New PC Build + Need help picking PSU

[Asauka19]

Heya, I'm looking at doing a new build, since I have found a buyer for my previous build. Listed below is the what I believe will be the end-specs for this build.

- Asus Striker II Formula NF780i 3xSLi 775 PCI-E 2.0 DDR2 667/800/1066Mhz, SATA II, SATA RAID, ATX

- 2x 512MB XFX 8800GTS, AlphaDog XXX, PCI-E 2.0, Mem 1972MHz, GDDR3, GPU 678MHz, Streams 128, 2x DL DVI-I

- Q6600 G0 stepping @ 2.40GHz

- Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro

- 2x 4GB (2x2GB) CorsairXMS2, DDR2 PC2-6400 (800MHz), Unbuffered, , DHX Technology 4-4-4-12

- Antec 900 - Nine Hundred Ultimate Gamer Case with 200m Top Fan

- 2x 500GB 7200RPM Hard Drives

- 64-bit Vista Home Premium

Now what I want out of this build is to overclock the Q6600 to at least 3.00GHz, also you may have noticed that I have not put down a PSU yet, as I am yet undecided what one would be fit for this build. I would of picked a P35 board, however I am lead to believe that they do not support proper SLi.

I put forward the following questions, any help is much appreciated:

1. Is this build fit for the overclock? What would I expect out of it and what can be changed to improve?

2. What PSU would be fit for this build? With little knowledge on PSUs at the moment I do not care to make a mistake here.

3. Is there any beginner tips or advise for a first time OC? Read a few guides but nothing teaches like personal experience.

Thank you in advance.

[greenbrucelee]

Originally Posted by Asauka19

Heya, I'm looking at doing a new build, since I have found a buyer for my previous build. Listed below is the what I believe will be the end-specs for this build.

- Asus Striker II Formula NF780i 3xSLi 775 PCI-E 2.0 DDR2 667/800/1066Mhz, SATA II, SATA RAID, ATX

- 2x 512MB XFX 8800GTS, AlphaDog XXX, PCI-E 2.0, Mem 1972MHz, GDDR3, GPU 678MHz, Streams 128, 2x DL DVI-I

- Q6600 G0 stepping @ 2.40GHz

- Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro

- 2x 4GB (2x2GB) CorsairXMS2, DDR2 PC2-6400 (800MHz), Unbuffered, , DHX Technology 4-4-4-12

- Antec 900 - Nine Hundred Ultimate Gamer Case with 200m Top Fan

- 2x 500GB 7200RPM Hard Drives

- 64-bit Vista Home Premium

Now what I want out of this build is to overclock the Q6600 to at least 3.00GHz, also you may have noticed that I have not put down a PSU yet, as I am yet undecided what one would be fit for this build. I would of picked a P35 board, however I am lead to believe that they do not support proper SLi.

I put forward the following questions, any help is much appreciated:

1. Is this build fit for the overclock? What would I expect out of it and what can be changed to improve?

2. What PSU would be fit for this build? With little knowledge on PSUs at the moment I do not care to make a mistake here.

3. Is there any beginner tips or advise for a first time OC? Read a few guides but nothing teaches like personal experience.

Thank you in advance.

Yes you could overclock the cpu (remember overclocking does shorten the life span of components), I would get an 850watt sli capable psu like the Thermaltake toughpower modular psu.

Your better of experimenting with overclocking on an old machine so if you do break it then it doesn't matter.

Why not just get a cpu that is 3GHz then you don't have to overclock.

[asam.shan]

I would advise you to listen to GBL and just getter a better CPU that you dont need to clock, or are you on a tight budget?

[Asauka19]

I'm fully aware of the risks that come with overclocking the CPU, as for buying a 3GHz Quad Core, your looking at a £300 difference. I might see if I can get ahold of an old machine to try, I actually have a spare C2D E6850 I can try out on first.

As for the PSU, I will definately look into that, thank you.

[chrisduggan]

pays to invest in decent cooling when oc - not that id recommend over clocking by any means, seems a bit pointless. But however be aware of the risks and give it a fair go.

[greenbrucelee]

Originally Posted by Asauka19

I'm fully aware of the risks that come with overclocking the CPU, as for buying a 3GHz Quad Core, your looking at a £300 difference. I might see if I can get ahold of an old machine to try, I actually have a spare C2D E6850 I can try out on first.

As for the PSU, I will definately look into that, thank you.

you could get one of these, its only a core 2 duo but its 3.16GHz http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/s....html?IL-E8500

[Asauka19]

Originally Posted by asam.shan

I would advise you to listen to GBL and just getter a better CPU that you dont need to clock, or are you on a tight budget?

Sorry maybe I should of pointed out the reasoning for it, it is due to a certain budget.

Originally Posted by greenbrucelee

you could get one of these, its only a core 2 duo but its 3.16GHz http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/s....html?IL-E8500

I was considering this, however since I got the Q6600 at zero cost, I decided it was unecessary to buy another CPU.

Originally Posted by chrisduggan

pays to invest in decent cooling when oc - not that id recommend over clocking by any means, seems a bit pointless. But however be aware of the risks and give it a fair go.

I'm believe what I have is enough, I've heard good things about both the case and the CPU Heatsink. As I said I might give it a try on the E6850 first, since it's not doing alot at the moment. If I'm unhappy or uncertain about the results I may just leave the Q6600 at it's stock speed. But I hope to learn something new from this no matter the outcome.

[Modey]

Originally Posted by chrisduggan

pays to invest in decent cooling when oc - not that id recommend over clocking by any means, seems a bit pointless. But however be aware of the risks and give it a fair go.

You may find it pointless to overclock, but many other people don't. I recently bought a cheap Intel C2D (E4500) which runs at 2.2Ghz and I have managed to overclock it to 3.2Ghz relatively easily.

[twizzle]

Ok i have a similar build to this... only 1 Graphics card though but same CPu and 4gb mem and 2 hdds.

my psu is a Hiper Type r 680W and thats enough to pwer the system with no lock ups. I would say go for the biggest supply Wattage you can afford though, but anything 700W SLI compatible should do (and if its modular you reduce cables in the case which can increase air flow and cooling)

The Q6600 is very O/C freindly, i managed to get mine to 3,4GHZ on stock cooling fans, And in teh Antec 900 i'd imagine this should be more than possible (has enough fans and good layout for cooling). Alternativley, get after market CPU fan and heatsink, use artic silver paste and you can reduce temps by around 5 to 10 degrees. For better cooling ya cant beat watercooling... (unless you try freezing, and there are cases out there that can do that!)

When Over clocking temperatures do make a difference, you need to keep it as cool as possible to get better speeds. However you have to manage the FSB, memory timings and Motherboard voltages to get the most out of a decent overclock, its not for teh faint heated. The main thing to remeber is do it in small steps, reboot between each and run and app such as Bench05 ect for an hour, if stable make the next step and repeat. If its not stable go back a step and try something else. Once everythings been adjusted and its stable still after 48hrs, then you have a stable platform so stop messing!

Theres plenty of forums out there and posts for over clocking. If i can remeber where i saw it i'll link to the beginners guide to O/Cing i found....(but please dont hold ya breath!)

[Asauka19]

Originally Posted by twizzle

The Q6600 is very O/C freindly, i managed to get mine to 3,4GHZ on stock cooling fans, And in teh Antec 900 i'd imagine this should be more than possible (has enough fans and good layout for cooling). Alternativley, get after market CPU fan and heatsink, use artic silver paste and you can reduce temps by around 5 to 10 degrees. For better cooling ya cant beat watercooling... (unless you try freezing, and there are cases out there that can do that!)

Pretty impressive with a stock fan, from what I've read thats not exactly the easiest of tasks. I presume by "Get after market CPU fan and heatsink" you mean using one other then the Intel fan? I'm going to be using a "Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro", I will probably even get the Artic Silver paste if your recommending it as it's not the first time I've heard it's praise.[/quote]

Originally Posted by twizzle

When Over clocking temperatures do make a difference, you need to keep it as cool as possible to get better speeds. However you have to manage the FSB, memory timings and Motherboard voltages to get the most out of a decent overclock, its not for teh faint heated. The main thing to remeber is do it in small steps, reboot between each and run and app such as Bench05 ect for an hour, if stable make the next step and repeat. If its not stable go back a step and try something else. Once everythings been adjusted and its stable still after 48hrs, then you have a stable platform so stop messing!

Theres plenty of forums out there and posts for over clocking. If i can remeber where i saw it i'll link to the beginners guide to O/Cing i found....(but please dont hold ya breath!)

I plan on spending at the least a week getting this to as stable an overclock as possible, I know it's not a quick task. Would it be too much to ask what kinda OC you did? Are you using a Sync'd setup for your CPU/RAM? I hear it's the best way to go.

Once again thank you for the replies, you've all been a great help so far.

[twizzle]

To be honest, i cant remeber what i did exactly as i was trying a lil bit of everything until i got a stable pc. I have upped the FSb, adjusted voltages by around 0.2V and changed the memory timmings (my mobo wasn't set to match memory manufacturers timmings by default).

Also on my Mobo (its and ASUS one) it has some automatic O/C settings you can try, where it will pick what it thinks are the best speeds.

I've also changed teh GPU speed and memory speeds on my Graphics card.

Unfortunatley, all this has seen and increas in temps, probably by about 8 degrees while idle and 15 degrees when running full tilt!

And yes, by after market coolers, i mean something liek a Zalman heatsink and fan (as i have fitted) or Akasa, Coolermaster etc. You could also try lapping the stock heatsink, but that takes time and i don't think it gives you that much of a reduction in temps.