FAQ FAQ  Forum Search   Register Register  Login Login

First overclocked system

Post Date: 2008-03-22
 Post Reply Post Reply
Author
  Topic Search Topic Search  Topic Options Topic Options
Kornbred View Drop Down
Newbie
Newbie


Joined: 22 Mar 2008
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 1 		  Quote Kornbred Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Topic: First overclocked system
    Posted: 22 Mar 2008 at 10:03pm
I have never had an overclocked system before and was wondering about the longevity of the system. I have had my last gaming rig for 5 years and I hope to have this rig I just purchased for another 5 years. If you liquid cool the CPU and GPU will they last as long overclocked as if you didn't overclock them? Its not often I get to spend some serious coin and I want to make sure I can game on for quite some time with this system. My last question would be is it better to leave the system on 24/7 or turn it off after each use?
 
DSO-56450 Digital Storm Desktop 56450 1
Case: Digital Storm 950Si (Black Anodized Aluminum Finish)
Power Supply: 1200W Thermaltake (Triple SLI Compatible) (Silent Toughpower Edition)
Processor: AMD Phenom 9600 (2.3GHz) (Quad Core) (4 MB Cache) AM2+
Motherboard: Asus M3A32-MVP Deluxe (AMD 790FX Chipset) (Supports CrossFire)
Memory: 4GB DDR2 Corsair at 1066MHz Dominator (Dual Channel) (Extreme-Performance)
Floppy / Card: - No Thanks
Hard Drive 1: 150GB Western Digital Raptor (10K RPM) (16MB Cache) (SATA) (Extreme Speed)
Hard Drive 2: - No Thanks
Raid Option: - No Thanks
Hard Drive 3: - No Thanks
Optical Drive 1: DVD±R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 20x / CD-Writer 48x) (LightScribe Edition)
Optical Drive 2: - No Thanks
Network Card: Bigfoot Killer Network Card (Features MaxFPS and UltimatePing Technology)
Video Card: 2x SLI Dual (nVidia GeForce 8800ULTRA 768MB
TV Tuner: - No Thanks
Sound Card: Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi FPS Fatal1ty Champion (Includes Front I/O Unit)
Physics Card: Ageia PhysX P1 128MB
Cooling: Liquid Chilled FrostBite Dual Loop System for CPU & Dual Video Cards
Case Lighting: Blizzard Internal Lighting (Red Edition) (Cold Cathode Tubes)
Round Cables: Enhanced Interior Air Flow (Optical Drive & Floppy Cables (Black Cables)
User Manual: Personalized Platinum Digital Storm Binder (Includes Paperwork/Benchmarks/CDs/Manuals)
Overclock Processor: Yes, Overclock the processor as much as possible with complete stability
Overclock Video Card: Yes, Overclock the video card(s) as much as possible with complete stability
Overclock Memory: Yes, Overclock the memory timings (Includes Corsair Dominator Airflow Fan)
Tweak Windows: Yes, Disable and tweak all of the non-crucial services on the operating system
Windows OS: Microsoft Windows XP Professional (Includes Service Pack 2)
Restore Kit: Digital Storm Specialized Recovery System (DVD Image Based)
Protection: McAfee Internet Security (Includes: AntiVirus, FireWall and AntiSpyware)
Office: - No Thanks
Benchmarking: - No Thanks
Pre-Install Game: Crysis (Pre-Install, apply updates, and test gameplay with my system)
LCD Display: - No Thanks
Surge Shield: - No Thanks
Speakers: - No Thanks
Keyboard: - No Thanks
Mouse: - No Thanks my keyboard comes with a mouse
Warranty: 3 Year Platinum Care Extended Parts & Labor Warranty
Support: Lifetime Toll-Free Platinum Care Technical Support
Back to Top
SunfighterLC View Drop Down
DS Veteran
DS Veteran


Joined: 18 Feb 2008
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 1527 		  Quote SunfighterLC Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 22 Mar 2008 at 11:06pm
couple notes:
 
1) As far as i know they are out of Ultras, and they arnt being made anymore, so at best youd either wanna use up the last of their stock of GTX's or the new 512MB GTS cards (Almost/better then GTXs except tons cheaper) Or you could wait for the 9800GX2 to be added to the config which would happen in the next day or two. (they said theyd have it up this weekend, but considering its still not as of tonight, and tomorrow is easter..i somewhat doubt it)
 
2) 1200W power supply is way overkill. Thats more for triple SLI then a duel SLI you have now.
 
3) I dont like your CPU, AMD chips are inferior in almost every respect to intels right now (sorry if youre a fan). Especially when it comes to overclocking, so if youre hell bent on an AMD chip, dont bother wasting 40 bucks to overclock it, because it wont be worth it IMHO. Id recommend either a  Q6600 or the E8400. Or do the extreme chips if thats your thing and you like to spend money.
 
4)Mobo seems kinda weird, i dunno if SLI will work on it or not, might wanna get that checked out. (they will be adding the 790i Nvida boards soon) 780i is what id recommend.
 
5)Ram choice is freaking sweet (and expensive), but your OS is 32 bit wont work all that 4MB, youll only get maybe 3.2 or less out of it. Though you might be able to memory remap it (not sure on that one). You might wanna consider going 64 bit. And even consider going to *gasp* Vista. Mostly because they will be ending support for XP very very soon. Plus rember only Vista has Dx10 and i assume games in the future will start using that more and more.
 
6) You have a tiny hard drive, youd have to add another one almost for sure in the future, because i dont think 120GB will be enough for future games, if youre like me and like to keep almost everything you ever play still installed on your computer.
 
7) That physics card will make a good paperweight. (useless + another thing to slow airflow)
 
8)Enchanced airflow cables-- you have only 1 CD drive, meaning youll be paying 22 bucks for one cable installed on your computer (they will give you extra cables though should you install more drives) If thats worth the 22 bucks then go for it. Plus your system is mostly watercooled.
 
9) Personally youd save money buying Crysis and installing it yourself. Though i suppose if you want to pay DS to play your video games..go for it..haha =P. That goes with the windows tweek too...you could do that yourself and save a few bucks..but if you dont wanna do that, thats fine as well.
 
Other then that you have a sweet butt cooling system and you got the best case to use it in IMHO. (950)


Edited by SunfighterLC - 22 Mar 2008 at 11:16pm
Back to Top
Bubbalotski View Drop Down
Newbie
Newbie


Joined: 02 Jan 2008
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 27 		  Quote Bubbalotski Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 23 Mar 2008 at 12:03am
The 1200W PS is way overkill for the DUAL sli set up (it would only be duel if the were fighting each otherWink)
 
The network card is not worth it at all.
 
Call DS, they talked me out of some pricey, yet not worth it for the price stuff.
 
With HDD being so cheap I might add a second 7200 spin.   Depending on which WD 750 gig they use, it will be just as fast as the Raptor for a couple of bucks more.
 
 


Edited by Bubbalotski - 23 Mar 2008 at 12:11am
If you're in a fair fight, you didn't plan it properly.

- Nick Lappos, Chief R&D Pilot, Sikorsky Aircraft
Back to Top
Tyler Lowe View Drop Down
Newbie
Newbie

Email address used to purchase matched with forums account email.

Joined: 14 May 2008
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 0 		  Quote Tyler Lowe Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 23 Mar 2008 at 12:46am
Hi Kornbred, and welcome to the forums.

I will start with your question about overclocking. I think it's important to view factory clock speeds as "suggestions". If voltages and temperatures can be kept within reason, there is nothing carved in stone that says the "suggested" speed is the only safe or reasonable possibility. When you elect to overclock, it is important to provide for temperature regulation in the form of the ability to mitigate the additional heat generated from higher clock speeds and particularly, higher voltage levels used.

The method by which this regulation is achieved is not important. DSO will overclock to a level dictated by the hardware you select. If you elect for air cooling, the overclock may be lower to ensure that the cooling you have selected is sufficient. Either method, air or liquid, will be able to provide cooling. DSO will simply be able to deliver a higher performance level should you elect for the more expensive liquid cooling option.

I do not believe it is worthwhile to overclock GPU's. In my experience, the performance gain is minimal relative to the additional heat generated. Others may disagree, but this is my experience.

Now... the configuration.

I hear what you're saying about investing some money into a system. I didn't have the means to update every year, or even every third year, so your question about longevity is one I can relate to.

I believe your best bet for longevity, and value for the dollar is in the Q6600. An overclocked Q6600 is an amazing value. I believe the Q6600 as a CPU represents a value similar to the value an 8800GT represents as a GPU. In my opinion, there is simply no better more powerful computing option for the dollar at this time, not if one of the criteria used is expected longevity.

The network card and Phys-X card are probably not the best use of your budget. If I may suggest:

Configuration

The liquid cooling selected would allow for maximum performance. You could also elect to save some money by air cooling. If liquid cooling, you can easily opt for the 8800GT and shave some $$$ from my configuration as well. The colors of light and coolant are pure whimsy Tongue.



Edited by Tyler Lowe - 23 Mar 2008 at 12:52am
Back to Top
 Post Reply Post Reply

Forum Jump Forum Permissions View Drop Down



This page was generated in 0.0703125 seconds.