What are the best parts for overclocking?

Cheesehead · Post by **Cheesehead** » Sat Sep 04, 2004 5:56 pm

I am in the market for an inexpensive gaming computer, about 5-700$. Although I know my way around a computer, I am a bit out of touch on the issue of hardware components, so some reccomendations would be spiffy.
I intend to use an AMD Mobile Athlon 2600+ (they're unlocked-huzzah!) and overclock it to about 2.3 Ghz and a 400mhz FSB. Otherwise, however, I am open to suggestions to parts.

Heatsink:
I would watercool this, except for the fact I intend to use it for LANparties, so it needs to be light.
Candidate:
SP-97 AMD version w/ CPU shim, Vantec Tornado fan, and Arctic Silver 5
Motherboard:
I would prefer something with dual channel support and SATA. A S/PDIF port on the motheboard is a nice plus, as I intend to wire it to the awesome sounds system I'm wiring up. (Advent speakers, Cambridge subwoofer, KLH center channel, and top-of-the-line JVC rear channel. All for a total cost of 60.00! Of course, I need a new reciever..)
Candidates:
DFI NF2 Ultra-AL
(73.00)
Chaintech 7JNL6 Ultra 400
(57.00)

Graphics Card:
This is a GAMING MACHINE intended for OVERCLOCKING. Need I say more?
Candidates:
ATI(sapphire) 9800 Pro 128mb
(180.00)
Ledtek 9800XT 128mb
(180.00)

RAM: This needs to run at low latency, although the ability to run at more than 400mhz would be dandy. I intend to get my own heat spreaders.
Candidates:
Corsair Value Select 1GB (2x512mb)
(150.00)
Mushkin Value Ram 1gb (2X512MB)
(140.00)

Hard Drive:
Speed is good. I do'nt need anything massive, so I'm getting something moderately small.
Candidates:
Seagate 120GB SATA 7200rpm 8mb cache 120 GB
(95.00)
Maxtor 120GB SATA 7200rpm 8mb cache 120 GB
(90.00)

Power Supply/Case:
I'm on a tight budget here, so I can't afford anything of top-of-the-line quality. Otherwise, I'm open to suggestions, so long as they are VERY cheap, and have a window. (Search NewEgg for all cases under 30.00 for ideas).

Case Lighting & Fans: I'm going to get a bunch of Cold Cathode fans and some UV or blue cold cathodes. I'm handy with a Dremel, so adding a few cooling vents is no problem, and I intend to re-do my computer with chameleon paint (any links would be apprieciated).

Thanks for the help!

opmharley · Post by **opmharley** » Sat Sep 04, 2004 6:33 pm

Ok, I would probably get that processor or a 2800 or a 3000 but thats just me. I would recomend the new abit motherboard anyone know the name? it just came out or you can get the Abit NF7-s. Can be had for about 80 dollars i believe and excellent on board sound you dont need a new sound card unless you want it.

Where in the hell can you get a leadtek 9800xt for $180? The 9800 pro is fine but if you can wait till the end of this month ATI and NVida are releasing some good cards Nvidia is releasing the 6600GT which is supposed to be able to run doom 3 on everything with high with AA and AF and get playable frames or run at 1600x1200 with no AA or AF and get great frames probably 30+. But if you cant wait that card will work.

Also I would probably not get those harddrive for the same price you can get a 37gig WD Raptor 10k rpms for the same price well about 10+ more.

Thats all the input I have enjoy your system. Harley

Cheesehead · Post by **Cheesehead** » Sun Sep 05, 2004 5:18 pm

Pardon my bumping of this thread, but I'm really desperate here. My current computer is on its last legs, and I figure I may as well order a new one before my hard disk fries (again).
As you can tell, I do'nt spend enough time reading reviews, and listen to people who think overclocking has something to do with overcomphesating for Daylight Savings Time. I will now shut up before I make an even greater ass of myself, but a little help would be apprieciated.

Joel · Post by **Joel** » Sun Sep 05, 2004 6:15 pm

With the video card, you could go with a 9800 Pro, but since you'll most likely not be upgrading for a while, I'd look for a 6800, a plain 6800. It'd be about $80-100 more, but you'd get over double the performance.

Rather then getting those two HDs I'd look into two 36.7GB Raptors in RAID.

I'd look into the Abit NF7-S for a good overclocking board.

The processor looks fine.

RAM is fine.

Cheap PSUs are a no-no in the overclocking world. A steady supply of clean power is very important, so that's one thing you'll not want to cheap out on.

HSF is good.

stevebakh · Post by **stevebakh** » Sun Sep 05, 2004 7:22 pm

I don't think he wants the 2 HDs...

I'm guessing you're referring to running them in RAID0? Double the throughput, eh? But seriously, SATA should do just fine (especially for the price). I have a friend who just bought an AMD 2500Mobile and has it clocked to look like a 3200XP.

I agree with the vid card choice though. A basic 6800 is worth it and definately saves you from upgrading as soon as you may when buying the 9800pro.

Cheesehead · Post by **Cheesehead** » Mon Sep 06, 2004 10:58 am

Thanks for the advice! I'm not that affluent, however, and can't afford anything that expensive. I originally intended not to go over a 600$ budget, and I'm trying to keep the drain on my funds to a minimum.
I do'nt know where you found a 6800 for 260$, but I do'nt really need that much power anyway. Aside from me being a cheapstake, I'm not that much of a gamer and I doubt that I am going to need something that ridiculously powerful anyway. This computer is going to go to a few LANparties, but mostly it's going to play MP3's over my custom speaker setup.
In the way of hard drives, I only intend to have one. That's right, no RAID, just one hard drive. I can't afford more than one of them, anyway. Because I'm shooting for SATA to reduce the hard-disk bottleneck, the NF7-S is'nt an option. Admittedly, I would love to have a dozen 73GB 15K RPM Seagate Cheetah hard drives on a top-of-the-line PCI-E SCSI320 RAID 5 array, but I do'nt have the cash.
I made a bit of a typo-the only cheap part in this system will be the case. A reccomendation on an inexpensive, yet reliable power supply would be welcome, as I can't afford anything fancy.
Also, do any of you know if any of these motherboards have a S/PDIF port? I have a custom speaker setup and hope to have full quality 5.1 sound.
Thanks!

stevebakh · Post by **stevebakh** » Mon Sep 06, 2004 12:03 pm

Because I'm shooting for SATA to reduce the hard-disk bottleneck, the NF7-S is'nt an option.

In that case, I would go for the Gigabyte GA-7VTK600 1394, which supports both firewire and SATA. Not sure about SPDIF (I know the earlier model with the KT400 chipset did though). Shouldn't be more than about 60 / 70 USD$.

I can definately vouch for the gigabyte boards (and VIA chipsets).

brembo · Post by **brembo** » Mon Sep 06, 2004 12:59 pm

Cheesehead-

There is a 9800Pro Sappgire in the for sale section of Speedguide. Right here in fact. https://www.speedguide.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=150850

Cheesehead · Post by **Cheesehead** » Mon Sep 06, 2004 4:45 pm

Thanks for the link! I intend to put a big OEM graphics card cooler on it, so I may as well get one without a warranty. The 6600 sounds pretty nice, but how much is it going to cost? This is a budget system, so I can't afford anything too fancy.
SCSI looks nice, but it's pretty pricey. Someone on ebay's selling Atlas III's for 10 bucks apiece, but the controller cards are pricey.
A few more motherboard reccomendations would be nice. What are your opinions on the mobos I was looking at? What about the Albatron Kx18D? I'm looking for a motherboard with dual-channel memory, so a Nvidia chipset is a must.
Thanks for your time,
Cheesehead.

Cheesehead · Post by **Cheesehead** » Tue Sep 07, 2004 6:41 pm

**bumps as a result of desperately needing a reccomendation as to what to get**

knightmare · Post by **knightmare** » Tue Sep 07, 2004 7:02 pm

i just got a MSI 9800 pro @ newegg for 194$, it registers as an XT- has a killer heatsink on it

Artic silver CERAMIQUE` paste for the process/heatsink, it's non conductive, you can gob it on heavy, i'll never use anything else.

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDe ... 127&depa=0

Ram-- grab a few sticks of this
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDe ... 838&depa=0

Cheesehead · Post by **Cheesehead** » Tue Sep 07, 2004 7:44 pm

knightmare wrote:i just got a MSI 9800 pro @ newegg for 194$, it registers as an XT- has a killer heatsink on it

Artic silver CERAMIQUE` paste for the process/heatsink, it's non conductive, you can gob it on heavy, i'll never use anything else.

Ram-- grab a few sticks of this

Thanks for the advice, but is'nt the MSI card 128 bit? I'm kind of shooting for a 256bit card. The RAM sounds nice, but it's almost twice as expensive, and chances are 1GB of PC3200 would work just as well for me as 512mb of the stuff you reccomended.
Just curious, but what's the difference in performance between Arctic Silver 5 and Ceramique?

knightmare · Post by **knightmare** » Tue Sep 07, 2004 8:21 pm

nah the msi card is 256 bit, its a very over-clockable card.

Artic silver is nasty, i get just as low with Ceramique, but they are both made by artic silver.

Cypher · Post by **Cypher** » Wed Sep 08, 2004 12:00 am

Do not gob on any thermal paste. It will actually have a reverse effect and raise temps because it will be an insulator if thick. I've tried them all and swear by AS5 myself. Temp wise is only a few degrees between them all.

Also avoid the tornado fan at all cost. It's like leaving a blow dryer running. Panaflo would be my first choice followed by Thermaltake's Smartfan.

As for your video card the 6600 and x700 due out soon (if not already) and would be your best bet. Both cards are really good, but I like the way ATI's hardware and drivers are setup. I still don't really trust Nvidia at this point. I'm not a fanboy in any way but lets just say I'm just watching to see what happens. Nvidia has put out some great products this round at a good rate too.

I would go with a BBA, sapphire or Visiontec for ATI. BFG and eVGA make good Nvidia cards but I'm not as well versed in their vendors quality. I do have a PNY Ti4600 that's still running strong for that counts.

Cheesehead · Post by **Cheesehead** » Wed Sep 08, 2004 7:34 pm

I always knew about the thermal paste bit, but I did'nt know if any of those other brands were good. Live and learn, I guess.
Out of curiousity, how does the 6600 measure up to the 9800pro? I'm no big fan of Nvidia, but the 6600 looks pretty darn good for the 200$ or less pricetag. If it's not much better, then I'm getting a 9800.
Also, the x700 is PCI-E only. I'm getting an Athlon XP board, so I can't use them.

Cypher · Post by **Cypher** » Wed Sep 08, 2004 11:54 pm

I think the x700 is supposed to be both. Brent is the expert here on video cards. He just did a review on the 6600

http://www.hardocp.com/

I'm not a big Nv fan myself but there are no loyalties either way.

Joel · Post by **Joel** » Thu Sep 09, 2004 12:34 am

I'm seriously considering an upgrade to a 6600GT when the AGP version comes out.

I suppose until then I'll just watch and see how the whole ATI/Nvidia mainstream fight goes. Should be interesting.

Cheesehead · Post by **Cheesehead** » Thu Sep 09, 2004 5:46 pm

Boh of those sound very interesting, but the question still stands: How do they compare to the 9800 Pro?
Also, could you please reccomend a good motherboard for me? If I have to, I can wait a few more weeks, but I hope to have my system ready to go farily soon before my current one dies.

Cypher · Post by **Cypher** » Thu Sep 09, 2004 6:58 pm

DFI's are good for overclocking. Abit and Asus OC good and are a little more stable.
From what I've read the 6600GT and X700 will be much faster than the 9800 Pro. ATI is rumored to announce a 512 card alleged to be out in October. The X800XT is also another good card, which I would choose over the 6800GT. The 9800 is a solid card but these new ones are allot better. I'm looking to upgrade from my 9800xt to one soon since it gets raped by these newer games.

Cheesehead · Post by **Cheesehead** » Sat Sep 11, 2004 4:23 pm

I've heard that I should probbably go for the Chaintech Nforce3-250 board and A64 300+ processor, because I would only be spending about 70$ more. How would these processors compare? Would the dual channel memory make the Athlon XP a better idea?