8800 users

'Mr.E Solved!' wrote:
| Well done! Can I ask:
|
| 1) Why did you not go for an E6600 CPU initially?
|
| 2) What are the specs of your ram?
|
| 3) How loud is the fan on the GPU? Mobo chipset?
|
| 4) What is your favorite pixel-shader heavy game, is that why you
upgraded?
_____

#1. I went for the CPU that had the greatest potential increase in clock
speed. I built the system before the Intel Core 2 Duo price drop. I plan
to eventually to upgrade to a more capable processor after squeezing the
maximum out of the E4300, probably using water cooling and perhaps a Peltier
array or two. Were I building the same system at this moment (21MAY07) I
would choose the E4400 with the same projected upgrade path.

#2. The memory is Patriot PDC22G8500ELK 2GB Kit DDR2-1066 PC2-8500
Extreme Performance Memory to be found at
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/Produc...ductCode=84549 (it was
$72 US cheaper seven weeks ago.)
I run it at 1200 MHz Memory Bus (600 Memory Clock), 1:2 CPU Clock : Memory
Clock ratio, 2.30 volts with timings of 5-4-4-9 2T and 5-3-3-8 2T (5-3-3-8
2T seems a bit flaky, 3-3-3-3-8 2T occasionally works. The memory operates
quite well at 1.850 volts at a clock of 300 MHz (1:1 ratio when the CPU FSB
is 1200.) SLI-ready is an extension of the SPD tables (thought up by
nVidia) that stores voltages and timings that exceed the JEDEC standards
(which only go up to DDR2-800).

#3. The GPU fan is not loud at all; I run it at 100% all the time. The
chipset fan supplied with the EVGA 680i is quiet, but the noise is little
higher pitched than the usual fan. The case fans I use are louder than the
CPU, GPU, and chipset fans combined. The system case is a large server
cans, about midtower in height, but about 10 inches deeper than the usual
tower case. The entire inside is lined with open cell foam.

#4. I don't play first person shooter games, it was just time to upgrade,
and to pick a new overclocking challenge (I've been overclocking since the
Pentium 90.) I would play a follow-on to Diablo II LOD or Starcraft, but
even my Civilization IV benefits from the added graphics horsepower.

Overall, I am very pleased with the progress I am making in overclocking the
system. Slightly disappointed at the difficulty of overclocking the E4300
to more than 3.15 GHz without better than stock cooling and higher than
stock voltage. Very pleased with the memory performance. Extremely pleased
with the complete ease of getting 650 MHz core / 850 MHz memory speeds with
the EVGA 8800 GTS 320.

Phil Weldon


"Mr.E Solved!" wrote in message
. ..
| Phil Weldon wrote:
|
| I just built a system using an E4300, an EVGA 680i motherboard, and an
EVGA
| 8800 GTS 320 MByte graphics adapter.
| The memory is Patriot DDR2-1066 SLI ready (extended SPD table for high
speed
| operation. The hard drives are two 500 GByte Seagate Barracuda 16 MByte
| buffer 7200 RPM units. The power supply is an Antec 550 Neo HE modular
| cable supply with 3 X 19 Amperes 12 volt rails, enough for two 8800 GTS,
but
| not two 8800 GTX.
|
| The E4300 overclocks quite merrily at 2.7 GHz with the CPU core voltage
set
| below stock and with the standard Intel boxed retail heatsink/fan. The
| memory bus and the FrontSide bus are both run at 1200 MHz for a 1:2 CPU
| Clock : Memory Clock ratio.
|
| The EVGA 8800 GTs 320 overclocks quite easily at 650 MHz core, 850 MHz
| memory with stock cooling. The memory won't do 875 MHz, the core may
| overclock higher, I just haven't tried. The voltage and cooling are
| standard.
|
| The free version of 3DMark06 reports ~ 10600.
|
| The EVGA 680i supports quad core and 1333 MHz FSB. It can overclock
using
| very high FSB speeds and offers a great many BIOS settings not available
| with other chipsets. Slotwise it has three physical PCI-E slots (two
are
| electrically X16, the middle one is 8X), two PCI-E X1 slots, two PCI
slots.
| You lose one PCI-E slot when one 8800 series card is installed.
Installing
| a second 8800 series card blocks a PCI slot.
|
| I would recommend all of the above components, except at this point,
with
| the drop in Intel Core 2 Duo prices, the E6320 is perhaps preferable to
the
| E4300 at the low end. Considering the overclocking potential of the
E4300
| and E6320, it does not seem worth it to chose anything else unless your
| budget will handle a Core 2 Extreme. If you plan to go for two 8800
series
| graphics adapters then consider a good power supply in the 650 Watt and
up
| range, preferably with three or more 12 volt rails.
|
| Phil Weldon
|
|
| Well done! Can I ask:
|
| 1) Why did you not go for an E6600 CPU initially?
|
| 2) What are the specs of your ram?
|
| 3) How loud is the fan on the GPU? Mobo chipset?
|
| 4) What is your favorite pixel-shader heavy game, is that why you
upgraded?

On Fri, 20 Apr 2007 19:19:38 -0400, "Phil"
wrote:

"Robert McKay" wrote in message
.. .
Hey- im trying to build a system that would accommodate the 8800 series.
Im curious as to the specs on other people's systems they use with the
8800. CPU, motherboard, memory, etc. Any info appreciated..



With my recent addition of a BFG 8800 GTS 320, I completed an upgrade that
began last year with a new mobo/cpu/mem.

Rig specs:
http://www.anandtech.com/mysystemrig.aspx?rigid=33996

3DMark 06 sco 9028
PCMark05 sco 8302

I can't recommend enough the Intel Core 2 Duo line of processors, matched
with a 975X or P965 Intel chipset based motherboard. With the refresh of
Core 2 Duo chips due next week, the original line is set to see dramatic
price drops. For example, you should be able to get a E6600 for just above
$200 US.


The E6600 2.4 Gig has been available in the $220 TO $230 range for
some time. The "Extreme" versions are still pricy at roughly $970
(give or take a tad)

-phil

"Mr.E Solved!" wrote in message
. ..
Phil Weldon wrote:

I just built a system using an E4300, an EVGA 680i motherboard, and an
EVGA 8800 GTS 320 MByte graphics adapter.
The memory is Patriot DDR2-1066 SLI ready (extended SPD table for high
speed operation. The hard drives are two 500 GByte Seagate Barracuda 16
MByte buffer 7200 RPM units. The power supply is an Antec 550 Neo HE
modular cable supply with 3 X 19 Amperes 12 volt rails, enough for two
8800 GTS, but not two 8800 GTX.

The E4300 overclocks quite merrily at 2.7 GHz with the CPU core voltage
set below stock and with the standard Intel boxed retail heatsink/fan.
The memory bus and the FrontSide bus are both run at 1200 MHz for a 1:2
CPU Clock : Memory Clock ratio.

The EVGA 8800 GTs 320 overclocks quite easily at 650 MHz core, 850 MHz
memory with stock cooling. The memory won't do 875 MHz, the core may
overclock higher, I just haven't tried. The voltage and cooling are
standard.

The free version of 3DMark06 reports ~ 10600.

The EVGA 680i supports quad core and 1333 MHz FSB. It can overclock
using very high FSB speeds and offers a great many BIOS settings not
available with other chipsets. Slotwise it has three physical PCI-E
slots (two are electrically X16, the middle one is 8X), two PCI-E X1
slots, two PCI slots. You lose one PCI-E slot when one 8800 series card
is installed. Installing a second 8800 series card blocks a PCI slot.

I would recommend all of the above components, except at this point, with
the drop in Intel Core 2 Duo prices, the E6320 is perhaps preferable to
the E4300 at the low end. Considering the overclocking potential of the
E4300 and E6320, it does not seem worth it to chose anything else unless
your budget will handle a Core 2 Extreme. If you plan to go for two 8800
series graphics adapters then consider a good power supply in the 650
Watt and up range, preferably with three or more 12 volt rails.

Phil Weldon


Well done! Can I ask:

1) Why did you not go for an E6600 CPU initially?

2) What are the specs of your ram?

3) How loud is the fan on the GPU? Mobo chipset?

4) What is your favorite pixel-shader heavy game, is that why you
upgraded?

Phil and I started on our C2D projects at about the same time. I went with
the E6600 and two EVGA Superclocked 8800 768mb GTX cards in SLI and the Asus
P5N32-E SLI 680i MB as the main differences in our projects. My MB uses
heatpipes to cool the north and southbridges. There are some plus and minus
issues with that. They are quiet, but run a bit hot especially the
northbridge. I had to add a 100mm fan to blow air across the heatsinks of
the heatpipes to correct that issue. I will vouch for the quietness of the
graphics cards. The air whooshing through the case is much louder than any
fans. I have the E6600 running happily at 3.2ghz now once I got the hang of
all the settings on this MB. I use water cooling for the processor and it
happily idles at 29-31c and will reach the mid 50sC on both cores running
Orthos with small FFTs. My gaming is kind of restricted to simulations both
flight and racing. FSX is probably the most demanding of them and I can at
least run it smoothly with all the eye candy now. Phil and I have been
overclocking as a hobby for more years than I care to admit......:-). I
think both of us were a bit perplexed at first with all the overclocking
options of the 680i, at least I was. I am not done with this OC yet, but
will run it at 3.2ghz for awhile and make sure no problems creep in.

Ed