building and overclocking advice

[cruiserlck]

Well here goes, this is my first self built system and i'd like to overclock the cpu. I'm ready to order all my parts but i want to get some advice first on a few components , to make sure there won't be too much difficulty in overclocking and everything goes as smooth as possible. They are....... Soyo-SY-KT400 Dragon ultra mobo ,one stick of Ultra 512 ddr pc 3200 , Barton 2500 ( does it overclock well and if so how far? ) , and speeze 80mm heatsink and fan ( enough cooling for an overclocked 2500 ? ). I'm a nub in this area so any advice or help would be greatly appreciated.Thxs

[beppodmime]

For overclocking, the nForce2 platforms can generally yield better performance. Right now I'm using an Epox 8RGA+ and it has done me pretty good. However, right now the Asus A7N8X and the Abit NF7 series boards are available with the updated nForce2 core that supports a 200MHz FSB right out of the box, so that may prove to be a better buy. If I were in the market for a new board, I'd probably go with the Asus, however it is a bit more expensive.

The 2500+ will probably give good results, given you use proper cooling. I don't know anything about Speeze coolers, but if you are planning on air cooling, you may want to look into the Thermalright SLK-800 or 900. Top notch cooling performance with these two, however the 900 is a bit bigger, and thus may not fit on your board. I'd go with the 800 just to be on the safe side. With this heatsink, you will need to purchase a good 80MM fan, though, which shouldn't be a problem. It all boils down on how much noise you really want coming out of your box.

If you are going to end up going for the nForce2 boards, then it would make sense to get two sticks of RAM instead of one, to take advantage of the increase in bandwidth that the dual-channel memory controller has to offer.

Overall, I think if you purchase an Asus A7N8X , a 2500+ and two sticks of good quality PC3200 memory (Kingston HyperX is a good brand, as is Geil or Corsair, although the latter can be a bit pricey), you'll be all set to do some good overclocking.

All of this is IMO, and if anyone else has any other advice, I'm sure they'll do what they can to help, as well.

And btw, Welcome to TIMO!

[jorge1]

beppodmime,
I can attest to that. I have an A7N8X Deluxe from asus. This has proven to be a good board. My suggestion is to get the best memory out there (don't go cheap) and you will be very happy.

[Idigguns]

Welcome to TechIMO!
Well, Beppodmime's IMO sounds just like my IMO! I couldn't have said it better myself. I'm running an Asus A7N8X Deluxe too. It's a great board. I have the 2800+ Barton, but the 2500+ is a great price. I'm running 1 GB of Geil PC3500, it's a very good price. Good luck with your new system.

[cruiserlck]

Hey, thanks for the advice.Right now money is kind of an option , for now my limit is $500 , I'll be using the cd burner , dvd drive , graphics card , and hd off of the system I already have. I have decided to go with the Abit NF7-S mobo , as far as the memory goes corsair is the only brand that this place has that you guys have recomended and they don't have the ASUS mobo. You see the place i'm ordering from owes me $500 and thats what I have to spend but I have to order from them in order to use the $500. Here's a link to the site if you want to check it out and see what I mean .If you do look check out the fans and heat sinks they have thermaltake but not the model you recommended , what would be the best of what they have? http://www.tigerdirect.com/index.asp
Thxs again

[Bruneau]

I agree w/ all on the nForce2 mobos.

For an excellent overclocker pick up a (TRAY)(JIUHB:0310WPMW) 1700+ from Excaliber PC They've got the overclockers and these things are kickin more expensive barton butt. With their MMM mega mix and match you can save $10 buying it w/ the Abit NF7 2.0 nForce2.

[Omardeth]

ok here are some ideas . i would go along with what all are saying now go with nforce board if you wanna o/c in the future . as for the motherboard i would say , from what i have read MSI , Epox , Abit or Asus is the way to go . now with that said there is a new nforce chipset about to be or has benn just released .

the only mb i have found that has it is an MSi board here is a link from newegg with the 2 boards they carry from MSI . one is 99$ the other is 134$
the 99$ one has sound and lan onboard , the 134$ has sound,lan,raid,firewire. i have never used msi boards so i can't comment on them personaly but i have read good things in forums about them . it is the only board i can find with the new chipset .

the epox 8RDA+ is about 90$ from newegg and it is also a board alot of people seem to like to o/c

the asus A7N8X is also a board people like and it is 115 for non deluxe version and is also rev2 so it supports the new amd 400fsb chips to be released .

then last but not least the abit NF7-S i haven't used this board but it has great reviews and abit has always been an o'c'er favorite ... i have used MANY abit boards and they have ALL overcocked great .

and if you go with a nforce board make sure u get 2 sticks of memory so u can take advantage of the dual channel . as far as the cpu goes . u can always go cheap and get the xp1700 for 43$ from newegg cut your teath on o/c'n with that and then go up from there. all these mb's are about the same price as the soyo u asked about , but are better boards to overclock on . as for memory get the best you can get in pc3200 or better .

hope i haven't overloaded your mind hahaha

[beppodmime]

All told, you are probably going to come in under 500 bucks with tax and shipping. That's if you get the A7N8X deluxe. If you go for the non-deluxe or a different brand board, you'll be saving a bit more money. Basically, find a board with the features you want and have at it. Pricing all stuff at Newegg, everything came to about 400 without shipping or Tax.

The Heatsink I recommended is from Thermalright, not Thermaltake. Do a search for the SLK-800 on google for reviews.

Yes, the nForce2 boards are better overclockers than most Via boards, however, the main reason I like the nForce2 boards is because of how feature rich nVidia made the chipset.

I also HIGHLY recommend going to Newegg for your shopping, as they have a great selection of parts and offer superb service. If the place you are shopping from is only giving you store credit, then I guess you are stuck, and regardless of what may have happened, they are getting your money.

After looking at the site, you are pretty much limited to what you can and cannot buy. You are stuck with the Abit board, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but the only half decent cooler I see that they carry is their PCToys Aerocool, which is really a Vantec Aeroflow. This is a good cooler, however. My girlfriend's comp uses one and it's pretty quiet and runs her chip pretty cool. And as far as memory goes, I'm pretty stumped here. I can't see you buying everything else there and having enough for 512MB of corsair while still staying under your 500 dollar limit. At least not with shipping and taxes. Man, their selection stinks pretty bad on everything.

[Bruneau]

Newegg is OK, but... get your cpu from www.excaliberpc.com Newegg's chips are a hit and a miss deal w/ the 1700+. Some are still Tbred A's and crappy overclockers. All chips are not created equal. The (TRAY)(JIUHB:0310WPMW) 1700+ from Excaliber PC seems to take the crown according to the guys at Xtreme Systems forums. Check it out if you don't believe me.

[Omardeth]

what u say is true and all but for what they want you can almost get 2 from newegg. i got one last week and got a good one .