# New Build for my Wife.



## suraswami (Oct 5, 2008)

Specs:

Abit AN52 AM2 ATX board - $15 clearance item picked up from Frys.  Awesome board.  easily does 300FSB with latest bios.
X2 5600 AM2 Windsor 2MB cache carried over from my test machine.
4GB - 2 x 2GB Kingston DDR2 800 Ram - $40 AR
2 x Samsung Black IDE DVDRW drives carried over
1 x WD 200G IDE carried over
2 x Seagates 160G SATA 3.0 in RAID 0
Gigabyte 4850 Video card $160AR
KWorld Hybrid HDTV tuner PCI card carried over
Diamond Sound Card - Got from philbrown23, turned out to be dead.  Good guy he refunded me.  So I have to look for something else now.
Firewire card
ULTRA X PRO 600W with 135mm fan (awesome PSU most stable rails I have seen) - RMA replacement
CPU cooler Asus Triton 70 -$10 Clearance item picked up Frys.
Case is ULTRA Aluminus Glossy Black Tower carried over.

Total cost of build $240.

First pass with a test 80G drive with test OS to see how far the X2 can OC.  Till now the cpu and ram is at 1:1 and the chip is humming @ 3332 Mhz (238 * 14) @ default voltage (1.3V) and ram voltage @ 1.95V.

The CPU cooler is so so.  With one fan that came in the box the cpu load was around 65C (orthos), so added a spare 80mm Vantec Stealth fan and load temps are now 59C.

I will post pics when the build is complete.


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## suraswami (Oct 5, 2008)

Suggestions needed - 
CPU cooler obviously I need a better one if I need to increase voltage and go higher.

2 options

1. Xigmatek
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0288207

2.  CoolerMaster Geminii II S
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0290966
(on sale at Frys for $15AR)

Which one should I pick up?


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## ascstinger (Oct 5, 2008)

Xigmatek for sure, they run better than TRUE's. Same cant be said for that coolermaster


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## phanbuey (Oct 5, 2008)

whoa man nice build... one of my gfx cards cost more than that.

EDIT: after reading some reviews at frostytech... that xigmatek is an animal. definitely go with that one.


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## 3870x2 (Oct 5, 2008)

phanbuey said:


> whoa man nice build... one of my gfx cards cost more than that.



yeah, same here. monitor?


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## suraswami (Oct 5, 2008)

3870x2 said:


> yeah, same here. monitor?



Still going great with that BenQ 19" LCD for more than 3 yrs.  So I think that should be fine.  May be during Thanks Giving I might get a 22" LCD or just buy a 26" LCD TV and hook it up with the PC for gaming too.


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## KBD (Oct 5, 2008)

looks good, just get a better cooler, i agree with the Xigmatek suggestion, if you want something lighter get a Thermalright Ultima 90, at 460g its performance is almost on par with the TRUE. 

BTW, why sticking with IDE devices, those cables, yuck


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## MKmods (Oct 5, 2008)

I say get a cooler that blows out the back of the case (instead of up at the PS or at the mobo) I vote AC Freezer.

PS: freakin excellent job on building a sweet comp for so little $$


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## FooArm (Oct 5, 2008)

is ur wife a gamer ? is the 4850 required ??
if so then go for it but if i were u this would be the basic specs


core 2 quad q6600
9500 GT
P45 chipset

4 GB DDR2 800 mhz ram
1 TB harddrive 

and a big 24 inch LCD 

i would give her a media center pc for  photos videos and all those stuff

it would last her for years and only 600 bucks good deal


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## suraswami (Oct 6, 2008)

My wife is not a big gamer, but she likes to play when she gets some time in the afternoon after my son goes to school and all house work is done.  Sometimes during weekends if we get time we play online BF2.  She had no need for such power but the deal is after 9pm that machine is mine he he.  Moreover I might not touch this machine for next few years, so need something that will perform.

I could have bought a whole new set, but unfortunately cost is an issue, with all medical bills, house tax, vacation, car tax etc, I am done.  Infact I bought a new Asus M3A78-T Cross-fire board for $150 at Frys.  Still in packing, my wife didn't allow me to use it.  I thought if I use it, 2 things, CF and future Deneb might work.

I just finished "Trying to tidy wires" last night.  Not a great job, but I will post pics.

How do I post pic in the body of the message instead of an attachment which will be very small?


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## suraswami (Oct 6, 2008)

Mark, I think the Asus Triton is doing a ok job, but the problem is its blowing upwards into the PSU which creates negative airflow and makes a wierd noise.  I stopped the CPU fan and noise subsided.  So as you suggested, I might buy a cooler with fan that orients towards the back of the case.

Unfortunately my TT mini Typhoon doesn't even make a contact with the cpu when installed.  The paste doesn't even smear on the base of the cooler. This will ideal but don't know what the heck.  Is it not 939 bracket and AM2 bracket almost the same?  Something wrong.


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## KBD (Oct 6, 2008)

suraswami said:


> Mark, I think the Asus Triton is doing a ok job, but the problem is its blowing upwards into the PSU which creates negative airflow and makes a wierd noise.  I stopped the CPU fan and noise subsided.  So as you suggested, I might buy a cooler with fan that orients towards the back of the case.
> 
> Unfortunately my TT mini Typhoon doesn't even make a contact with the cpu when installed.  The paste doesn't even smear on the base of the cooler. This will ideal but don't know what the heck.  Is it not 939 bracket and AM2 bracket almost the same?  Something wrong.



I think you can still use Asus Triton, just position it differently, instead of positioning it horizontally place it vertically so it sucks air from the front of the case. If you have the one i think you have place another fan on the back of it for a push pull config, with 2 fans your cooling should improve even more.


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## suraswami (Oct 6, 2008)

KBD said:


> I think you can still use Asus Triton, just position it differently, instead of positioning it horizontally place it vertically so it sucks air from the front of the case. If you have the one i think you have place another fan on the back of it for a push pull config, with 2 fans your cooling should improve even more.



Thanks KBD.  Unfortunately the cpu bracket is not positioned that way.  I am going to load photos and you can what I mean.


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## KBD (Oct 6, 2008)

suraswami said:


> Thanks KBD.  Unfortunately the cpu bracket is not positioned that way.  I am going to load photos and you can what I mean.



ok, let see the pics. Can you also say which Triton u have? There are several models out there.


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## suraswami (Oct 6, 2008)

KBD said:


> ok, let see the pics. Can you also say which Triton u have? There are several models out there.



How do I paste the pic in the body of the post?  I don't want that small attachment thing.


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## suraswami (Oct 6, 2008)

KBD said:


> ok, let see the pics. Can you also say which Triton u have? There are several models out there.



This thing picked it up for $10 at Frys.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835101014


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## suraswami (Oct 6, 2008)

Pic before build start.


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## KBD (Oct 6, 2008)

suraswami said:


> How do I paste the pic in the body of the post?  I don't want that small attachment thing.



you are asking the wrong guy, lol. i still havent figured this out. I beleive its manage attachments button in the post screen.


Now looking at both the pic of cooler and your case pic i see what you mean. Perhaps using that TT Typhoon is the way to go? You said its not making contact with the CPU, right? It may be a bracket issue like u sed, if you have an AM2 bracket from another board, may be try that? What does the manual say in regards to AM2 installation?


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## suraswami (Oct 6, 2008)

KBD said:


> you are asking the wrong guy, lol. i still havent figured this out. I beleive its manage attachments button in the post screen.
> 
> 
> Now looking at both the pic of cooler and your case pic i see what you mean. Perhaps using that TT Typhoon is the way to go? You said its not making contact with the CPU, right? It may be a bracket issue like u sed, if you have an AM2 bracket from another board, may be try that? What does the manual say in regards to AM2 installation?



The manual says its compatible with AM2.  I might just try on another board to see if that bracket helps.


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## suraswami (Oct 6, 2008)

Here is the board's Pic.


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## suraswami (Oct 6, 2008)

Here is the CPU.


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## suraswami (Oct 6, 2008)

Here is the shabby pic of case and components before tidying up.


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## suraswami (Oct 6, 2008)

Here are pics after tidying and cleaning up.  Require more work but I am tired and no time also.


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## KBD (Oct 6, 2008)

suraswami said:


> Here is the shabby pic of case and components before tidying up.



much better pic. Yes try a bracket from another board. Also, in regards to the Triton, u sed it wont work vertically but in my AM2 installation experience i had to screw the bracket into the board another way (with the lugs on the bracket facing the front of the case) to install my Zalmam 9500 vertically, do u think u could do the same or no?


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## suraswami (Oct 6, 2008)

KBD said:


> much better pic. Yes try a bracket from another board. Also, in regards to the Triton, u sed it wont work vertically but in my AM2 installation experience i had to screw the bracket into the board another way (with the lugs on the bracket facing the front of the case) to install my Zalmam 9500 vertically, do u think u could do the same or no?



I don't think I can do that since it doesn't come with its own bracket.

I think best would be to get the Arctic Freezer which has the fan orientation the way I want it, but the thing is expensive now (usually it would be $20 with free shipping)


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## KBD (Oct 6, 2008)

suraswami said:


> I don't think I can do that since it doesn't come with its own bracket.
> 
> I think best would be to get the Arctic Freezer which has the fan orientation the way I want it, but the thing is expensive now (usually it would be $20 with free shipping)



that sucks man, perhaps you can  return the Triton back to Fry's and use that money to get something else (Zalman 9500 is also a good choice) either from them or an etailer. Or try to get the TT Mini Typhoon working with bracket from another board. Sorry i cant be more help, I've done 2 AM2 builds but didnt have this problem.


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## suraswami (Oct 6, 2008)

KBD said:


> that sucks man, perhaps you can  return the Triton back to Fry's and use that money to get something else (Zalman 9500 is also a good choice) either from them or an etailer. Or try to get the TT Mini Typhoon working with bracket from another board. Sorry i cant be more help, I've done 2 AM2 builds but didnt have this problem.



That Triton I bought it few months ago when I just went to Frys for buying nothing and saw this one, oh well let it be spare for $10.


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## MKmods (Oct 6, 2008)

have you seen the Blue Aluminus mod I did? That stupid HDD rack is "so" in the way.


suraswami said:


> I don't think I can do that since it doesn't come with its own bracket.
> 
> I think best would be to get the Arctic Freezer which has the fan orientation the way I want it, but the thing is expensive now (usually it would be $20 with free shipping)



I hate that, when you want one the parts are $$$, but when you dont need one they are on sale, lol


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## suraswami (Oct 6, 2008)

MKmods said:


> have you seen the Blue Aluminus mod I did? That stupid HDD rack is "so" in the way.
> 
> 
> I hate that, when you want one the parts are $$$, but when you dont need one they are on sale, lol



I guess that is life

Yeah I saw that Aluminus mod a while ago.  Good one, but I don't have tools, patience and time with me unfortunately.  I am still for a long weekend to do that DVD changer mod that I am dreaming of.


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## MKmods (Oct 6, 2008)

it dosent take many tools, basically just remove a few rivets and throw the HDD rack in the garbage so the lower 120mm fan works and mount the Hdds below the DVD using cheap mounts
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0001UZQWG/?tag=tec06d-20


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## suraswami (Oct 6, 2008)

MKmods said:


> it dosent take many tools, basically just remove a few rivets and throw the HDD rack in the garbage so the lower 120mm fan works and mount the Hdds below the DVD using cheap mounts
> http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0001UZQWG/?tag=tec06d-20



Actually I got one from microcenter for $3.  That was my plan originally, but I don't get much time these days.

For this build I have been waking up 4 in the morning so I can work till 7 in the morning.


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## MKmods (Oct 6, 2008)

damn jobs are always getting in the way...


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## suraswami (Oct 8, 2008)

Yesterday I bought these coolers.

Scythe Ninja Rev B.
http://www.scythe-usa.com/product/cpu/026/scnj1100p.html

The Kama Cross

http://www.scythe-usa.com/product/cpu/031/sckc1000_detail.html

The Ninja is too big and it might block all 4 mem slots yup all four.  But the Kama seems to be a good fit.  I was reading that the fan is weak and must be replaced by a high cfm 120mm fan.  Anybody has this?  Will it be a improvement over my dual-fan Asus Triton 70?

I bought it at MC at clearance.  They also have the Katana 2.  Will that be of any help?

I don't want any cooler that will point up and blow into the PSU.  Any suggestion welcome.

Right now @3.33G and 1.3v my temps are 41/38 idle and 59/55 load.  With voltage set at 1.325 the cpu boots at 3.44G but the temps are high and crashes.  I want 3.5G out of this chip

Thanks,


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## KBD (Oct 8, 2008)

I usually like to relace stock fans with high CFM fans. I if u want LED i'd get AC Ryan Blackfire4, TT Thunderblade, Antec Tri-Cool (they have non-LED also) or Aerocool Extreme Turbine. For non-LED Delta fans have the highest CFM i've ever seen: 120+. But they are noisy and expensive. If you want something quiter Silverstone FM fans are good, they go up to 110CFM but can be toned down. Hope this helps.


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## paybackdaman (Oct 8, 2008)

suraswami said:


> How do I paste the pic in the body of the post?  I don't want that small attachment thing.



[ img ] image url [ /img ]


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## suraswami (Oct 8, 2008)

paybackdaman said:


> [ img ] image url [ /img ]



So it needs to be loaded somewhere else and referenced as URL?


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## MKmods (Oct 8, 2008)

suraswami said:


> I was reading that the fan is weak and must be replaced by a high cfm 120mm fan.


I only buy high speed 120mm fans now (90cfm and up) for everything. You can always lower the speed (by a control or lower voltage) but its a pain to raise the speed on a slow fan.


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## suraswami (Oct 8, 2008)

MKmods said:


> I only buy high speed 120mm fans now (90cfm and up) for everything. You can always lower the speed (by a control or lower voltage) but its a pain to raise the speed on a slow fan.



How about this guy here?

http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0286286

It says its less than 24dba which is BS right?  I might try out the Antec Tri-cool instead.

My wife doesn't need that much power, but that cpu is like the energizer bunny and begs to be OCed.  Want to see how far she can go but not at the expense of quietness.

Tried 3.5G (250 * 14) @ 1.35V.  Booted up but not stable probably need more voltage and the cooler is holding me.

Man 3.5G on the K8 will be wonderful


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## MKmods (Oct 8, 2008)

lol, extreme silent and 1800rpm.....(I doubt it)

I got a few of these
http://www.svc.com/sy-1225sl12sh.html
(not silent but move a bunch of air)

One good thing about the tri cools is they have the controller built in, but their airflow dosent compare to a high speed fan.


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## KBD (Oct 8, 2008)

suraswami said:


> How about this guy here?
> 
> http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0286286
> 
> ...



i doubt you'll get to 3.5 with your current setup even with high CFM fan, Windsors are poor ocers. I'm not familiar with Xigmatek's fans so i vote Tri-Cool, very easy 3 speed switch and bit more CFM than the Xigmatek at high speed. I think that it will be perfect for your wife.


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## paybackdaman (Oct 8, 2008)

suraswami said:


> So it needs to be loaded somewhere else and referenced as URL?



yes. a good place for it is www.techpowerup.org. free uploading presented by techpowerup.


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## suraswami (Oct 8, 2008)

KBD said:


> i doubt you'll get to 3.5 with your current setup even with high CFM fan, Windsors are poor ocers. I'm not familiar with Xigmatek's fans so i vote Tri-Cool, very easy 3 speed switch and bit more CFM than the Xigmatek at high speed. I think that it will be perfect for your wife.



Correction - Windsor F2 version are crap.  F3 revision are awesome OCers if you can get the temps down.  Both will beat the crap out of a Brisy at the same speeds.  You know the high end Windsors have 2MB cache.

I am not going to leave at 3.5G allday.  My wife doesn't need it, but fun to push it more.


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## KBD (Oct 8, 2008)

suraswami said:


> Correction - Windsor F2 version are crap.  F3 revision are awesome OCers if you can get the temps down.  Both will beat the crap out of a Brisy at the same speeds.  You know the high end Windsors have 2MB cache.
> 
> I am not going to leave at 3.5G allday.  My wife doesn't need it, but fun to push it more.



yea, i know they have 2MB cache, thats why i picked up an FX-62, but it doesnt overclock for shit, its an F2 stepping. That was a mistake on my part. But i wish you all the luck in getting it there.


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## suraswami (Oct 8, 2008)

Damn I desperately need a good cooler.  That Ninja with high cfm is my choice, but I think it might block the ram slots as they are placed very close to the socket bracket.  I might just try it out.  Even if I can't reach that dream speed, If I can make the chip cooler I will be happy for the amount of effort made.


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## suraswami (Oct 8, 2008)

suraswami said:


> Mark, I think the Asus Triton is doing a ok job, but the problem is its blowing upwards into the PSU which creates negative airflow and makes a wierd noise.  I stopped the CPU fan and noise subsided.  So as you suggested, I might buy a cooler with fan that orients towards the back of the case.
> 
> Unfortunately my TT mini Typhoon doesn't even make a contact with the cpu when installed.  The paste doesn't even smear on the base of the cooler. This will ideal but don't know what the heck.  Is it not 939 bracket and AM2 bracket almost the same?  Something wrong.



Just came home and pulled out the Triton and put back my TT and it seated well, seems to be good contact.  It is real hot here both inside the home and outside and this TT under Orthos keeping at steady 59/54.  I can't belive it.  I just rotated the way I installed and it went it perfectly.  I didn't even clean the earlier paste, just put 2 small dabs and done.  Should I clean and seat it with proper care?


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## MKmods (Oct 8, 2008)

suraswami said:


> Should I clean and seat it with proper care?



YES........


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## zithe (Oct 8, 2008)

MKmods said:


> I say get a cooler that blows out the back of the case (instead of up at the PS or at the mobo) I vote AC Freezer.
> 
> PS: freakin excellent job on building a sweet comp for so little $$



HeeHee. My Intel version rocks. I second that.


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## suraswami (Oct 8, 2008)

MKmods said:


> YES........



I will do.

I shutdown and put a small 40mm fan on the mosfets.  Guess what, the temps came down 3C.  On the mosfet the load was 70C, now it is 66/67C.  The CPU temps 58/53 under Orthos.

Should I stick tiny heatsinks on the mosfets and put the fan on top of it?


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## suraswami (Oct 9, 2008)

MKmods said:


> YES........



Ok, took it out, cleaned thoroughly both CPU and HS.  Actually When I lapped the HS I think I did a real poor job.  It became slightly concave(or convex?), ie in the middle more deeper than sides and edges.  So once again lapped it on the edges to compensate and now it seats properly.  Kind of mirror shine now.  Properly need more lapping.  Just no moe patience, this machine is been open for 2 weeks now.  Got to complete today.

Temps 57/54 and Thrm is 69C without dinky fan.


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## suraswami (Oct 9, 2008)

After 2 hrs of gaming temps

CPUs - 52/46
VC (4850) - 59.


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## Hayder_Master (Oct 9, 2008)

cheap and powerful


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## suraswami (Oct 15, 2008)

There you go, 3.4Ghz @ 1.344v in Windows and 1.325V in bios and ram (DDR2 800) @ 1.95V 1:1.

Temps are 35/30 idle.

Consumes about 146 Watts idle and 260 Watts under Orthos.


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