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*****THE OFFICIAL "SPEC ME" THREAD*****
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21. September 2008 @ 12:56 |
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Country: Canada
BUDGET:1000$'ish
Processor: Intel Core?2 Quad Processor Q6600 2.4GHz w/ 2x4MB Cache $214.95
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-EP35-DS3L w/ DualDDR2 1066, 7.1 Audio, Gigabit Lan, PCI-E x16 $99.95
Memory: Need help with this, 800 vs 1066 and price/performance?
Graphics Card(s): HIS Radeon HD 4870 512MB GDDR5 PCI-E w/ Dual DVI, HDTV-Out, HDMI $294.95 - $20 rebate
Hard Drive(s): Old one
Optical Drive(s): Old ones for now
Cooling: Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro CPU Cooler for P4/775 $29.95
Cooling: ARCTIC SILVER Arctic Silver 5 High Density Silver Thermal Compound, 3.5g $9.99
Case: Antec Three Hundred Versatile Mini Tower Gamer Case $59.95
Power Supply: OCZ 600W GameXStream Power Supply w/ Quad +12V $99.95 - 30$ rebate
Operating System: Vista-64/Ubuntu (Already have)
Current price: 809.65 - 50$ rebate + 5% GST = 797.67 + RAM costs
Uses: Multimedia, Autocad, Programming, Listening to music, movies, word processing, surfing net
Overclocking: Yes
Have made some sacrifices with old equipment to keep costs down. Originally I wasn't even planning on buying a desktop but the idea is becoming more and more compelling. How is it looking so far?
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AfterDawn Addict
2 product reviews
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21. September 2008 @ 13:00 |
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Lookin good. I would see how much of a difference there is between 4GB(2x2GB) of ddr2 800 or ddr2 1066. If it's not much then get 1066mhz RAM. Otherwise, get 800mhz. It doesn't make much of a difference because cas4 800mhz and cas5 1066mhz are about the same performance and you dont need the extra speed with the 9x multi on the Q6600.
Also, get Arctic Cooling MX-2 for your thermal paste if you can.
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AfterDawn Addict
15 product reviews
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21. September 2008 @ 13:16 |
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I don't think sam will agree with the OCZ StealthXStream, but I think it's a good pick. I have one too and they're just as solid as any other top brand.
Also agreed on thermal paste. Arctic Cooling MX-2 or Arctic Silver Ceramique.
AMD Phenom II X6 1100T 4GHz(20 x 200) 1.5v 3000NB 2000HT, Corsair Hydro H110 w/ 4 x 140mm 1500RPM fans Push/Pull, Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD5, 8GB(2 x 4GB) G.Skill RipJaws DDR3-1600 @ 1600MHz CL9 1.55v, Gigabyte GTX760 OC 4GB(1170/1700), Corsair 750HX
Detailed PC Specs: http://my.afterdawn.com/estuansis/blog_entry.cfm/11388 |
AfterDawn Addict
2 product reviews
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21. September 2008 @ 13:21 |
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Yeah it should work fine.
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Member
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21. September 2008 @ 13:23 |
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There seems to be a significant difference between the 800 and 1066 sticks. I am willing to pay the extra if it will significantly help, but it seems a lot of retailers I'm looking at are even listing 800 sticks in the 1033 as being able to over clock to that range. Then there is also the matter of ram timings, and how much of a difference do they make?
Ideally I'm looking to get 2x2gb so I can later upgrade to 8 gb should I need it. Planning to have this rig last me well for the next 3 years or so without any major upgrades with the exception of the old parts I'm using.
If newegg shipped to Canada it would make this simpler, but for now I am stuck with places like memory express and NCIX.
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AfterDawn Addict
2 product reviews
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21. September 2008 @ 13:29 |
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They dont make 1066Mhz sticks. They all ALL overclocked 800Mhz sticks.
Basically 1066Mhz sticks run at cas5 timings and 800mhz sticks run at cas4 timings. They both give you the same performance because even though the 1066mhz is faster it has worse timings. I would save my money , get 800mhz sticks, and spend that extra money on a Tuniq Tower.
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AfterDawn Addict
15 product reviews
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21. September 2008 @ 13:41 |
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Agreed, get the 800MHz RAM and invest in a better cooler.
AMD Phenom II X6 1100T 4GHz(20 x 200) 1.5v 3000NB 2000HT, Corsair Hydro H110 w/ 4 x 140mm 1500RPM fans Push/Pull, Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD5, 8GB(2 x 4GB) G.Skill RipJaws DDR3-1600 @ 1600MHz CL9 1.55v, Gigabyte GTX760 OC 4GB(1170/1700), Corsair 750HX
Detailed PC Specs: http://my.afterdawn.com/estuansis/blog_entry.cfm/11388
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AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
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21. September 2008 @ 15:13 |
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He chose a GameXStream, much worse than the StealthXStream units, don't get that, get a Corsair unit instead, A 520HX will do nicely.
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AfterDawn Addict
15 product reviews
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21. September 2008 @ 15:28 |
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I'd personally take the 520HX because I already have a 600W StealthXStream. But the OCZ is a bit cheaper and of comparable quality. It would be a good buy with either PSU.
AMD Phenom II X6 1100T 4GHz(20 x 200) 1.5v 3000NB 2000HT, Corsair Hydro H110 w/ 4 x 140mm 1500RPM fans Push/Pull, Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD5, 8GB(2 x 4GB) G.Skill RipJaws DDR3-1600 @ 1600MHz CL9 1.55v, Gigabyte GTX760 OC 4GB(1170/1700), Corsair 750HX
Detailed PC Specs: http://my.afterdawn.com/estuansis/blog_entry.cfm/11388
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Member
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22. September 2008 @ 11:00 |
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My only issue with the PSU is that the OCZ is the different between 70$ and 100$. I understand it's not a strong choice when the standard retail prices are close, but is the Corsair still more valuable when it is 30$ more? I have no issues spending money for quality
As far as the CPU cooling goes I can't find any local stores that carry Tuniq. The only Canadian online retailers I can find is NCIX, but I'd prefer to be able to pick it up ASAP if possible. Any Canadians know where to find these, or is there another brand that is very close in quality?
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AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
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22. September 2008 @ 11:03 |
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NCIX sell the Thermalright Ultra-120 coolers, but you will need to buy a fan separately for those. As for the PSU, you can use a Corsair VX unit if the HX is too expensive, the only difference is modular cables, which are handy, but not $30 handy, not for most people anyway... haha
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22. September 2008 @ 11:38 |
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AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
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22. September 2008 @ 11:39 |
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Yes, that will be fine, but it may not be very quiet, the VX units get quite loud when stressed. The HX units on the other hand remain silent even when pushed to ridiculous levels. I run a 4870X2 and OC'ed Quad on one and it still makes almost no noise.
Modular PSU cables are ones you can remove if you don't need them, rather than leaving them dangling somewhere in your case.
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22. September 2008 @ 11:50 |
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What the hell I've gone this far, I'm going to shell out the extra for the HX, and order the Tuniq from NCIX. From how good I hear it is it will be well worth the wait. Some reviews say the base of it isn't exactly flat and could use lapping, which I understand to be sandpapering your CPU cooler and even the CPU top itself? Overclocking I'm comfortable with trying out, taking a pad of sandpaper to my CPU... not so much. I'm hoping it'll just work well enough without lapping.
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AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
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22. September 2008 @ 12:15 |
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They do, I use the basic version of the Ultra-120, which while still an excellent cooler, is probably towards the bottom of the tower coolers in terms of performance, the Tuniq is close to the top, I haven't lapped my cooler, and when I ran an E4300 overclocked from 1.8 to 3.2Ghz, overvolted from 1.325 to 1.45, I still had full load temperatures of less than 45 Celsius. Tower coolers are incredible compared to the rubbish CPUs normally come with.
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spamual
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22. September 2008 @ 12:27 |
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the VX450 would be able to power it, BUT i wouldnt do it as it doesnt have 2 PCI-E connectors.
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AfterDawn Addict
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22. September 2008 @ 12:36 |
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That's true actually, though the HD4870 comes with an adapter for that purpose, I'd still rather give dedicated power to a card.
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22. September 2008 @ 13:48 |
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spamual
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22. September 2008 @ 13:51 |
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ok firstly go fort he cheapest 4870 you can find.
esp the palit one is good, non ref board, brilliant cooling amazing connectivity.
as for the ram, just increace the voltage a bit and tighten up the timing, but in a c2d system, timings will not make a difference at all, AND you will never notice the difference, either in gaming, or even in benches.
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Member
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22. September 2008 @ 13:55 |
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Originally posted by spamual:
ok firstly go fort he cheapest 4870 you can find.
esp the palit one is good, non ref board, brilliant cooling amazing connectivity.
as for the ram, just increace the voltage a bit and tighten up the timing, but in a c2d system, timings will not make a difference at all, AND you will never notice the difference, either in gaming, or even in benches.
I'm picking up a C2Q not a C2D but I assume the same thing applies?
Edit: Saw some benchmarks on some reviews and pulled the trigger, forked out for the quick shipping as well, hopefully get it by weeks end.
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 22. September 2008 @ 14:08
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AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
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22. September 2008 @ 14:26 |
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Same applies, yes.
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AfterDawn Addict
15 product reviews
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22. September 2008 @ 15:43 |
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If you're going to lap the Tuniq Tower, make sure you back your sandpaper with a flat piece of glass as to have a perfectly flat surface. When lapped, the Tuniq is one of the best coolers out there and beats out some mid-range water cooling. I got my Q6600 to 3.4GHz easily with it. Even if you don't have the 1.25VID like mine has, it should still be well within reach at ~1.4v
AMD Phenom II X6 1100T 4GHz(20 x 200) 1.5v 3000NB 2000HT, Corsair Hydro H110 w/ 4 x 140mm 1500RPM fans Push/Pull, Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD5, 8GB(2 x 4GB) G.Skill RipJaws DDR3-1600 @ 1600MHz CL9 1.55v, Gigabyte GTX760 OC 4GB(1170/1700), Corsair 750HX
Detailed PC Specs: http://my.afterdawn.com/estuansis/blog_entry.cfm/11388
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Member
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22. September 2008 @ 21:54 |
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What level of sandpaper did you use?
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spamual
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22. September 2008 @ 22:04 |
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AfterDawn Addict
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22. September 2008 @ 23:24 |
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I remember one guy saying how he did it really fast and got fantanstic results.
Start with 200 grit and make it really flat. Then do 800 and then 1200 or 2000. Should only take 45 mins instead of 6 hours.
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