The (new) Official PC building thread!

been doing some research and learned something. it appears the fsb straps are a feature of the X38/X48 chipset. for example: gigabyte lists them as straps A, B, C and D. A = 266, B = 333, C = 300 and D = 400. Each strap has it's own mutlipliers, all of them have the 2x multiplier. For example: Strap B has 2x, 2.4x and 3.2x. Strap D has only 2x and 2.66x.

 

Theoretically you get better performance with higher FSB than lower FSB and high multi because of the higher bandwidth.

Rick, you didn't get the 8800GS? Hmm, yeah kinda sad, but you probably got a good deal on the 8600GT right? How much did you buy it for?

 

Sorry to stray off the topic you guys are talking about, but what do you think of the HP w2207 in 22" monitors??

 

thanks guys for the info i called them and changed it to the PC8500/1066 memorey as you said Mort the mobo we have should run it fine. it will be interesting OC(ing) the Q9450 word is it will OC to 3.2 without raising the voltage so i should be able to get near 4HGz lets hope

and Rick thats going to be a nice setup

 

ZoSo,

3.8ghz would be pushing it big time from what I've read. 3.6-3.7ghz is more realistic and getting close to the limits. 3.6-3.7ghz is nothing to frown about for a quad core cpu with 12M L2 cache. SCREAMIN' dude.

 

i will probably shoot for 3.4 to 3.5 GHz then keeping it stable and cool under load

 

i got a medion 8383xl pc, the graphics card in it at the mo is a G Force 6610Xl PCI. I can't find these anywhere, Do you know which one i'll need? also if i change the card will i have to load new drivers & stuff?

 

icemen,

According to info I got from Medion, this should be the motherboard manual for it. Here's the link.
http://217.110.237.67/Manuals/Medion 8383XL mit MS-7091.pdf

The graphics card in it (6610XL) is an OEM card from nVidia and was only made for pre-built computers. Any PCI card should do. It should have a PCIe video card slot on the motherboard, according to the manual. If it does then any low priced PCIe 16x card should do.

Whatever video card you choose to install, you will have to remove the old drivers and install the new ones that come with the card. I wouldn't spend too much on it, as it's a fairly old and somewhat obsolete computer!

Best Regards,
Russ

 

i just got the HP w1907 monitor and love it. nice and clear, no problems i dont do any gameing so i dont know how it works with the games everyone plays but for everyday use it is great. if your gettingit cause of the built in speakers you will be upset. it has sound but thats it. you will need to get some speakers if you plan on doing stuff you want decent sound.

 

thanks Russ, I'm a novice at this, first time i'm going to try & do it myself, Do you know a similar card I can buy for this pc? also will i have to remove the old card? & place the new one in it's place?
The other thing where will i find the drivers? & will the new card come with a disc with the drivers on it? or will i have to download this from somewhere else?

 

good point russ, but i am sure ANY decent intel mobo can do 1:1, all the asus ones i haev had (3) can do 1:1, who knew the GBs couldnt LOL.

and that the one good thing about nvidia chpsets, they have unlinked FBS:CPU dividers.

 

lol. Yeah I know about the cheapo 2-watt speakers. Other than that I heard amazing reviews. How you "don't know you're viewing a monitor" and "it takes you inside monitor itself." One guy said it made him drool...

 

icemen,

If you'll look at page 1-4 in the motherboard link I sent you and see if it's layout is the same as yours. If the slot nearest the CPU is slightly longer than the 3 PCI slots and has that little lock tab on it, like in the drawing then get a PCIe 16x card instead of the PCI. You'll have a much better card for about the same money as a decent PCI. For what you have here's a card that will an excellent job for you.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150265
It has 256MB of DDR3 with a 128 bit interface and is much better than your old card. It has better, faster memory and twice the memory interface of your old one. It also has DVI output, which means you can hook it up to a digital LCD monitor if you have one or plan to get one.

Your computer is an interesting one for sure. Medion was known for a lot of funny business and generally cheap crappy computers. Yours has a decent MSI motherboard, and lots of extra goodies like the sata ports, wireless lan and Firewire ports. One reviewer commented that it was a real jewel in a big pile of coal! LOL!!

The Driver disk is included so it's just a matter of removing the old drivers through the Add/Remove Programs in the control panel, which you access from the start menu. Just go there and look on the list that appears and see if the nVidia drivers are on it. If they are, just click on remove them and then install the new ones. Very simple and nVidia drivers are usually less problematic than the older Ati's were. Should be a simple job!

shaffaaf,

Don't be starting any more motherboard wars, please! We can do very nicely without your smart-ass comment "any decent Intel can do 1:1", which is pure BS! First off, it's a ratio! You can't use the computer and tell what the ratio is by it's performance, as the difference is so very slight! Second, Intel chipsets don't offer that feature, yet 80.2% of all the motherboards sold for Intels have Intel chipsets, and have been the more successful chipsets by a wide margin. This includes an awful lot of very "Decent" motherboards! The nVidia chipsets account for only 11.5% of all the chipsets sold! Both methods have their pros and cons and some of the nVidia chipset's problems are directly related to the link/unlink feature of the memory, particularly the 650i with all it's "black holes"!

Best Regards,
Russ

 

i was not trying to start another mobo war, as the lastones havnt been pretty at all. dont worry about that HAHA.

i just found it wierd that GB didnt have a 1:1 as it makes Ocing much easier as there needs to be less strain on the ram.

btw when i mean 1:1 i mean their core speeds not effective speeds, therefore 1:1 of a Q6600 will equal pc4200 at 1:1 which would be the unquad pumped core speed of the Q6600 at 266 (from 1066) to the core (non double pumped speed of PC4200 RAM) at 266 (from 533)

or as now, the QX9770 at 400 to DDR3 400 (both are quad pumped to 1600 effectivly)

therefore im sure they would pick intel chipsets that can do 1:1 ratios as this would prove cheapest for them.


as you know OEMs use the cheapest RAM that they need so that it can run at the speed of the CPU. so this will be normally pc 5300 (667) due to the 1333 FBS and 1066 FBS chips (new penryns and older quads and duals)

 

shaffaaf,

I,m puzzled as to why you find not having a 1:1 wierd? There are far more motherboards available that won't do it than ones that will! The only reason you would have to strain the memory to begin with is if your Ram is too slow and you are forced to overclock it. Most of the stuff you are talking about only matters to Technophiles and Extreme overclockers! The average guy seeking to OC his computer to a nice comfortable 24/7 OC could care less! Since this is not, and never will be an Extreme overclocking thread, I don't see any worthwhile point! The day someone can sit at my computer, use it and then tell me where my shortcomings are without testing and benchmarks, or tells me that my they noticed that my CPU/Memory ratio could be improved because they noticed my performance is off, I'll see it then as being meaningful to the average Joe!

Best Regards,
Russ

 

no your right you cant tell the difference to the average joe.

but then why OC much at all. i bet the average joe wont notice the speed difference while just browsing or word proccessing between a 4GHZ C2q and a P4 at 3GHz.

im sure even in gaming, one wont be able to distinguish w/o fraps what 30 and 60 FPS are.

im sure then they boot up with a 8600GT and jsut play cod4 it seems smoth at 25 fps, where as me i would stick on fraps, put on my 4850, and if its not going 60FPS, i would not be happy. i would OC to get it from 55 to 60. no i wont notice the difference w.o checkignthe frames, but then WHY OC if you dont want to notice the difference to make your self FEEL better.

why not just go down the non OCing route and be contempt.


maybe in some boards they show the effective RAM speed, i know my mates abit IP35-E which shows 400FBS to the effective RAM speed of 800MHz, which techinaclly is 400FBS to 400MHz, but as it shows effective, its lowest divider is then 1:2, altough it is technically 1:1.

mayeb that s how GB boards work aswell?

im sure if you give me a screenie of the CPUx tabs you have it might show that on a 1:2 or a 2x divider.

 

The 2.0x divider is 2x, i.e. if you use PC6400 the memory runs at 800mhz when you use a 1600mhz FSB.

 

therefore 1:1. so it is 1:1 then


as i said i talk abotu 1:1 at rated nto effective speeds. thats what i meant.

1600FBS is 400 and 800MHz DDR2 is 400MHz.

im sorry if i was confusing anyone. i was using non effective speeds.

sorry for the confusion.

so it does do 1:1


so the whole point was that a if your buying a Q6600 at 9 multi.

9x400 is 3.6GHZ which IMo is probably the max you can achive on AIR with a noctua NH-U12P or a TRUE (with s-flex) or tuniq tower.

and that is PC6400 (800 effective)

now with a Q9450 you looking around 3.4 max (at safe volts) (which will be beatign a 3.6GHz Q6600) and that is 8x 425 on the RAM. that is a measly pathetic OC for PC6400 and if buy ANY DECENT ram, that OC is NOTHING for it. its liek saying an E2140 (1.6) can with no effort do (1.8) E2160. you wont need to raise Voltages for the ram, nto loosen the timings.


this is why i am saying for non extreme OCers, there is NO NEED to for more than PC6400. hell with the mobos most of us are running, triing to achieve over 430-450 FBS with Quads jsut wont happen. even high end boards are having har times goign over 500 unless your dropping the multis to 6/7 and if with 8/9 usiing INSANE voltages.

i have seen an E8500 with a P5Q deluxe doing 600FBS at 1:1 to DDR2 O thats 1200MHZ, that some nice memory) but it was doing 1.5 VOLTS (ON A PRENRYN :O) going at a 6x multi.

shows the OCing prowess of the P45 chips

 

Indeed.
PC6400: 400mhz x CPU multi
PC8500: 533mhz x CPU multi

If in doubt, do the sums.

 

exactly. hoenslty, thats the reason i am saying PC6400 over PC8500. in the Uk its about £15 over, which can go to getting that extra on the gfx or a better mobo or CPU, or hell a much bigger HDD.

i hope one understands why i do recomend it now.