New Build with a Intel Core 2 Extreme X6800

Dempsey

Im going getting a Core 2 Extreme X6800 because I can get 50% discount but my last build was about 2-3 years ago. I havent been keeping up with things.

I'm going to looking at reviews of Hardware myself but I'd appreciate input from you guys aswell.

I dont need monitors, keyboard, mouse, speakers. I just want to change the tower.

The main criteria for my new spec is

Good Overclocking Motherboard
2Gb of High Grade Memory for the overclock
The Best Heatsink for a Core 2
Quiet PSU but power enough for a decent overclock
Quality GFX that doesnt cost an arm and a leg
A Case that is good for overclocking and can house at least 4 hard drives
For HDD's im looking at RAID 5 with about 1TB but im open to other suggestions.

I'm thinking of overclocking a small bit using air cooling but nothing that would blow the chip. It would be an expensive mistake.

The maximum im willing to spend is about €2,000 altogether but I hope that wont.

Everyone's input would be appreciated. DDR2 Memory is something that im completely lost on aswell

Thanks in advance

Cuddlesworth

psu= PC&P SILENCER® 750
Case= Lian Li v2100
HD's= Raptor as a boot and 3 500gig in raid 5 if you really want to keep all your data and have the cash. Best get a controller card rather than use any onboard raid though.

Havnt read up on Conroe parts yet! :rolleyes:

conzy

krazy_8s wrote:

psu= PC&P SILENCER® 750
Case= Lian Li v2100
HD's= Raptor as a boot and 3 500gig in raid 5 if you really want to keep all your data and have the cash. Best get a controller card rather than use any onboard raid though.

Havnt read up on Conroe parts yet! :rolleyes:

^Well there's your €2000 gone already

The best board at the minute seems to be the Asus P5W DH Deluxe,

An Enermax Liberty 620watt, would be powerful enough and wouldnt cost as much as the PC&P

Dont know about ram..

Viewsonic VX2025wm gets my vote as always

Buadhach

I'm in the same situation and have investigated this for a while.
This is a list that has changed many times until I was happy with it. See what you think.:D

Zalman CNPS9500LED Ultra Quiet CPU Cooler, Socket 478/775/754/939/940

http://www.komplett.ie/k/ki.asp?sku=312473

OCZ Technology Powersupply ATX/EPS 600W, 120mm Fan, SATA, 4/8pin CPU, 20/24pin

http://www.komplett.ie/k/ki.asp?sku=324468

Hitachi Deskstar T7K250 250GB SATA2 8MB 7200RPM

http://www.komplett.ie/k/ki.asp?sku=308745

Corsair TWIN2X 6400C3 DDR2, 2048MB CL3, Kit w/two 1GB Dimm's, E.P.P Technology

http://www.komplett.ie/k/ki.asp?sku=321870

Club3D Radeon X1950XTX 512MB GDDR4, PCI-Express, Dual-DVI-I, VIVO, CF Ready

http://www.komplett.ie/k/ki.asp?sku=324909

Asus P5W DH Deluxe,I975X,Socket-775,ATX, SATAIIx7, Dual-GbLAN, DDR2, 2xPCI-Ex16

http://www.komplett.ie/k/ki.asp?sku=321774

PogMoThoin

:rolleyes: That looks nice Buadhach, but you don't need to go that expensive on the ram with the E6800 & an unlocked multi. I'd suggest the GSkill Hz on this page: http://www.overclockers.co.uk/acatalog/GSkill_Memory.html
Every1 on xs forums is raving on bout it. No probs hittin cl3 at 800-900mhz

OCZ & Fortron psu's are the exact same, both made in the same factory. Fortron might work out cheaper. Min i'd recommend is 600w if your running raid 5 with a terabyte, maybe 700w if you plan to oc.

This is 1 of the best coolers out there, cheap too. 5th one down: http://www.overclockers.co.uk/acatalog/Arctic_Cooling_CPU_Coolers.html

Buadhach

I read a lot of mixed reviews of OcUK.
e.g. I've read that components that are showing in stock sometimes aren't.

I'd normally buy with Komplett as I've never had any probs with them. I'm presuming you've never had probs with OcUK.

Is people's experience with OcUK generally good?

Creamy Goodness

anytime i've ordered with OCUK they have been good, i do have a gripe with their phone system but not every company is perfect.

i buy off ocuk more than komplett are they've just screwed me around so much. i sent a motherboard back that had the socket clip broken when i took it out of the bag they tested it and said it was ok and sent me back the board

PogMoThoin

I've had no major probs with ocuk. There was a big delay in shipping my conroe, but it was royal mail that were at fault (silly me, i should have paid for parcelpost not postage). I rma'd a raptor, posted on fri, had new 1 on the following thur. I'd deal again with them. Quicker delivery than Komplett.

Dempsey

Thanks for the advice so far, keep it coming.

How loud is that PSU your recommending, I would like the system to be quiet aswell if possible.

I'll probably order my stuff from 3 places, komplett, shop4memory and ocuk. I've used them all before they usually have a good service

Psycopat

Buadhach wrote:

Is people's experience with OcUK generally good?

not at all tbh

awhir

seasonic make great silent psu's .

DemonOfTheFall

Yeah, I can't recommend Seasonic enough. They are just silent. That is all.

awhir

and also good psu too.

BKtje

I'd also highly recommend the seasonic 600w psu, very very quiet (passive infact mostly).

I've been using overclockers.co.uk for years now and i've never had any problems with them. Have rma'd a few things and have had very quick returns.

The case i have in my sig is also very very nice. Lightweight and silent (not to mention easy to use). Has a main hard drive enclosure that can hold 4 hard drives but you can also stick them in any of the 5 and a half inch bays quite easily. The hard drive bay itself has a big 120mm fan drawing air out to keep those hard drives cool. Cant recommend it enough really.

The asus p5w dh deluxe is also very nice tho it comes with a lot extras that you may or may not need. Take a look at the asus site and you'll see a complete list of its features. Only problem i have is that it doesnt seem to like cold booting but i haven't tried looking for a solution yet but its not really a big deal. Its not cheap however (then very few conroe mobos are).

I plan to get a passive heatsink with an ultra quiet 120mm fan for when i decide to properly overclock. If im right it should make this machine almost totally silent but won't know till i get around to purchasing and installing the parts.

Machine in sig came to about €2k when you include the raptors and a few other bits iirc.

Dempsey

Which OS should I be getting, Vista, XP Pro or Media Centre.

Also, I dont want this thread to turn into a debate on how good OCUK or any other company is. Thanks.

The Seasonic sounds like the very good option, where did you pick up yours?

PogMoThoin

Dempsey wrote:

Which OS should I be getting, Vista, XP Pro or Media Centre.

Also, I dont want this thread to turn into a debate on how good OCUK or any other company is. Thanks.

The Seasonic sounds like the very good option, where did you pick up yours?

Vista is not out yet. I'd get an OEM copy of xp pro.

BKtje

The Seasonic sounds like the very good option, where did you pick up yours?

Picked it up from dabs here

Romero

Hey Dempsey

Are u working in Leixlip to get that kind of discount lol? I was thinking of going with the 6700 rather then the 6800.

Cheers

Romero

PogMoThoin

IMHO 6800 is a waste unless you get it cheap like Dempsey. Nobody has clocked a 6800 higher than a 6700.

Dempsey

Romero wrote:

Hey Dempsey

Are u working in Leixlip to get that kind of discount lol? I was thinking of going with the 6700 rather then the 6800.

Cheers

Snake

Yes:D

Intel Employees can buy any Intel CPU at 50% and thats in $ so its actually even less but it will probably get taxed coming into the country so it ends back up around 50% i reckon.

I'm not mad enough or a lotto winner to buy a EE at retail prices. I'm going to use my window of opportunity.

Dempsey

So far based on hardware reviews and people's opinions

Seasonic S12 Powersupply 600W €160
http://www.komplett.ie/k/ki.asp?sku=314759

ASUS P5W DH Deluxe Digital Home Series €237.99
http://www.komplett.ie/k/ki.asp?sku=321774

ZALMAN ZM CNPS9500 LED - processor cooler €62
http://www.komplett.ie/k/ki.asp?sku=312473

Is anyone here using the XP Media Centre Editon?

I plan to play games but I want to be able to play films etc on a TV at the drop of hat aswell

Romero

Hey Dempsey so am I, but I am going to wait around for what the loaner crowd have to offer, might be some unlocked engineering samples in the batch . Also with Kentsfield coming out soon we'll probably be offered something along the same discount for a 4 core chip!
Your build above is fine I would recommend a couple of Raptors 150gb to keep the OS running along nicely, Graphics cards it will have to be something from Nvida seeing as ATI has joined the darkside .

Cheers

Romero

PogMoThoin

Romero wrote:

Hey Dempsey so am I, but I am going to wait around for what the loaner crowd have to offer, might be some unlocked engineering samples in the batch . Also with Kentsfield coming out soon we'll probably be offered something along the same discount for a 4 core chip!
Your build above is fine I would recommend a couple of Raptors 150gb to keep the OS running along nicely, Graphics cards it will have to be something from Nvida seeing as ATI has joined the darkside .

Cheers

Snake

:rolleyes: New .10 series seagate are nearly as fast as raptors at half the price. He'd be as well go with Ati as he's gettin 975 mobo that supports only xfire not sli

Romero

Hey PogMoThoin,

Nice tip on the Seagates, I must check them out for my next build.

Thanks

Dempsey

The multiplier is unlocked on the E6800, dont need no engineering sample.

BadCharlie

Dempsey wrote:

Yes:D

Intel Employees can buy any Intel CPU at 50% and thats in $ so its actually even less but it will probably get taxed coming into the country so it ends back up around 50% i reckon.

I'm not mad enough or a lotto winner to buy a EE at retail prices. I'm going to use my window of opportunity.

I think then i would wait just a few more months and get the Kentsfield chip. Or just build a second computer and still get the Kentsfield. I think the Kentsfield is going to be very very powerfull but also going to very pricey.

L31mr0d

Dempsey wrote:

Yes:D

Intel Employees can buy any Intel CPU at 50% and thats in $ so its actually even less but it will probably get taxed coming into the country so it ends back up around 50% i reckon.

I'm not mad enough or a lotto winner to buy a EE at retail prices. I'm going to use my window of opportunity.

Really? I have a few friends that work over at intel in Leixlip and they never mentioned that deal. Are only certain employees given this discount? Sorry if its OT

Dempsey

Contractors, green badge, may not get the offer. Its available but not well advertised to employees.

Is the Kentsfield a server or desktop CPU? I may not be at intel much longer so I'm buying now

I now have my Extreme Edition ordered so I better step up my search for compenents.

Can anyone recommend a good RAID 5 Controller? Those seagates sound too good to be true but I hope your right

Psycopat

Dempsey wrote:

Is the Kentsfield a server or desktop CPU? I may not be at intel much longer so I'm buying now

Desktop, same as conroe but 4 cores instead of 2

DemonOfTheFall

I think the inbuilt Intel matrix raid chip does RAID 5. Not sure how good or bad it is though...

Dempsey

Seasonic S12 Powersupply 600W €160
http://www.komplett.ie/k/ki.asp?sku=314759

ASUS P5W DH Deluxe Digital Home Series €237.99
http://www.komplett.ie/k/ki.asp?sku=321774

ZALMAN ZM CNPS9500 LED - processor cooler €62
http://www.komplett.ie/k/ki.asp?sku=312473

2Gb DDR2 PC-6400 Platinum XTC Series Dual Channel kit - OCZ €278
http://www.shop4memory.com/products/ddr2.asp

Thermaltake Kandalf Black, Aluminium Front, Super tower (Without PSU) €175
http://www.komplett.ie/k/ki.asp?sku=310552

4 x Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 320GB SATA2 16MB 7200RPM €420.08
http://www.komplett.ie/k/ki.asp?sku=320709

What do people think of the case selection? I dont to move it very often so it can be heavy.

I'll need a SATA2 RAID 5 controller. Anyone have any suggestions

I'm still trying to catch up on the memory market. Is the selection correct. Is it forward compatible with the Kentsfield?

I forgot to mention a high performance DVD -/+ RW and a DVD ROM drive.

Psycopat

Memory is fine for the x6800 and ill assume it works with kentsfield but not sure...
case looks good, plenty of room.

awhir

im am selling a cm stacker (by far the most popular case on this forums)

you should look inta it.

PogMoThoin

Pls read what i said bout Thermaltake cases here: http://boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2054992205
Kandalf is the same as the armour only with a different front. Be prepared to modify it to stop the front rattling. I also cut out the mesh from behind the exhaust fan & changed all fans.

All else is fine. Good choices.
What gpu? No onboard graphics, so you need Pci-e gpu.

Snake Plisken

Hey Dempsey the VSP isn't available to us plebs yet! Stacker Case is the way to go, excellent case for future upgrades (watercooling, second power supply etc). Let me know if you get hit with the import duties and how much they are?

Cheers

Snake

Dempsey

Thanks for your input lads.

I'm going to look at more cases, as I'm concerned about the rattling. What are screwless design's like, are they compatible with all parts?

I havent picked a GPU yet, im still looking at parts, i'm just posting here once I've made my selection.

If you have any sort of advice, please post it. I'm open to any suggestion.

I'm a little worried about Seagate, just about every hard drive I've used in the past has been Western Digital and I think they are solid even though i've had one raptor fail on me in the past. So how reliable are these .10's?

gline

L31mr0d wrote:

Really? I have a few friends that work over at intel in Leixlip and they never mentioned that deal. Are only certain employees given this discount? Sorry if its OT

yeh this is true from what i heard from a husband of an intel worker who works here...they get great deals

Dempsey

Intel Core 2 Extreme X6800 €500

Seasonic S12 Powersupply 600W €160
http://www.komplett.ie/k/ki.asp?sku=314759

ASUS P5W DH Deluxe Digital Home Series €237.99
http://www.komplett.ie/k/ki.asp?sku=321774

ZALMAN ZM CNPS9500 LED - processor cooler €62
http://www.komplett.ie/k/ki.asp?sku=312473

2Gb DDR2 PC-6400 Platinum XTC Series Dual Channel kit - OCZ €278
http://www.shop4memory.com/products/ddr2.asp

Thermaltake Kandalf Black, Aluminium Front, Super tower (Without PSU) €175
http://www.komplett.ie/k/ki.asp?sku=310552

4 x Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 320GB SATA2 16MB 7200RPM €420.08
http://www.komplett.ie/k/ki.asp?sku=320709BenQ

BenQ DVD±RW burner DW1655, 16x, Dual, LightScribe, Black, OEM €48
http://www.komplett.ie/k/ki.asp?sku=316659

LG DVD Drive, GDR-8164RBB, 16x52, Black OEM €20.50
http://www.komplett.ie/k/ki.asp?sku=119228

Current Total

€1901.57

I'm still wondering if I really need a DVD-ROM Drive...

Still looking at GFX Cards, I would like a Geforce 7950GT2 or Radeon X1950XTX but I'm worried that I would not get value for money on them.

Still Looking for:
1. SATA2 RAID 5 Controller (Do I really need one? Do I really need RAID 5? Should I just use RAID 0?)
2. Graphics Gard (Looking for High Performance but value for money aswell)
3. Sound Card?? (Is the onboard sound good enough)

Which is the better chipset P965 or i975X. I thought I read on Tom's hardware somewhere that the 965 is actually newer or something??

PogMoThoin

Didnt mean to put you off about the case. Its a fine case with great airflow, very light, loadsa space & looks deadly. The "rattle" is easy sort out, 2mins is all it takes. I just cut an ordinary sticky fixer in half & stuck it behind the hinge. Don't even know if kandalf will rattle as the front is different. I changed the fans for ones that were just as noisy but had higher cfm & i turn them down when not needed. I'd also class myself as an extreme oc'er & i'm always pushing silicon to extreme temps (must invest in some good w/cing) which is why i cut the mesh behind the exhaust fan, added an extra 120mm fan in front & removed the black dust guard in the front bezels.
The case is probably fine for your needs, I'm just picky
Pog

Edit: its not the hd cage that rattles its the 2 doors (armour). It's these hinges that rattle, Look:

I screwed all 51/2" drives in place, it just says screwless, you can still screw them. Also the fans aren't that noisy, my psu is louder, but you can't control them with a controller cos they have a different connection (4pin hd dongle & single controller wire). The kandalf will probably meet your needs perfectly. I'm happy with my armour.

Psycopat

graphix ati 1800xt 256 mb from overclockers about 120 stg i think

Dempsey

Intel Core 2 Extreme X6800 €500

Seasonic S12 Powersupply 600W €160
http://www.komplett.ie/k/ki.asp?sku=314759

ASUS P5W DH Deluxe Digital Home Series €237.99
http://www.komplett.ie/k/ki.asp?sku=321774

ZALMAN ZM CNPS9500 LED - processor cooler €62
http://www.komplett.ie/k/ki.asp?sku=312473

2Gb DDR2 PC-6400 Platinum XTC Series Dual Channel kit - OCZ €278
http://www.shop4memory.com/products/ddr2.asp

HIS ATI Radeon X1900 XT-X ICEQ 3 SILENT Heatpipe 512MB GDDR3 AVIVO €369
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/acatalog/X1900_Series.html#aGX_2d052_2dHT

Akasa Eclipse 62 Aluminium Case & Window €145
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/acatalog/Akasa_Cases.html#aBU_2d000_2dAK

4 x Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 320GB SATA2 16MB 7200RPM €420.08
http://www.komplett.ie/k/ki.asp?sku=320709BenQ

BenQ DVD±RW burner DW1655, 16x, Dual, LightScribe, Black, OEM €48
http://www.komplett.ie/k/ki.asp?sku=316659

LG DVD Drive, GDR-8164RBB, 16x52, Black OEM €20.50
http://www.komplett.ie/k/ki.asp?sku=119228

Total:
€2240.57

My wallet is starting to cry

I'm still trying to make my mind up, looking at reviews at stuff. These are the front runners. So any advice is good advice

DemonOfTheFall

The graphics card is a waste of money really, I got an X1900XT from overclockers for 80 euro less than that a few weeks ago.

Your RAM is also a waste of money, I got a GeiL kit that runs the same speeds for 60 euro less from overclockers aswell. Besides, RAM running at those MHz and those timings is just a waste of money, theres no real performance increase.

You could drop to a 500Watt powersupply to save 40 euro aswel if you wanted.

If you got 2x NEC DVD-RW drives instead of the BenQ and the LG youd have an extra burner for the same price.

BKtje

Besides, RAM running at those MHz and those timings is just a waste of money, theres no real performance increase.

Unless you plan to overclock the fsb cos then you want the extra freedom.
A 500w seasonic would probably power that seeing as the cpu takes a lot less than other cpu's. That said, psu's are one thing i'd never skimp on.

PogMoThoin

There's little or no difference in ram until you oc. Timings make no difference with intel. Read this: http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/memory/display/core2duo-memory-guide.html
At stock there's no difference between 533Mhz, 667Mhz or 800Mhz, its only when you oc that there is then a slight difference. Faster ram will give you headroom when you oc, but you got unlocked multi & don't need to push the fsb as much as you can up the multiplier.

Must i say it again................ gskill pc6400 hz. No probs for that ram to hit well over 1000mhz. I can't get my ocz (what your intending to buy) faster than 900ish. Trust me

DemonOfTheFall

Yeah, but he is already getting a motherboard with dividers lower than 1:1.

Even without lower dividers who needs CL4 PC6400 ? you could get CL5 for 80 quid less.

even some decent PC-5300 which might manage PC-6400 would do him fine.

DDR-800 = 400 Mhz FSB. Thats 3.6 Ghz if we're talking about an E6600!

PogMoThoin

DemonOfTheFall wrote:

Yeah, but he is already getting a motherboard with dividers lower than 1:1.

Even without lower dividers who needs CL4 PC6400 ? you could get CL5 for 80 quid less.

even some decent PC-5300 which might manage PC-6400 would do him fine.

DDR-800 = 400 Mhz FSB. Thats 3.6 Ghz if we're talking about an E6600!

:rolleyes: Quite right

Dempsey

DemonOfTheFall wrote:

Yeah, but he is already getting a motherboard with dividers lower than 1:1.

Even without lower dividers who needs CL4 PC6400 ? you could get CL5 for 80 quid less.

even some decent PC-5300 which might manage PC-6400 would do him fine.

DDR-800 = 400 Mhz FSB. Thats 3.6 Ghz if we're talking about an E6600!

Could you make a recommendation?

DemonOfTheFall

Sorry, maybe I was a bit rash slating the price of that RAM. It seems to have skyrocketed in the last 3 weeks since I ordered my rig.

I got GeiL PC-6400 CAS-4 2Gig kit for about 225 euro from Overclockers then. It seems that you are looking at the 275+ range for that kind of RAM these days.

OcUk are doing an X1800XT for 195 euro and a X1900XT 256Meg for about 250 Euro though. If you're trying to cut costs a bit on your build you wouldnt lose much going to the x1900xt and putting the 120 euro you save away for your next upgrade.

Dempsey

My next upgrade will be along way away I reckon.

Is 512Mb on a GFX worth that much in performance?

I'm just looking for 2Gb of DDR2 RAM that will overclock a small bit for me.

Yes I would love to keep the costs down. Also Ignore special offers, I dunno if I'll get my orders in this week. Should I?

BigEejit

I can also recommend overclockers ...
I got an abit ab9 pro, 2GB Geil PC6400 ram, 150GB raptor, e6600, OCZ 600watt psu and a 7900GS next day (although i do live in the UK now) ... didnt have to RMA anything though ... when I next get the chance to sneak purchases past the wife I'll get a new cooler for the cpu (to overclock a bit better) and a few more bits and bobs

Dempsey

Whats OCUK's delivery charge for irish customers now?