Gomeler.com

Hardware Recommendations

05.09.06 - 05:31pm

Lots of websites write Price guides and recommendation guides, but none of them focus primarily on the overclocking
scene. My mantra for overclocking is “Cheap, Fast and Stable” so with those wise words said, lets jump into this guide
headfirst.

AMD

Starting with AMD, to me the choice is very clear. While AMD will be releasing AM2 this June, AM2 will not add any
noticeable performance increases. These two reviews, one at Anandtech and the other at Toms Hardware Guide, both show that AM2 will offer a slight performance bump, but something on the margin of 1% to 5% in gaming performance. Considering howthis performance bump comes with the requirement of a new motherboard, new memory and a new processor, this is a hefty requirement. If you are dead set on buying AMD, I would not wait around for AM2, s939 is a very stable platform with much to offer in stability and performance.

Processor


Processor Name Code name Price Cores Speed L2 Cache
Athlon 64 3200+ Venice $156 Single 2.0 512KB
Athlon 64 3500+ Venice $195 Single 2.2 512KB
Opteron 146 Venus $210 Single 2.0 1MB
Athlon 64 3700+ San Diego $220 Single 2.2 1MB
Opteron 148 Venus $259 Single 2.2 1MB
Athlon 64 X2 3800 Toledo $293 Dual 2.0 512KB
Opteron 165 Denmark $327 Dual 1.8 1MB


Here I have provide a quick breakdown of the various s939 processors I will be discussing. These chips represent the
mid-range processors offered by AMD. Mid-range processors usually land right in the sweet spot between performance and price
while maintaining a decent headroom for overclocking. In general AMD processors have no problem reaching between 2.5 and 2.6
GHz so in general it comes down to Cache and how extreme your cooling solution is. In my case, with phase cooling and proper
overclocking techniques I would snag the 3700+ with 1 MB of cache and 11x multiplier. With enough voltage and a stable
enough board 3.0GHz would be possible with suicide shots above 3.2GHz. For those on a lower budget I would suggest grabbing
the 3200+, while it only has 512KB of Cache, the 10x multiplier still makes 3.0GHz possible. I have listed two dual core
processors on this guide, the x2 3800+ and the 165. Of the two I would get the 3800, even though it lacks the 1MB of cache
that is on the 165, it has a higher multiplier and a lower price. That extra cache won’t provide too much extra performance,
equivalent to about 100 MHz or so if I were to make an educated guess.

Recommendation
Lower: 3200+ @ $156
Chris: 3700+ @ $220
Upper: x2 3800+ @ $293

Motherboard


Manufacturer Name Price
Abit AT8 32x $178
Asus A8N32-SLI $189
Asus A8R32-MVP $186
DFI LANParty nf4-D $116
DFI LANParty CFX3200-DR $214
MSI K8N Diamond $189
Epox 9NPAJ SLI $102


The s939 platform has been around for a few years and most of the bugs have been worked out of the motherboards. In
general your choice in motherboard will determine how high your maximum overclock will be and how stable your system will
be. Here I haven’t shown which boards are SLI, CrossFire, or neither since budget overclocking wouldn’t include dual video
cards. If you are certain you won’t be needing SLI, I would recommend one of DFI’s LANParty nf4 boards, just choose the one
with the options you want. I personally like the plain nf4-D, even though it lacks features, it runs for $116 and can
maintain the same clocks as the more expensive SLI-DR. The boards that I have mentioned above have all been proven to hold
300+ FSB and all provide decent voltage supports to help with your overclocking endeavors. Choose a board that’ll fit in
your price range and you’ll be happy. Just a note on why I listed the CFX3200-DR, this new board from DFI improves on
everything provide in the nf4 LANParty boards with even higher tolerances for overclocking. Capable of supporting a 1500 HTT
speeds with 1.88vmax on the CPU, you can push your processor as hard as it can handle. However this board has so many
features and functions that I wouldn’t recommend it someone new to overclocking.

Recommendation
Lower: 9NPAJ SLI @ $102
Chris: nf4-D @ $116
Upper: CFX3200-DR @ $214

Memory


Manufacturer Name Price
OCZ 3200 Platinum Rev2 $155
OCZ 4000 VX Gold $200
Crucial PC3200 Ballistix $122
Mushkin Redline XP4000 $216
Corsair TwinX1024-4400C25 $200


The memory modules that I have shown above are all high quality memory modules that are capable of operating at very high
frequencies with decent timings. While it is possible to use memory dividers to keep your memory from being your limiting
factor, with these modules it is possible to run your FSB and memory at a 1:1 speed, meaning you will achieve optimal
performance. Besides running 1:1 you will also net an increase in bandwidth which surely can’t hurt your system. Just one
note, some modules require 3.0+ volts to achieve their rated performance, the 4000 VX and Redline being two on this list.
Make sure the motherboard you choose is compatible with the memory module you choose. Here you either choose between low
voltage and looser timings or high voltage and tight timings, but either way the performance will be much better than DDR400.
The prices that I have mentioned above are for matched 512MB sticks to be used in dual channel mode.

Recommendation
Lower: Ballistix PC3200 @ $122
Chris: Platinum Rev2 PC3200 @ $155
Upper:Redline XP4000 @ $216

That wraps up the AMD side of things, with three options to choose from including my personal choice, hopefully that’ll
help if anyone is deciding on going AMD. Now onto Intel and the myriad of problems caused by their recent processors.

Intel

Unlike AMD, Intel’s soon to be released Conroe and Merom will pack quite a punch. We are talking a monumental stride
forward in computing, Conroe will destroy most previous records, especially when thrown under extreme phase cooling or LN2.
Unlike AMD where DDR is still useful, if you are upgrading from a DDR based system you will need to toss your memory as it
will be useless. As of right now, people aren’t very sure if the 975x chipset will support Conroe or not, Intel says it
will, modders with engineering samples say it doesn’t, so nobody has a definitive answer. The BadAxe Intel board has been
shown running a Conroe so of all the boards I’d say you have your best chance buying a BadAxe and hoping it doesn’t need a
hardware revision, otherwise just wait till Conroe releases this summer. Besides Conroe and Merom, you have the mobile chips
to deal with, you can buy a Yonah motherboard and hopefully they will support Merom with no hardware revisions, of all the
platforms, Yonah to Merom seems the most probable.

Processors


Processor Name Code name Price Cores Speed L2 Cache
Pentium D 805 Smithfield $130 Dual 2.66 1MB
Pentium 4 631 Cedar Mill $179 Single 3.0 2MB
Pentium D 930 Presler $216 Dual 3.0 2MB
Pentium 4 641 Cedar Mill $220 Single 3.2 2MB
Core Duo T2300 Yonah $242 Dual 1.667 1MB
Pentium D 940 Presler $256 Dual 3.2 2MB
Pentium 4 651 Cedar Mill $278 Single 3.4 2MB


Unlike AMD, Intel has relatively cheap dual core processors which in most cases aren’t severely limited in overclocking
headroom. Now the only problem with Intel is the various platforms that are releasing and have been released. The Pentiums
operate in the LGA775 socket and might possibly be electrically compatible with Conroe while the Core Duo operate in Socket
479 and most likely will be electrically compatible with Merom. So here you need to decide between 479 and 775. If going
with with 479 you have one chip to choose from, the T2300. I couldn’t find any T2400 chips online and I won’t be linking to
chips for sale in forums, but if you want one, search around and you can find one. With LGA775 there are many more choices
with different qualities. I personally like the 805. This cheap processor has been shown to overclock up past 4.5GHz with
the proper cooling and a decent motherboard. I would highly suggest sticking with a dual core Intel chip unless you want to
try and break processor speed and SuperPI records. The dual core Pentiums tend to max out a few hundred MHz lower than the
single core, but you should remember that you have two cores running at high speed rather than one.

Recommendation
Lower: Pentium D 805 @ $130
Chris: Pentium D 805 @ $130
Upper: Core Duo T2300 @ $242 or Pentium D 930 @ $216

Motherboard


Manufacturer Name Price
Asus P5N32-SLI $198
Asus P5WD2-E $181
Asus P5WD2 $160
Intel D975XBX $235
Gigabyte GA-G1975X $230
AOpen i975Xa-YDG $298


To be honest I don’t know much about the Intel platform but I am slowly learning. In regards to the Core Duo platform
you really have one choice, the i975Xa-YDG. This board is the only enthusiast board that I know of that supports Core Duo.
In regards to LGA775, basically choose a board that have the features that you want and fits into your price range. There
really isn’t much to say about the boards that I have mentioned, they are all solid performers and should hold up rather well
when overclocked. One note about Conroe support, of all the boards that will be capable of supporting Conroe, the Intel
D975XBX would be your only semi-solid bet.

Memory


Manufacturer Name Price
OCZ EL PC2-8000 XTC $484
OCZ EL Platinum 6400 $130
Mushkin XP2 PC2-5300 $184
Crucial Ballistix PC2-5300 $150
Crucial Ballistix PC2-6400 $140


First off, the first memory module is a 2×1GB kit, but I thought I’d include it because it is very special. To start with,
DDR2 kits tend to be slightly cheaper than DDR kits as you can see above. Any of these kits will do you just fine, I would
suggest finding something that offers the performance you need for the price you are willing to pay. The reason I included
the XTC was due to its ability to hits DDR2-1066 speeds at decent timings. When overclocking a Pentium, all the way up to a
FSB of 1066, the XTC will be able to keep up with you, giving you 1:1 performance with great timings. However it costs 30%
per gigabyte as compared to the other kits I have shown. Of the kits that I have shown, all of them are great performers, so
take your pick or search around online for other memory kits.

Recommendation
Lower: EL Platinum 6400 @ $130
Chris: Ballistix PC2-6400 @140
Upper: XP2 PC2-5300

That wraps up the Intel side of this review, there are a lot of choices to be made and a very uncertain future. Unless you
have money to blow or are going with Yonah, you are probably better off waiting till Conroe releases and the dust clears.

Video Cards


Manufacturer Name Memory Price
Sapphire X1600XT 256MB $160
HIS X1800GTO 256MB $237
eVGA 7900GT 256MB $280
EVGA 7600GT 256MB $180


With video cards it almost never pays to be behind the technology curve. However when making a selection with video cards you must remember that you pay for what you get. All I can say is that buy the best performing card you can afford at the moment, do not skimp on your video card, especially if you plan on playing games on anything larger than 800×600 screens.
However don’t forget about SLI and Crossfire. Besides looking very cool, these solutions provide a different upgrade path
however it usually isn’t the best. SLI and Crossfire should be utilized only if you have the budget to buy two cards at once,
otherwise upgrades are usually best used with buying current generation video cards.

Recommendation
Lower: x1600XT @ $160
Chris: 7900GT @ $280
Upper: 7900GT @ $280

There we have it, besides hard drives and power supplies I have covered everything you need to get an overclocking rig up
and running. In regards to power supplies, these can make or break your rig so purchase an appropriate power supply. If you
need help just read a few online reviews, however I highly suggest OCZ, Antec and SilverStone. If you have any questions feel
free to leave a comment and I’ll get back to you as fast as possible. I do not guarantee a particular setup will give you an
awesome overclock, my recommendations only come from what I have seen with friends rigs and my own personal experiences.
Remember, not all processors will perform the same, if Joe down the street got his Pentium 4 to 7.2 GHz, that doesn’t mean
you can do the same.

Category: Articles, Hardware