Dear friends on TH,

I want to buy a new PC within a month. Because I'm not rich or something I spend the last few months reading as much articles on TH forumz (and some dutch computer sites)as possible to create a cheap, but good gaming PC, wich I can upgrade during the next few years. Because I'm going to buy an OEM version of Vista with it I found out that it's better to spend some more money on the Mobo and overclock a cheap CPU which I can upgrade in about a year or so. To make my dreams come true I want to buy a cheap Core 2 Due E4300 and overclock it.
The question is:
The E4300 has a corespeed of 1800 Mhz and a FSB of 800 Mhz. If I want to overclock the FSB to 1066 Mhz (the same as his big brothers have) the corespeed will go to around 2400 Mhz, which I think is great. I found some memory for 90 Euro's:Corsair 2x1GB DDR2 SDRAM PC5400 CL4.0 TwinX. Will I be able to perform this overclock with this memory or should I find some PC6400 (or maybe change processor to E4400 or something else). I also read that the system performance will go up when the memory speed runs synchronal (difficult word, sorry if it's spelled wrong, I'm Dutch) with the CPU speed. Can someone give any information about that? Any advise on the Mobo would be welcome too. I was thicking of an Mobo with an ASUS P5N-E because it can handle a FSB of 1333 Mhz, or maybe a P35 chipset. Please help.
ps. If the overclock will need voltage increasement I will not do it because I don't know anythinf about that.

Well I started out like you

Being a fraid to OC but its not that hard

Well from what I know Memory stands always in the way of an OC so most people just don’t mess with it they just underclock memory so your better off getting a hi clock memory like the ddr2 6400 so you can run it at stock speed or underclocked it a bit

So don’t let memory scare you just get a good speeded memory

Corsair is a very good memory I personally like HyperX from Kingston (im just a fan cause I know corsair is better)

And if you have a bit more to spend I recommend the E6420 with the 4mb cache
You will have to spend like 70dlls more but it’s a nice overclocker

Regarding Vcore its all about luck I guess you never know if your CPU will OC better than the other and its not that big of a deal as long as you stay below most ppl raise Vcore to 1.4 to OC there CPU’s

That MOBO sounds good but I would rethink about the CPU if you don’t want to OC that much

You can get the E6420 to 2.8 with out messing with the Vcore some people get it hier

And a brand CPU cooler its always good insurance for your CPU life

Zalman 9700 is my champion on that one (I like looks on a PC)

Hope this info helps don’t get to bored he he


:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Intel Core 2 Duo 6420 @ 3000mhz 375x8 1.38Vcore
Zalman 9700 (18-27c idle up to 34c load) NICE!!
1GB Kit HyperX DDR2 6400 @ 735MHZ Dual Channel 2.0v
Asus P5WDH DELUXE Digital home
WD 250GB SATAII 16MB buffer
ATI Radeon X1900XT 512MB Zalman VF-900CU (35-40c idle 45-50 load)
Enermax Noisetaker 701AX 600W
Lite-On DVD-RW 16x SATA
Sound Blaster Audigy 4 7.1
Logitech X-550 5.1 speaker system


AMD 64bit X2 4600+ @ 2.65 HTT 1319mhz!! Stable!!
1GB kit Kingston Valueram 667mhz
Asus M2R32-MVP AMD 580X CrossFire Chipset+ATI™ SB600
Maxtor 250GB SATAII 16MB Buffer
2 ATI X1600XT Crossfired 256MB
Plextor DVD-RW 16x

Now, I'm in the U.S. so I don't know what prices and availability are like in your country. The E4300 should OC to ~3.0 GHz at stock Vcore or a little higher. Hell, I've seen 3.0 GHz undervolted! Don't be afraid of slight Vcore adjustments, just don't go over 1.4 and you have nothing to worry about. Wusy has a nice starter guide for C2D overclocking stickied at the top of this forum section, read there first. I recommend an E4300, a nice 965P-DS3 or 650/680 motherboard and DDR2-800 RAM. With good cooling, like the Tuniq Tower or Thermaltake Ultra 120 (and high speed fan), 3.0 GHz is easy. Set the FSB to 334 and let her rip.

Thank you all for your reactions,

The thing with overclocking is I don't know anything about changing voltages and I don't have anyone to support me with that (except for you guys). I just want to overclock the E4300 slightly by changing settings in BIOS. This is the only thing I have experience in with my Pentium 4 2800 Mhz.
I am going to order the PC within a week (the midrange ATI DirectX 10 cards benchmarks should be available this week, if not I will not wait any more for them).
I am not looking for a E6320 CPU. I know it is faster for just a little more money, but as I have said I am buying Windows Vista OEM version. If I spend the difference between the E6320 and the E4300 on a better motherboard (which can handle 1333 Mhz FSB) I will be able to upgrade the PC better.
I currently have a Pentium 4 2800 Mhz (Northwood with 533 Mhz FSB) so I think the E4300 will be a huge upgrade, even when not overcocked. The point is, next year, when my bankaccount has recovered, I am willing to upgrade the PC with a new CPU. So the overclocked E4300 must be able to survive until then.
Could any of you tell me if it is better to buy PC6400 with cl5 or PC5400 with cl4 if I want to overclock the E4300=

Thanks for the reactions until now.

Don't be afraid of voltage change. It is a bios setting like the fsb change. You shouldn't need to raise the voltage for the kind of overclock you are thinking though.

The Gigabyte 965 DS3 supports officialy 1333Mhz, but almost all mobos can handle at least 1600 (an fsb of 400). Maybe you should think of buying a P35 mobo that supports DDR2 and DDR3 if the price difference is not big, instead of buying a E6320 or E6420, especially if you will need to upgrade CPU in one year.

You will see a big difference, even with the E4300, even at stock speeds, you are right.

PC5400 (667Mhz) is enough for the kind of overclock you are aiming at, especially if it has a stock voltage of 1.8V and is CL4. Some would say that PC6400 (800 Mhz) memory with a CL5 and demanding more than 1.8V is just factory overclocked memory. You should be able to do the same overclock with your 5400 CL4 1.8V memory, when you will need it. In most cases running FSB and memory synchronously is faster than having the memory run at higher than FSB speeds (asynchronously).

Good luck.

i can vouch for this i got it @ 3.0 @ 1.29v, and as they said 5400 memories should be more than enough for the kind of overclock your tryin to get, and if u wanna run ur fsb:ram 1:1 then it would be a waste to get 6400, e4300 are a beautiful peace of art

I'll chime in the other way on RAM, as DDR2-800 is marginally more expensive than 667 and will be useful in your next CPU upgrade. If the price is about the same, get the faster RAM, it can always underclock to 1:1 with the FSB. If you get brave and decide to take the CPU to 3.2 GHz (400FSB and 8x multi) the extra speed of the 800 will come in handy. Stay away from RAM that needs high voltage to reach it's rated speed, 1.8v should be enough for it's stock speed, which leaves room for overclocking the RAM over 800 in the future if you REALLY want to go for broke. As for timings I don't pay too much attention to them, they don't have a very large impact on overall performance. If you have the money to burn and want the fastest computer you can build then lower timings will buy you that precious 2% FPS increase, but for the rest of us rational people it isn't worth the money to pay for tighter timings. As for the P35 boards, the DDR3 option is very attractive, although I've never been much for those "in-between" boards, but I'm not sure they are cost effective. Look at them, see if you can afford one, but they aren't necessary.

Ok, I just checked in at the website of the store in which I am going to order my PC and they changed a few things.
The memory I wanted now takes 6 to 10 days to deliver so I searched for some other memory. Anyone has experience with TWINMOS? I found 2 x 1GB PC 6400 CL5 for 70 euro's. It's probably not as good as Kingston or Corsair, but for this price I can put 4 GB in my PC.
The second thing they changed was the price of the graphics card, an ATI 1950 PRO from Saphire. It went up from 140 euro´s to 197 euro´s. As a replacement I found the same card from Powercolor. I know this topic is for overclocking but does anyone konw anything about this manufacturer. The card is only 125 euro´s.

Thanks so far

what os r u using? as far as i know xp doesnt take advantage of anything over 3 gigs, and u wont prolly wont notice the diff between 2-3 gigs of ram... i dunno about the twinmoss... how bout u link us to the memories n the video card ur gettin, powercolor ive heard of em in the past but im not sure how reliable they are

This is the videocard Powercolor
and this is the memory
Twinmos

The memory is OK, so is the video card from Powercolor. Powercolor used to be a second rate manufacturer but in the last 2 years it has offered great products at very attractive prices. Here in Greece, the same card still costs about 170 euros. So my advice is: Go for it! And if you don't plan on using a 64 bit OS stay with 2 gigs and get that P35 mobo with the savings. It is only 30 euros more expensive than the 965 DS3 and it offers support for both DDR2 and DDR3 which will be very handy in the not so far future. It also offers support for all newer C2Ds, even the 45nm Penryns that will appear at end of the year, so why buy older tech since the difference is so small?

http://www.gigabyte.com.tw/Product [...] uctID=2551
http://www.complus.nl/ice.cgi?a_ss [...] 0P35%20ATX

Good luck with anything you choose!

I couldn't pass up a corsair 2gb 675 kit despite already having a 1gb 800mhz kit. Most 667mhz DDR2 will do what you want and give you the room to push your OC. You don't have to go 8x400 for 3.2. Try 9x356 with a multiplier of 2 (1:1) and your memory will be at 712mhz (Just about any set of 667mhz memory can do that)

Dear friends,

I ordered my new PC last week. Because the shop does not have all the components in store, it's a little delayed, but it will probably be ready this week.
This is what I am gonna get:
Antec Sonata III,Black (has a 500W powersupply which can come in handy when I upgrade the graphics card in the future)
Intel Core 2 Duo, E4300, Socket 775, Boxed (I wanted this one from the beginning)
TwinMos Memory Kit, 2048 MB, DDR2, PC6400 (OK memory according to you guys, and very cheap)
Western Digital Caviar SE16, 320 GB, 7200 RPM. (a harddrive is a harddrive)
Sapphire Radeon X1950 Pro, 256 MB, GDDR3, (the shop I am going to buy the PC does not have the Powercolor, but this one is 140 Euro's so)
Asus DRW1814BLT, Serial ATA150, Black, (with Lightscribe, great!)
Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium 32bit, NL (I just don't like DOS)
GigaByte GA-P35-DS3R,Retail (cheap and read very good reviews about it, also supports 45nm processors)

Now I will wait till I have the comp. at home, take a look at the BIOS and then probably consult you again...
All this had cost me a little less then 800 Euro's, not bad I think.

Thank you all for your advise...

Dear friends,

I've got my computer for a few weeks now.
The GigaByte GA-P35-DS3R is great! Overclocking is so easy...
But I do have another quiestion.
The CPU is overclocked to 2.4 GHz, but the memory is still 800 Mhz.
Is it possible to make the memory go 1:1 with the CPU (or is it already).
Also I would like to know if it would hurt if I overclock the CPU further...

Ps. the system works great... Azareus is open full time and the PC doesn't slow down when I perform other application such as games.
Games work great.. I play Medieval II Total War and am able to turn on ALL features and got no slowdowns.

Thank all for the advise...