What's the hottest overclocking P4 C series chip right now?

[HardWired]

I have a mutivid Malay SL6S2 P4 2.53b running stable at 3.3GHZ on a Asus P4PE that I thought use to upgrade my wifes old P3 933 system. I'm looking to get a P4 C series (800 MHz. fsb) chip with some new ram to running dual DDR and a new mobo.

I'm an Intel guy that has no intention of going AMD.

By the way...I have a Antec TrueControl 550 on the way and she gets my TruePower 330 once I get together everything I want.

Are there some hot o'cing "C" chips out there now like the multivids were several months ago that'll get me to the 3.3GHz. I'm currently at? I've been out of the o'cing loop since I built my rig a few months back and have been satisfied with it, but the wife now has a need for speed so I thought I'd give her mine and get the latest greatest in the Intel o'c scene.

Any suggestions?

 

[Acanthus]

the 2.4C and 2.6C are very popular right now for OCing, they generally reach 3ghz+ and are at a great pricepoint.

 

[HardWired]

As you can see in my original post, I have a 2.53b at 3.3. Is it worth it to go to a "C" series P4? Will that and running dual DDR on a Asus P4C800-E Deluxe give me a substantial performance increase?

I know my wife will love my current rig to replace her P3 933 dinosaur, but will I notice the difference going to the "C" chip with dual DDR and a new mobo?

 

[SpeedFreak03]

Since it will be an upgrade for your wife also, I think it is worth it. I doubt you will see much difference with your machine, but for your wife it should be great (P3 933 to P4 3.3GHz). I am also going from a P3 500MHz to a P4 2.6c. Check out this thread I started (scroll down till they start talking about o/cing): P4 Thread (AT Forums). It sounds like people hit 3.25GHz with stock voltage and retail HSF! So I'm sure with a better HSF (maybe even with the stock one), you can hit 3.3 again. BTW, I'm going with the Abit IS7, P4 2.6c, and 1 stick of Buffalo PC3700 512MB DDR, and I'm told I should be able to hit 3.25GHz. So good luck!

 

[1966]

Originally posted by: SpeedFreak03
BTW, I'm going with the Abit IS7, P4 2.6c, and 1 stick of Buffalo PC3700 512MB DDR, and I'm told I should be able to hit 3.25GHz. So good luck!

Speedfreak03, you might want to rethink your ram,to run in dual channel you need 2 sticks of ram.if you only get 1 stick your are going to cripple that system by running in single channel mode. :disgust:

 

[FPSguy]

Originally posted by: 1966

Originally posted by: SpeedFreak03 BTW, I'm going with the Abit IS7, P4 2.6c, and 1 stick of Buffalo PC3700 512MB DDR, and I'm told I should be able to hit 3.25GHz. So good luck!

Speedfreak03, you might want to rethink your ram,to run in dual channel you need 2 sticks of ram.if you only get 1 stick your are going to cripple that system by running in single channel mode. :disgust:

Amen. Also, check out this thread on the ABit forums and be sure you get RAM that is known to overclock well with the ABit boards. I have heard mixed reports about Buffalo RAM but I think the Buffalo PC3700 should be fine. People seem to like the Mushkin memory a lot too.

 

[HardWired]

I've had some great luck with Asus boards lately and the Asus P4C800-E Deluxe looks like a real beauty. Can someone tell me the difference between the P4C800-E Deluxe and the P4P800 Deluxe. I'm reading back and forth on their site and can't see what it is. Maybe it's still too early in the morning for me.

Also, what dual ram setup has been known to work well with the new Asus boards. Corsair? OCZ? Kingston? Is there another good brand I'm forgetting/missing?

Thx!

 

[FPSguy]

Originally posted by: HardWired
I've had some great luck with Asus boards lately and the Asus P4C800-E Deluxe looks like a real beauty. Can someone tell me the difference between the P4C800-E Deluxe and the P4P800 Deluxe. I'm reading back and forth on their site and can't see what it is. Maybe it's still too early in the morning for me. Also, what dual ram setup has been known to work well with the new Asus boards. Corsair? OCZ? Kingston? Is there another good brand I'm forgetting/missing? Thx!

I don't know which memory works well with Asus boards, but one good brand you left out is Mushkin.

Also, consider a 2.6C instead of a 2.4C. The 2.6C is now cheaper than the 2.4C at Newegg, and, according to Overclockers.com, the 2.6C overclocks higher, on average, than the 2.4C. Plus, you don't need as fast RAM to overclock the 2.6C.

 

[lordtyranus2]

definitely go 2.6. Pricewatch lists a $11 difference between the 2.

 

[tallman45]

Originally posted by: HardWired
I've had some great luck with Asus boards lately and the Asus P4C800-E Deluxe looks like a real beauty. Can someone tell me the difference between the P4C800-E Deluxe and the P4P800 Deluxe. I'm reading back and forth on their site and can't see what it is. Maybe it's still too early in the morning for me.

Also, what dual ram setup has been known to work well with the new Asus boards. Corsair? OCZ? Kingston? Is there another good brand I'm forgetting/missing?

Thx!

The P4P is based on the 865 , the P4C on the 875

 

[jiffylube1024]

Originally posted by: HardWired
As you can see in my original post, I have a 2.53b at 3.3. Is it worth it to go to a "C" series P4? Will that and running dual DDR on a Asus P4C800-E Deluxe give me a substantial performance increase?

I know my wife will love my current rig to replace her P3 933 dinosaur, but will I notice the difference going to the "C" chip with dual DDR and a new mobo?

I think Hyperthreading alone is definately worth the price of admssion, and the high FSB's and memory speeds will definately make it a better performer than even a P4 2.53 @ 3.3.

 

[stardust]

2.6!! Check profile! When I first got the CPU, it did 260fsb without a voltage increment and I knew this was a special chip. With voltage upped to 1.6V (1.65V because of ASUS overvolting), and new OCZ PC4000 DC GOLD memory, my system boot to windows and successfully ran 3dmark and other game benchmarks without a hitch. I am keeping it at a 260fsb rite now because I'm scared something may happen to the cpu if i kept it at 265fsb on air for too long. Im waiting for a H2O kit before I continue.

 

[HardWired]

Okay, so where is my best chance of getting the 2.6c SL6WH stepping online. NewEgg or Zipzoomfly?

Or is there another source I'm missing? At the best price of course

 

[lordtyranus2]

Why exactly do you want that stepping? newegg has the cheapest 2.6C at $175. jump on it.

 

[HardWired]

Well..if you go to this link:

http://www.cpudatabase.com/CPUdb/

and under the drop down box "Select CPU Type", and choose the "Pentium 4 2.6C 800 FSB", you'll see that all those overclocked CPU's are in fact SL6WH.

I don't know, maybe that is the only stepping the 2.6C comes in, but when I bought my 2.53B, it was very important that I get a SL6S2 because that was the specific stepping at that time (they were OEM's only) that was doing well over 3 GHz. quite easily at default voltage.

There was a guy today in the FS/FT that wanted $179 shipped for a 2.4C that was o'cing in the 3.5 range, and someone paid him that price for it. So it doesn't sound like all C series chips are o'cing as well as others, but that SL6WH does look to be doing quite well from whats posted at the link above.

 

[Sunny129]

Originally posted by: jiffylube1024

Originally posted by: HardWired
As you can see in my original post, I have a 2.53b at 3.3. Is it worth it to go to a "C" series P4? Will that and running dual DDR on a Asus P4C800-E Deluxe give me a substantial performance increase?

I know my wife will love my current rig to replace her P3 933 dinosaur, but will I notice the difference going to the "C" chip with dual DDR and a new mobo?

I think Hyperthreading alone is definately worth the price of admssion, and the high FSB's and memory speeds will definately make it a better performer than even a P4 2.53 @ 3.3.

yeah...exactly what jiffylube said. if you can get a 2.6C or 2.8C to 3.3GHz, it would perform significantly better than a 2.53B @ 3.3GHz. even a 2.4C OCed to 3.0GHz, w/ hyperthreading, dual channel DDR, and a faster fsb would probably be as good, if not better than the 2.53 @ 3.3GHz.

 

[stardust]

My 2.6C is SL6WH =D

edit: i purchased mines at newegg

 

[Vonkhan]

2.6c is u're on a budget

2.8c if u wanna hit high

 

[jiffylube1024]

Originally posted by: Vonkhan
2.6c is u're on a budget

2.8c if u wanna hit high

2.8C if you want to spend considerably more money for a potential 0-150MHz extra (it's all a crapshoot really).

Edit: if you are willing to spend to get the 2.8C, you may as well get the 2.6C and buy a *really* nice HSF for it.

 

[waytoomuchcoffee]

Originally posted by: jiffylube1024

2.8C if you want to spend considerably more money for a potential 0-150MHz extra (it's all a crapshoot really).

Edit: if you are willing to spend to get the 2.8C, you may as well get the 2.6C and buy a *really* nice HSF for it.

Um, the 2.8c is $213 at newegg. It's only $38 more than the 2.6c. That may be "considerably" more money to you, to me it's worth the potentially higher o/c, and the insurance in case I get a dud.

 

[HardWired]

I have a 2.6C on the way from NewEgg and I already have a really nice HSF on my 2.53B (see my rig link) so I'm looking forward to o'cing the living s*#t out of it. I have a 512 set of OCZ PC4000 EL Gold coming as well, along with a TrueControl 550W, so now all I need is the mobo to run it.

I was thinking instead of an Asus, I'd go with a Abit IC7-G. It gets rave reviews on all over for its overclockability. I see them listed in Max II and Max III flavors. Can someone fill me in on that? Just more on-board goodies I imagine. I thought I found a refurbed one for $125 but I guess not. Anyone know where to get the IC7-G at a descent price? Or maybe a good second and/or third choice for o'cing the P4 800's?

Thanks for the input guy/gals.

 

[Sunny129]

Originally posted by: waytoomuchcoffee

Originally posted by: jiffylube1024

2.8C if you want to spend considerably more money for a potential 0-150MHz extra (it's all a crapshoot really).

Edit: if you are willing to spend to get the 2.8C, you may as well get the 2.6C and buy a *really* nice HSF for it.

Um, the 2.8c is $213 at newegg. It's only $38 more than the 2.6c. That may be "considerably" more money to you, to me it's worth the potentially higher o/c, and the insurance in case I get a dud.

the ket words there are potentially higher o/c. the 2.4C has proven to be the best P4C OCer thus far. i think what jiffylube has to say makes alot of sense. if you go with the 2.4C or 2.6C (roughly the same price @ newegg right now), the $38 you save can be spent on a Zalman CNPS7000 AlCu hsf, which will take the higher o/c potential you speak of and add it to the 2.4C or 2.6C you use it with. personally i think the higher o/c potential lies w/ the 2.4C or 2.6C and a nice hsf over the 2.8C w/ a stock hsf.

then again, if you're convinced that the 2.8C will have the same headroom for OCing that the 2.4C does and you get lucky w/ one, then of course it will OC to higher speeds than the 2.4C...but it is a long shot. if money isn't an object, then get the 2.8C AND a nice hsf. even when money isn't an object though, its still hard to resist the retail 2.6C for $175 on sale @ newegg until 11:30 tonight.

 

[Corporate Thug]

Originally posted by: Sunny129

Originally posted by: waytoomuchcoffee

Originally posted by: jiffylube1024

2.8C if you want to spend considerably more money for a potential 0-150MHz extra (it's all a crapshoot really).

Edit: if you are willing to spend to get the 2.8C, you may as well get the 2.6C and buy a *really* nice HSF for it.

Um, the 2.8c is $213 at newegg. It's only $38 more than the 2.6c. That may be "considerably" more money to you, to me it's worth the potentially higher o/c, and the insurance in case I get a dud.

the ket words there are potentially higher o/c. the 2.4C has proven to be the best P4C OCer thus far. i think what jiffylube has to say makes alot of sense. if you go with the 2.4C or 2.6C (roughly the same price @ newegg right now), the $38 you save can be spent on a Zalman CNPS7000 AlCu hsf, which will take the higher o/c potential you speak of and add it to the 2.4C or 2.6C you use it with. personally i think the higher o/c potential lies w/ the 2.4C or 2.6C and a nice hsf over the 2.8C w/ a stock hsf.


then again, if you're convinced that the 2.8C will have the same headroom for OCing that the 2.4C does and you get lucky w/ one, then of course it will OC to higher speeds than the 2.4C...but it is a long shot. if money isn't an object, then get the 2.8C AND a nice hsf. even when money isn't an object though, its still hard to resist the retail 2.6C for $175 on sale @ newegg until 11:30 tonight.

according to the cpu data base @ overclockers.com, the 2.6C does the best, followed by the 2.8C, and 2.4C is last. i'm talking about actually speed here, not mhz gained from stock


i went for the 2.8C just in case i got a dud, i would still be happy with stock performance cuz even a 2.8ghz dud should easily get you to 3.0

 

[HardWired]

Sunny129 and jiffylube1024...you both have some great points to consider. I've already purchased the 2.6C so that point is moot for me now.
Maybe you can lend a hand in my decision on a mobo purchase for my soon-to-be o'ced system.

Tom's rates the MSI Neo2 w/ the 865PE chipset as one of the best out there. Is it really a great o'cer board or just a good board in general? I've decided I don't want to go the $170+ for the high end Abit or Asus, but I do want a good board with stable o'cs.

I think I've narrowed it down to either the MSI Neo2 (it would be my first MSI board) or the Abit IS7. They both seem to be quality boards and are more within my price range after blowing the big bucks on my ram and the Antec TC550W. And more importantly, they both have the components I'm looking for in a mobo, while staying in the sub-$150 price range...with the IS7 being the least expensive of the two.

I really don't need all the bells and whistles that come with the AsusP4C800 boards or the Abit IC7-G boards. The IS7 seems to offer enough of what I'm looking for in a board for my needs, while the MSI Neo2 takes a majority of the benchies in Tom's 24 board showdown.

Which do I choose? Do I throw a dart? Flip a coin? UGH!!

I think I'll go pose this in the Motherboards forum and see what kind of opinions I get. It may have been better to pose the question over there to begin with, but then again...overclocking is my main goal with this setup.

 

[Spicedaddy]

I'd definitely go for the IS7 over the MSI.