Upgrading Gaming Computer

[IVIYTH0S]

Yeah I know mate, but all I know now is that it's Asus P5Q 1600MHz FSB, and that ain't helping much.. When I get home (Sunday) I'll just check the box and see what it can handle

But try to answer my question regarding the 1200Mhz RAM sticks

Well the 1066mhz sticks aren't "better" they are just like half the price and the performance difference between the two is SO very minimal (you wouldn't be able to tell the difference between 800mhz and 1200mhz while using your computer, assuming the timings weren't like 9 or something), unless the memory speed would hold back a CPU overclock which is highly doubtful without extreme cooling. 1066mhz would be plenty.

[Brutality]

Well the 1066mhz sticks aren't "better" they are just like half the price and the performance difference between the two is SO very minimal (you wouldn't be able to tell the difference between 800mhz and 1200mhz while using your computer, assuming the timings weren't like 9 or something), unless the memory speed would hold back a CPU overclock which is highly doubtful without extreme cooling. 1066mhz would be plenty.

Hmm, okay. But if I can't feel difference between 800MHz and 1200MHz, why should I get 1066Mhz? xD

Sorry for all the hassle, I just wanna be 100% sure before making a purchase

 

PS. Should I get the Noctua NH-D14 cooler, how much do you reckon I could OC my E8500?

 

EDIT:

BTW. There is still one thing that puzzles me (Copy-catted the question from eariler post)

 

I was looking at motherboards and wanted to see if I could get one with two PCI Express 2.0 x16 slots and found this:

ASUS Sabertooth 55i

...

PCI Express 2.0 x16: 2x ... CrossFireX: x8, x8 mode; SLI: x8, x8 mode; single card: x16 mode

 

What's best? one card at x16 mode, or two cards at x8 mode?

Edited November 5, 2010 by Brutality

[dihartnell]

Hmm, okay. But if I can't feel difference between 800MHz and 1200MHz, why should I get 1066Mhz? xD

Sorry for all the hassle, I just wanna be 100% sure before making a purchase

 

PS. Should I get the Noctua NH-D14 cooler, how much do you reckon I could OC my E8500?

 

EDIT:

BTW. There is still one thing that puzzles me (Copy-catted the question from eariler post)

 

I was looking at motherboards and wanted to see if I could get one with two PCI Express 2.0 x16 slots and found this:

ASUS Sabertooth 55i

...

PCI Express 2.0 x16: 2x ... CrossFireX: x8, x8 mode; SLI: x8, x8 mode; single card: x16 mode

 

What's best? one card at x16 mode, or two cards at x8 mode?

 

2 cards at x8 makes little diff than 2 cards at x16. <2% performance hit if that. Each rig is a little different but I would expect to get around 4.2GHz or even a bit more with your mobo/cpu and a d14.

[IVIYTH0S]

Hmm, okay. But if I can't feel difference between 800MHz and 1200MHz, why should I get 1066Mhz? xD

Sorry for all the hassle, I just wanna be 100% sure before making a purchase

 

PS. Should I get the Noctua NH-D14 cooler, how much do you reckon I could OC my E8500?

 

EDIT:

BTW. There is still one thing that puzzles me (Copy-catted the question from eariler post)

 

I was looking at motherboards and wanted to see if I could get one with two PCI Express 2.0 x16 slots and found this:

ASUS Sabertooth 55i

...

PCI Express 2.0 x16: 2x ... CrossFireX: x8, x8 mode; SLI: x8, x8 mode; single card: x16 mode

 

What's best? one card at x16 mode, or two cards at x8 mode?

It varies chip to chip but I recommended the 1066mhz sticks because they aren't a huge price increase from 800mhz of the same flavor but will allow your chip overclock further....

I mean assuming the 800mhz sticks are bad overclockers (a wise thing to consider), your max overclock would be 3.8ghz, and would really ruin the point of getting the D14.

The 1066mhz however could get you to 5.08ghz (assuming you weren't limited by temperatures, which you most likely will be for the voltage it'd take to get that high).

 

I'd try and get a P55 with both Crossfire and SLI capability.

navigating that site to the best of my ability, this is what I liked http://www.edbpriser.dk/Product/Details.aspx?pid=768986

[Nyt]

2 cards at x8 makes little diff than 2 cards at x16.

The only thing that uses the bandwidth of 2 cards at 16x is dual 5970's and I doubt many people will run that.

[IVIYTH0S]

The only thing that uses the bandwidth of 2 cards at 16x is dual 5970's and I doubt many people will run that.

that'll be the least of their worries, quad fire scaling FTL

[Brutality]

Okay thanks alot guys but >_<

 

When I went to sleep yesterday, during the time trying to fall asleep, more questions arised in my head;

 

1.

Shouldn't I get some good thermal paste - there might be some included with the aftermarket cooler, but according to Crazy_Nate (http://forums.overclockersclub.com/index.php?showtopic=155400) it's best to get something like AS5 or Ceramique. I don't know how old this thread is, so maybe some newer or better TIM has been developed. What do you guys think? Best TIM?

EDIT:

The guy in this video (

) reviews the Noctua NH-D14 and he says their thermal paste is the best in the world xD

 

2.

I also read in that thread that I should use alcohol to remove the old TIM, when replacing coolers. What kind of alcohol? xD

EDIT3:

Uhm... actually can't find where he said that... must've been somewhere else I read that

 

3.

I actually asked this question before but never really got it answered

Why are the colours on the RAM slots different, like yellow-black-yellow-black

Does this mean you gotta put them in the same colour slot for dual channel, or can you have them in the first 2 slots?

Does this mean that getting 4x2GB is worse than 2x4GB, because of the "dual-channel" effect? What is the dual-channel effect? Have I misunderstood something?

Is 4GB enough anyways? or should I get 8GB?

 

Here is the list again:

 

DDR3:

 

1600MHz (PC3-12800):

4x2GB CL6

http://www.edbpriser.dk/Product/Details.aspx?pid=4181464

2x4GB CL7

http://www.edbpriser.dk/Product/Details.aspx?pid=4316596

 

1333MHz (PC3-10666):

4x2GB CL7

http://www.edbpriser.dk/Product/Details.aspx?pid=655115

2x4GB CL9

http://www.edbpriser.dk/Product/Details.aspx?pid=4186350

 

 

DDR2:

 

800MHz (PC2-6400)

4x2GB CL4

http://www.edbpriser.dk/Product/Details.aspx?pid=373740

2x4GB CL5

http://www.edbpriser.dk/Product/Details.aspx?pid=468984

 

1066MHz (PC2-8500)

4x2GB CL5

http://www.edbpriser.dk/Product/Details.aspx?pid=441794

 

 

PS. Does removing the side of the case improve cooling? even though the side has a small fan?

 

EDIT4:

I may have found the answer to this question, but I am unsure because it says:

How can temperature be lowered more?

...

Removing the side panels of the case

 

Is side panels the same as the side of the computer? You know that, usually, transparent side of the computer?

But does this apply when you've got a small fan in the side? What i mean is; doesn't the fan help cooling?

http://www.overclockersclub.com/pages/overclock_faq/

 

EDIT2:

 

What about DDR3 RAM? What if, when I get home, I discover that my MB supports DDR3 - If you're saying it's not worth going over 1066MHz DDR2, how about DDR3?

 

Also; Will I need a bigger PSU when I start overclocking? (see sig for specs)

 

Argh, I am so sorry for big wall of questions =(

Edited November 6, 2010 by Brutality

[Brutality]

Sorry for asking all these questions - I'm just getting nervous because I want it ready before Friday (University LAN party)

 

If you can't be bothered answering but know somewhere where I might read the answers please just post a link I'll be happy

 

Cheers Brutality

[Nyt]

Okay thanks alot guys but >_

 

When I went to sleep yesterday, during the time trying to fall asleep, more questions arised in my head;

 

1.

Shouldn't I get some good thermal paste - there might be some included with the aftermarket cooler, but according to Crazy_Nate (http://forums.overclockersclub.com/index.php?showtopic=155400) it's best to get something like AS5 or Ceramique. I don't know how old this thread is, so maybe some newer or better TIM has been developed. What do you guys think? Best TIM?

EDIT:

The guy in this video (

) reviews the Noctua NH-D14 and he says their thermal paste is the best in the world xD

 

2.

I also read in that thread that I should use alcohol to remove the old TIM, when replacing coolers. What kind of alcohol? xD

EDIT3:

Uhm... actually can't find where he said that... must've been somewhere else I read that

 

3.

I actually asked this question before but never really got it answered

Why are the colours on the RAM slots different, like yellow-black-yellow-black

Does this mean you gotta put them in the same colour slot for dual channel, or can you have them in the first 2 slots?

Does this mean that getting 4x2GB is worse than 2x4GB, because of the "dual-channel" effect? What is the dual-channel effect? Have I misunderstood something?

 

PS. Does removing the side of the case improve cooling? even though the side has a small fan?

EDIT4:

I may have found the answer to this question, but I am unsure because it says:

How can temperature be lowered more?

...

Removing the side panels of the case

 

Is side panels the same as the side of the computer? You know that, usually, transparent side of the computer?

But does this apply when you've got a small fan in the side? What i mean is; doesn't the fan help cooling?

http://www.overclockersclub.com/pages/overclock_faq/

 

EDIT2:

 

What about DDR3 RAM? What if, when I get home, I discover that my MB supports DDR3 - If you're saying it's not worth going over 1066MHz DDR2, how about DDR3?

 

Also; Will I need a bigger PSU when I start overclocking? (see sig for specs)

 

1. Thermal pastes vary within 1-2 degrees celsius . Normally just use the stock paste as the temps will not see much of a drop. Some even go up after changing.

 

2. When I cleaned my old thermal paste off , I used some surgical spirits to get the paste off and that worked perfectly but most people use rubbing alcohol.

 

3.The colours are in pairs because the manufacturers state in the manual (well mine did) that you must use the pair of a certain colour (mine said red) for the best overclocking potential.

When you fill all the ram slots , then nearly all the voltage from the slots are being drawn and you would receive less overclocking potential than if you filled only half. I havnt heard much about a "dual channel" effect but only that the 2x4gb would be better for ocing the ram.

 

4. The side panel is the panel on the side which faces the motherboard and not the panel behind the motherboard. Normaly , taking the side panel off will decrease the temps because the hot air can escape and the cold air from around the case will flow into it naturally .I would take the panel off seeing you only have a small side fan . But if you are like me and mount the side with 4x120mm 2000rpm fans then you wont see temp drops. The fan does help cooling but with the side panel off , more hot air can rise out the case and cold air can flow in as the hot air rises out.

 

5. DDR3 ram is better because of the higher bandwidth and frequency . If you want DDR3 ram then there is no negative effects of getting it. Just make sure the motherboard supports it.

 

6. No you will not need a bigger psu.

Im running a highly oc'ed 5970 and 6 core at 4ghz on a 850 watt psu so a 750 watt will have no problem powering a single 5870 (even heavily oc'ed) and a heavily oc'ed duo.

 

Hope I could answer your questions .

Edited November 6, 2010 by Nyt Ryda

[Brutality]

1. Thermal pastes vary within 1-2 degrees celsius . Normally just use the stock paste as the temps will not see much of a drop. Some even go up after changing.

 

2. When I cleaned my old thermal paste off , I used some surgical spirits to get the paste off and that worked perfectly but most people use rubbing alcohol.

 

3.The colours are in pairs because the manufacturers state in the manual (well mine did) that you must use the pair of a certain colour (mine said red) for the best overclocking potential.

When you fill all the ram slots , then nearly all the voltage from the slots are being drawn and you would receive less overclocking potential than if you filled only half. I havnt heard much about a "dual channel" effect but only that the 2x4gb would be better for ocing the ram.

 

4. The side panel is the panel on the side which faces the motherboard and not the panel behind the motherboard. Normaly , taking the side panel off will decrease the temps because the hot air can escape and the cold air from around the case will flow into it naturally .I would take the panel off seeing you only have a small side fan . But if you are like me and mount the side with 4x120mm 2000rpm fans then you wont see temp drops. The fan does help cooling but with the side panel off , more hot air can rise out the case and cold air can flow in as the hot air rises out.

 

5. DDR3 ram is better because of the higher bandwidth and frequency . If you want DDR3 ram then there is no negative effects of getting it. Just make sure the motherboard supports it.

 

6. No you will not need a bigger psu.

Im running a highly oc'ed 5970 and 6 core at 4ghz on a 850 watt psu so a 750 watt will have no problem powering a single 5870 (even heavily oc'ed) and a heavily oc'ed duo.

 

Hope I could answer your questions .

 

Thank you SO MUCH!!

 

Hehe, I was just wondering about the side panels, because I actually doubt that huge cooler can fit in my case with the side panel on hehe, but yeah, now I'm ready to buy stuff XD

 

First thing I'll do when I get the hardware is go through Crazy_Nate's system builder guide - but is there a guide somewhere (I tried to look) for overclocking?

[Nyt]

Heres a pic of the airflow when a case is open (with arrows)

 

 

If you need help overclocking then post a thread and we'll help you. All it takes is disabling all power saving features and turbo boosts etc , a raise of fsb (start in small increments), raising voltages (not too much and sometimes its not even necessary) and dropping the memory multiplier to get the ram to run in its rated frequency (and good cooling). We'll help you through the process and once you do it once , you'll nearly always remember it . When I think about it , I still remember my first overclock on my good ol core 2 duo e6300. It hit 3ghz from 1.86ghz and that was on a crappy motherboard without any voltage upping.

[Brutality]

Heres a pic of the airflow when a case is open (with arrows)

 

 

If you need help overclocking then post a thread and we'll help you. All it takes is disabling all power saving features and turbo boosts etc , a raise of fsb (start in small increments), raising voltages (not too much and sometimes its not even necessary) and dropping the memory multiplier to get the ram to run in its rated frequency (and good cooling). We'll help you through the process and once you do it once , you'll nearly always remember it . When I think about it , I still remember my first overclock on my good ol core 2 duo e6300. It hit 3ghz from 1.86ghz and that was on a crappy motherboard without any voltage upping.

 

Okay thanks alot, should I get

the 1600MHz

http://www.edbpriser.dk/Product/Details.aspx?pid=4316596

or the 1333MHz

http://www.edbpriser.dk/Product/Details.aspx?pid=4186350

DDR3 in case it supports?

 

EDIT:

There is also the 1066MHz DDR3 DIMMs, I forgot

http://www.edbpriser.dk/Product/Details.aspx?pid=522874

 

PS. It's not a problem that my case might never be closed with the side panel, in case the cooler is too big?

Edited November 6, 2010 by Brutality