MarcVenice]

errr Teejay, your ram can be used, but you will need to use a divider if you're gonna OC, although your ram might be overclocked to ddr700, and let you run 1:1 at a fsb of 350, meaning a 3.150mgh OC. Although I dont see any reason not to get rid of the old ram, and get some 'cheaper' ddr-800, it really isn't all that expensive anymore, and will run 1:1 at a fsb of 400, meaning you can 3.6ghz with a 9 multiplier.

As for the OP, and perhaps digitizer, don't count on getting your e4300 in the mid 3ghz range. It's unrealistic, you're more likely to top at at low 3's or even at 3ghz. Still a very nice overclock in my opinion, but I think digitizer hit the jackpot with his e4300, because there aren't many ppl getting their e4300 up to 3.6ghz, and if they do they need some hardcore cooling coz it requires quite a bump in vcore, up to 1.5.

1 thing that could be interesting is the new M-0 stepping for the e4400, I posted about it a few days ago. The new stepping should be running cooler and should use less energy then current steppings, making it an even better candidate for overclockers. But it's expected around mid june, which means you have to wait a month

 

[TeejayV]

hey, if i wanted to get rid of my ddr667 and replace it with ddr 800 ram, would this be any good for OCing?

http://canadacomputers.com/index.php?do...wProduct&cmd=pd&pid=013889&cid=RAM.835

that's the one i'm looking to MAYBE get if it's any good for OCing, and it won't break my bank really.

Thanks again in advance.

 

[lopri]

Umm.. doubtful, TeejayV. Are your DDR667 sticks holding your OC? How high do they clock? It's so easy for manufacturers to brand same sticks with different specs.

Let's say there are two different sets of sticks with different ratings.

1. DDR2-667 / 5-5-5 / 1.8V
   DDR2-800 / 5-5-5 / 2.0V

It's an easy (and probably very accurate) guess the above two are the same things. Due to high demand and brand name-value, I don't think any of DDR2-800 offerings from Corsair and OCZ are made of Micron D9 chips. (except maybe 6400C3 which is ridiculously expensive) Most (all?) memory has certain amount of headroom so I have no doubt that your 667MHz sticks will do at least 800MHz. If you want higher memory speed that reaches 1000MHz and beyond, you'll have to look for Micron D9. And they can be had for ~$110 (USD) after rebates these days.

 

[TeejayV]

lopri thanks for clearing things up. I guess i'll have to order online for some nice Buffalo Firestix or something. i'm not sure which other sticks are made with Micron D9. Up in Canada good RAM is hard to find in a store... so online is really my only option.

I did end up purchasing a e4300 and a DS3 today with a arctic freezer pro 7 HSF and now i'm just waiting for RAM i guess. I think it will still boot up my Kingston value ram 667 memory, but i doubt i'm gonna hit 3.0ghz with this ram.

 

[lopri]

http://ramlist.infinityx.nl/ddr2/

Also of note is that every single stick from Crucial has Micron ICs. Anything above DDR2-667 should suit your need because these sticks scale with voltages very well. Of course with price differences being so small, looking after higher rated sticks wouldn't hurt. But I really think your Kingston sticks will work fine up to 800MHz unless you're looking to overclock memory with ratios other than 1:1.