My Core 2 Duo build

NI_t3n_IChi_RYU

New Member
Ok this pc will be purely for gaming. Got about 700 pounds to spend just on the pc (no monitor, mice, keyboard is needed)

CPU

Intel Core 2 DUO E6400 "LGA775 Allendale" 2.13GHz (1066FSB) - Retail

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Motherboard

Asus P5B (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard

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RAM

GeIL 1GB (2x512MB) PC5300 667MHz Value DDR2 Dual Channel Kit

(Is this enough to be playing the top games on?)

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GPU

BFG GeForce 7600 GT OC 256MB GDDR3 TV-Out/Dual DVI (PCI-Express) - Retail

  • GeForce 7600 GT Core running at 580MHz
  • 256MB GDDR3 Extreme Memory running at 1450MHz
  • 12 Pixel Pipelines

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PSU

OCZ ModStream 450w ATX2.2 Power Supply

+3.3V(28A), +5V(45A), +12V(26A) (Is this enough power to be running the system on?)

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Soundcard

Creative Sound Blaster Audigy SE 7.1 Sound Card - OEM

  • 7.1 surround output
  • 24-bit/96kHz audio resolution
  • 100dB signal to noise ratio
  • EAX ADVANCED HD 3.0 support for gaming
  • CMSS up-mixes stereo content to 7.1 surround

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HDD

Western Digital Caviar SE16 250GB 2500KS SATA-II 16MB Cache - OEM

  • Rotational Speed: 7,200 RPM
  • Average Read Seek Time: 8.9 ms

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DVD Drive

LG GSA-H10NBAL 16x16 DVD±RW Dual Layer ReWriter (Black) - OEM

  • DVD+R: 16x, DVD-R: 16x
  • DVD+R DL: 8x, DVD-R DL: 4x
  • DVD+RW: 8x, DVD-RW: 6x
  • DVD-ROM Read: 16x
  • DVD-RAM: 12x
  • CD-R Write: 48x
  • CD-RW Write 32x
  • CD Read: 48x
  • Access time: 145ms
  • Buffer Size: 2MB

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Case

Thermaltake VB1000BNS Soprano SuperMidi Tower - Black



I put it all in a shopping basket on www.overclockers.co.uk to see how much it comes to:

Total : £670.27

Few questions tho. I mite think about putting in water cooling because i like my pc extremely quiet, ive heard this is quieter than fans etc. I will upgrade ram to 2gb wen i get enough money. Will it simply be a case of buying that exact same ram again and putting it into my pc? (so ill have 4 sticks of ram is this a problem)

Will upgrade gpu wen 7900's get cheaper just havent got the money atm to get 1. Will the psu be able to handle it. Im saying that i will upgrade these things but it wont be for a good 6 months so dont suggest just saving up more and getting them:)

Want to play BF 2142, HL2, CS:S, FEAR

Basically the top games.

Oh ye and i plan to overclock the cpu a lil bit. Also is there watercooling avaliable for the C2D chip yet?

Thx for your time and feedback in advance :)
 
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1GB is to little for most games now, I'd really recomend going for 2GB.

There is watercooling for Conroes, but Conroes run so cool it is pointless to spend all that money on watercooling.
 
1GB is to little for most games now, I'd really recomend going for 2GB.

There is watercooling for Conroes, but Conroes run so cool it is pointless to spend all that money on watercooling.

i wont bother with the water cooling then, ill just invest in some zalman silent coolers.

So with the 2gb of ram shud i aim for the same:

PC5300 667MHz

or do u think i need to go higher? Or is 2 gb at that frequency ok?
 
If you are planning on overclocking, DDR2 800 is a must, because once you get up to FSB 400 then the extra Mhz really helps.
 
If you are planning on overclocking, DDR2 800 is a must, because once you get up to FSB 400 then the extra Mhz really helps.

havent really got the money for 2gb 800, im not doin anything extreme with the overclocking , just increasing the core speed a little.

Wot do u mean with the fsb 400 extra mhz helps, dont understand it. Im a noob wen it coms to o/c btw :D
 
When you overclock, you don't just overclock the processor - you overclock the CPU, RAM and Motherboard (If I'm correct?).

FSB (Front Side Bus) is used in overclocking also. If you own a 2.0GHz computer, the FSB might be 10x200 (or whatever). Overclocking pushes it higher, pushing it to higher heights.

Although if you don't know much about overclocking, I suggest you get some training first!
 
If it's purely for gaming, then get a 7900gt, it should fit into your budget (~$1300). Unless you have nice speakers and want great sound, integrated should be fine for you (seeing your other parts aren't that great, including the 2gb pc5300 ram).
 
If you are planning on overclocking, DDR2 800 is a must, because once you get up to FSB 400 then the extra Mhz really helps.

High speed memory is good, but DDR2-800 is exactly the same thing as DDR2-667, except it has higher timings and requires a higher voltage. A rookie can easily get DDR2-667 or 533 to run at DDR2-800 rated speeds.
 
[-0MEGA-];432206 said:
High speed memory is good, but DDR2-800 is exactly the same thing as DDR2-667, except it has higher timings and requires a higher voltage. A rookie can easily get DDR2-667 or 533 to run at DDR2-800 rated speeds.
For gaming, 2 gigs I agree is a must. 2 gigs DDR2 (2 dimms) at 544mhz (I think) is what I have.
 
just got back from work. Thx for all your input so far.

Havent got enough money for a 7900gt. already pushing my limit by getting 2 gb of ram. As som1 said GeiL is a crap ram make can som1 plz show me a ram that i shud get, 2gb and nothing over 150 pounds plz.

As Jet pointed out about downgrading to a e6300 and getting better ram. Is this a wise decision??

Or as OMEGA said a rookie can get 667 ram to 800 quite easily shud i go this route.

To leetkyle i know the very basics of overclocking, im sure it will be easy in bios , jsut up the core clock speed until heat is ok and its run stable without crashing right?

To didyouknowthat : Im a dj so listening back to my mixes wud be good, also i listen to a lot of music and watch films etc on my pc, so i will be investing in som speakers at a later stage. The sound shud do me fine for that right, plus it doesnt cost a lot :)
 
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Corsair makes awesome memory,dont know where to find you a link for UK prices though.OCZ is okay and so is Kingston,but i'd look into Corsair,and downgrading would be a well thought decision,because the e6300 is still a kick ass processor and is very cheap and has the ability to overclock like crazy just like its bigger brothers.I'd suggest it and using the money for ram and other touchups.
 
ok so getting the e6300 wouldnt be a major step down would it??

Would i still be able to play the latest games?

How about this for my new ram

Corsair 2GB DDR2 XMS2-5400C4 TwinX (2x1GB) - £152.74

is the 5400 enough, the 2gb stuff is so expensive :(
 
Yea, over here in the US the price for 2GB of Dual channel DDR2 800 went up ~$50 from a few weeks ago :(.
 
I'm not sure if its a problem with your motherboard, but I know alot of people run into problems with DDR2-800 RAM. Reason being because DDR2-800 just has higher timings and increased voltages, that some motherboards can't give what certain sticks of memory require in order to operate at DDR2-800 speeds.
 
im getting the 667mhz corsair, havent got the money for 800mhz. Can any recommend a good motherboard for overclocking, or is my one ok for it

getting the e6300 wouldnt be a major step down would it??

Would i still be able to play the latest games?
 
getting the e6300 wouldnt be a major step down would it??

Would i still be able to play the latest games?

It wouldn't be that dramatic of a step, but you would deffinetly notice the difference.

And yes, you could play the latest games very well with any Core 2 Duo chip.
 
ok cool, ill think about the e6300 if money is real tight :)


Wot wud see a better increase int eh quality of my games

cheaper cpu (say the e6300) and a geforce 7900gt

OR

better cpu (e6400) and a geforce 7600gt


??
 
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