New Q6600 PC Build

[BrianPotter]

9-28-07

System finished! I will be adding pics of the build soon.

I've been trying to tweak settings, etc. Still in the process of testing stability at different overclocks.

I just started using OCCT, can someone tell me how good this is? (I've noticed this takes my temps higher than OCCT at 100% load, yet OCCT seems a more realistic test of real world use. What do you guys think?)

What is the max safe vcore for a Q6600 G0 Chip? I have set my vcore up a bit to get stable in most cases.

I think I need to reseat my TR120, I feel like my temps are a bit high. I have it blowing air through the top 200mm fan in my Antec 900. I'm considering rotating it to blow air out through the back, but I've had others with similar setups tell me to blow it up through the top vent. Maybe I should lap it? I'm starting to consider lapping both my IHS and heatsink if I can't achieve a stable OC of around 3.4 at reasonable temps.



As it stands right now, I'm running at 3159 MHz (351.0 x 9.0) at 1.368 Vcore. Testing stable in OCCT with core temps of (59,59,55,55). However, with these same settings Prime95 produces an error when it reaches roughly 6 minutes in. I'm sure my chip would be stable in Prime95 if I bump up the Vcore another notch, but which program am I to trust in terms of stability?

My idle temps sit around 38 to 42 between all 4 cores in most cases. I have set my Vcore as high as 1.5, but I'm not sure I like running it that high.

I'm still getting used to Overclocking this machine and any advice would be helpful.


9-21-07

Well I got my stuff in from newegg today! I'm still waiting on my ClubIT stuff however . The FedEx page still shows that my stuff has been sitting in the same spot for the last 2 days, so I don't know what's up with that. The estimated delivery is Sept. 25 though.

Here are some pics:

Boxes!

Alright, so I'm really thinking about lapping my Thermalright Ultra 120 E, but I've read from some people that I should possibly wait till I see what my temps are unlapped first. What do you guys think? Here are some pics of my TR-U120:

One
Two
Three
Four

I can't wait to get my other stuff, still waiting on my Q6600, PSU, and case...



Parts have been ordered! Awaiting Arrival.

Final Shopping List:
Newegg:
DCM 1G|A-DATA SD SDC-1G0 R - Retail (Qty=1, Price=$12.99)
DVD BURN SAMSUNG|SH-S203B % - OEM (Qty=1, Price=$31.99)
FAN SCYTHE|S-FLEX SFF21F(1600rpM) R - Retail (Qty=2, Price=$27.98)
CPU THERMPASTE|ARCTIC SILVER5 3.5G% - OEM (Qty=1, Price=$5.99)
MB ASUS P5K-E/WIFI-AP P35 775 RT - Retail (Qty=1, Price=$154.99)
VGA EVGA 640-P2-N821-AR 8800GTS R - Retail (Qty=1, Price=$369.99)
MEM 1Gx2|CRUCIA BL2KIT12864AL804 R - Retail (Qty=1, Price=$132.49)
THERMALRIGHT|ULTRA-120 EXTREME - Retail (Qty=1, Price=$64.99)
DISCOUNT FOR COMBO #56082 GIFT (Qty=1, Price=$-12.99)

ClubIT:
ANTEC NINE HUNDRED 9 BAY MIDTOWER ATX NO
Item Number: CA1340022
Quantity: 1
Unit Price: $98.99
Ext. Price: $98.99

*CPU,INTEL C2Q Q6600 2.4 S775 SLACR RTL
Item Number: CA1938452
Quantity: 1
Unit Price: $275.99
Ext. Price: $275.99

CORSAIR CMPSU-620HX 620W MODULAR PWR SUP
Item Number: CA6200027
Quantity: 1
Unit Price: $139.99
Ext. Price: $139.99

I decided to go with the Asus P5K-E Motherboard after weighing all the options.


Original Post:
Alright, I know there's tons of these floating around this board, but it makes me feel more secure in my purchasing decisions to have others give me advice and offer suggestions, etc.

I've already posted this in a couple other sections of the Anand boards, but I've noticed that this board gets the most traffic.

My budget for my build started out at about $900, but it's now at $1300 . I told myself I wouldn't build a new PC till next year, but something called Bioshock came along and told me my current build sucks.

Anyways, after researching for a couple of weeks now I've come up with the following build:

CPU:
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 G0 Stepping Kentsfield 2.40GHz 8MB L2 LGA 775 Processor Retail BX80562Q6600 SLACR

Motherboard:
ABIT IP35 Pro LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail

OR

GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3P LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail

OR

GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS4 Rev. 2.0 LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail

Video Card:
EVGA 640-P2-N821-AR GeForce 8800GTS 640MB

Memory:
Crucial Ballistix Tracer 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail

Power Supply:
CORSAIR HX CMPSU-620HX 620W Active PFC NVIDIA SLI Certified Modular ATX Power Supply Retail

Case:
Antec Nine Hundred Black ATX Mid Tower Case Retail

Cooling:
Thermalright Ultra-120 Extreme CPU Cooler - Retail
With: Scythe S-FLEX SFF21F 120mm Case Fan - Retail

Other items on the shopping list:
SATA DVDRW Drive (I keep deciding on one and Newegg keeps selling out of the one I choose...)
Arctic Silver 5

Things I will be buying in another month or so:
20+ inch widescreen monitor
250GB WD Caviar HD to go with the one I have now and set up a Raid 0 config
2GB more of the same RAM listed above (Plan on running Vista x64)


It should be known that I am reaching for a 3.6GHz overclock. It should also be known that I have never attempted to OC a PC this far. I've gotten my current build up to 2.3 GHz (2.0 GHz Athlon 64 3000+ Newcastle on stock cooler). I'm making this thread and will be updating it with pics of my build process once I get my parts and such just for the hell of it. This is the most I've spent on a single PC, so I'm being extremely cautious about the quality of the parts that I'm buying.

Currently I'm a Senior in College and I tend to have too much stuff running at once on my PC so I'm looking forward to building a machine that can multi-task well. Photoshop, Maya, 3D Studio Max are amongst the many types of software that I work with. I typically have about 6-7 programs running most of the time whilst working. Oh yeah, and I also play the occasional game . In fact this machine is being built to help my productivity while making games. I know this is probably TMI, but I figured I'd give you guys a profile of how my machine is being used.

Now for the questions:

1. I currently have two S-FLEX fans on my order since it's cheaper to buy two than one, should I stick the 2nd fan on the TR U-120? If so, how do I go about attaching a 2nd fan? If it's not worth it to attach a 2nd fan, then are there any better fans out there in the same price range from newegg? I hear good things about the Silverstone fans.

2. I have read about a vdroop problem regarding the Abit IP35 Pro board when coupled with Quad cores. Is this a real PIA? Is it simple to overcome? Sorry, I'm a bit of a noob when it comes to this subject. If it is that much of a problem then I will most likely go with the Gigabyte DS3P or settle on the DS3R and get a firewire card (I'd prefer not to). Newegg has been out of stock on the DS3P for the last week or so now and I'd like to order this week because of the rebates on the items I'm buying.

3. Is it better for airflow to direct the Thermalright Ultra-120 towards the top of my case because the Antec 900 has a huge fan on the top (heat rises)? Or should I stick with it blowing out the back of the case to provide continuous airflow from the front to back of the case? Does the Abit IP35 Pro northbridge heatsink obstruct the TR U-120 any?

That's about it for right now. Like I said before, I will be keeping this thread up to date with the status of my build just for the hell of it.

Thanks guys.

 

[Si1v3r]

I very well could be way out of date with this but last I checked, nVidia video cards didn't work too well with games on Vista because of driver support. If I am wrong please correct me.

 

[BrianPotter]

If it's that much of a problem to run games in vista with that card I plan on dual booting with XP anyway just to ensure compatibility. I can just run my games in XP, not much of a problem.

 

[Yanagi]

NO problems here. Running an 8800GTX with Vista 32bit ultimate.

As you will run Vista X64 I cannot comment on that one. Will pop in x64 next summer when I get rid of my WLAN card which has no x64 drivers.

 

[XBoxLPU]

4Gb of Memory?

 

[james1701]

Drivers have matured for Vista now. Many people are starting to get better results in 3dmark06 with Vista instead of XP now. I have a Q6600 with the 120 Extreme cooler. It does a fantastic job. I am using an Antec fan on mine. I face it up, so that the big fan on top acts as a push pull set up. With all fans on high, my temps are 32C idle, and 47C max load. Just make sure you dust out your case once a month or it gets to be a real mess inside. If you plan on using the case door fan, you are going to have to trim the ears off from it. The Extreme sticks up high enough that it will hit the door fan.

 

[BrianPotter]

Good to hear. I'll just have to make a habit of cleaning out my case once a month. I'm not going to use a fan on the door so that won't be a problem for me, I've heard problems with the TR U-120 sticking out too far.

I think I may go ahead and order my parts today, but I'm still a bit wary about the Abit board. Can anyone comment on this vdroop problem I've been hearing about?

 

[ChronoReverse]

Vdroop is the difference between the nominal voltage at idle and the voltage under load. For example, if my CPU is at 1.275V normally, it might be 1.250V when under load.

This causes problems with overclocking because you lose voltage when you need it most for overclocking.


I know of a pencil mod for Asus boards to eliminate or even reverse vdroop but I don't know about other brands.

In the case of my DS3P, I seem to have very slight vdroop in comparison to what people are getting on other motherboards (including boards like the DS3R).

 

[dflynchimp]

@BrianPotter

if you have spot for another 120mm fan on the back of your case, it would be a good idea to put one of the fan's there, so that the air flowing through the TR U-120 is sucked out of the case, instead of being partially defected by the grill on the back.

Also, a word about overclocking if you choose the Gigabyte motherboard. They conveniently designed it so that if you set the Voltage control on 'Auto' the motherboard actually does a very good job of increasing the voltage to keep up with your cpu needs. Manual adjustments is less refined on those boards (I have a DS3L) and it's hard to account for Vdroop manually. Just let the board handle it.

Also, 3.6GHz is a little optimistic. While it's the ideal overclock (looks really pretty on paper), I doubt many have reached it, even OCing on the TR U-120. I settled for 8 x 400 (3.2GHz) on my rig, which is plenty fast. Also, These Intel q6XXX chips seem to have trouble getting beyond the 400MHz fsb limit...could be that my chip is an engineering sample (B0 stepping...yeah, definitely not a retail chip)

 

[BrianPotter]

Well, I really don't see a very good place to mount a second 120mm fan on the back of the case, but I will have that additional Scythe fan to work with. I realize that 3.6GHz is pretty high, but it is what I'm shooting for. However, I would be happy reaching 3.2 at the very least while running cool and stable.

From what I've been reading now about the vdroop problem on the Abit board I may go ahead with the Gigabyte. However, Newegg hasn't had the board I want in stock for about a week now and I really can't wait much longer due to the rebates on some of these items I'm buying.

Looking on newegg I found a new Gigabyte board listed (GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS4 Rev. 2.0). Can anyone recommend this board, or do they know if it's comparable to the DQ6 board? Right now this is looking like a good choice for me. Also, from what I've read on the newegg reviews, it seems like they listed the wrong image, which is not revision 2.0, so I'm unsure about the whole thing. If someone could shed some light on this it would be very helpful.

EDIT: Update - Looks like I'll be going with the DS4 at this point since it seems like a cheaper alternative to the DS6, unless someone can mention some strange quirks with this board? I've read about people having "cold boot" problems with Gigabyte boards in general though. Anyways, I'm just wondering if anyone knows anything specific about this revision 2.0 of the DS4 board.

 

[StriperMike]

Have you looked at the Asus P5K-E? Ive been using it with a Q6600 and have been running at 3ghz stable using air. I'm pretty happy with it.

 

[BrianPotter]

Actually, I was considering that board for a bit. I decided against it for some reason that I now cannot remember. At this point though I've heard so many good things about the Gigabyte boards and overclocking quads I don't think I can go with another manufacturer unless someone can convince me otherwise. Anyways, I'd like to order my parts tomorrow, so I need to figure out if the DS4 is the board for me.

I've read in a couple places that the DS4 hasn't been available in the USA until now it seems. That would explain why I can't find too much about it.

 

[StriperMike]

Im a little biased towards Asus as I have used them for years but I did consider all P35 mobos. I have you seen this review?

http://www.techspot.com/articl...5-motherboard-roundup/

 

[bfdd]

Originally posted by: Si1v3r
I very well could be way out of date with this but last I checked, nVidia video cards didn't work too well with games on Vista because of driver support. If I am wrong please correct me.

I have no problems running games anymore with the more recent drivers. Bioshock runs flawlessly as does Fury beta.

 

[zero2dash]

Originally posted by: StriperMike
Im a little biased towards Asus as I have used them for years but I did consider all P35 mobos. I have you seen this review?

http://www.techspot.com/articl...5-motherboard-roundup/

Wow, great review - thanks for the link.
I just decided to get the P5K-E instead of the DS3R or DS4 based off that article.

 

[BrianPotter]

Thanks for posting that review, I have seen it before and read through it a couple times now. The only thing about this review is that they're using a dual core, and it's somewhat difficult to gauge quad core OC'ing performance on the same board. Much of my decision on the motherboard comes from what I've seen of user results on these forums when it comes to using Gigabyte boards with the Q6600 specifically.

I've pretty much made my decision on the DS4 at this point though and I'm about to go ahead and order my parts.

 

[zero2dash]

I've decided to get the P5K-E over the DS4 (or the cheaper DS3R) because it has everything the DS4 has, plus WiFi and eSATA AND it's $30 cheaper.

[sold]

 

[BrianPotter]

Well I just ordered my parts from ClubIT, but not yet from newegg, simply because I cannot decide on a damn motherboard. I'm seriously considering the P5K-E again now ...

I may go ahead, since it saves me like $30 and has all the features, and I'm a little worried about the cold-boot issue I've seen around regarding Gigabyte boards.

 

[StriperMike]

I dont think you will go wrong with either board. Its comes down to what you need. All I can say is I have ran in to no issues thus far with the P5K-E. It overclocks like a champ, has more bang for the buck and is a solid board.

 

[BrianPotter]

Thanks. Yeah I'm going to get the Asus P5K-E instead. Thanks for the help. I was considering this board at first a while ago, changed my mind for some reason that I now cannot remember, so I'm pretty happy with this decision. Ordering my newegg parts right now!

 

[StriperMike]

Sweeeet! Now you have to wait for delivery. Oh how that sucks.

 

[BrianPotter]

Edit: Nevermind still went with the 800 sticks. Would be a waste since I'm only shooting for a FSB of 400 anyways (to achieve a speed of 3.6 GHz..hopefully)...

 

[BrianPotter]

Post moved to top of thread.

 

[Markfw]

Well, all I can say, is I am VERY happy with my DQ6. Not cheap, but worth every penny. 3.5 and 55c full load all cores.

 

[BrianPotter]

Still would like to have some people let me know if I should lap my TRU120.