I am looking to make a Core 2 Duo rig soon. I have checked resellerratings.com for CyberPower, and in the past 6 months it's gotten an 8.6/10, so I'll probably buy from them.
What I want to know is how easy would it be overclock a Core 2 Duo e6320 (as I'll buy the PC after the e6320's are released) from its stock 1.83 Ghz to around 2.4 Ghz, the equivalent of an e6600, or even above. At least to e6600 levels. I am wondering this because I could save ~US$140 by choosing an e6320 instead.
Also, CyberPower recommends Monsoon II Lite CLT-M2LI CPU air conditioner system for CPU overclocking. Should I choose this option, or should I opt for their liquid cooling option (CoolerMaster Liquid CPU cooling fan system kit)?
Finally, what are the benefits of a 680i motherboard over a 650i? Could I overclock an e6320 to 2.4Ghz with a 650i, or is it necessary to have a 680i. I ask this, again, because I could save around US$120 by choosing the 650i.
I'm not 100% familiar with overclocking Intel processors, but with AMD, you have to increase the bus to increase the processor speed (as well as RAM), so if the board isn't very OC-able then you can't OC your processor. However, I have never heard of a chipset being the limiting factor as opposed to the processor.
first of all, dont go with the monsoon lite if ur a beginner, might be hard for u to maintain, second of all, the liquid cooling they offer is the coolermaster mini aquagate r80, which sux. it is one of the worst liquid cooling systems and is STRICTLY for beginners, it only lowers the temp by like 1-3 degrees celcius from stock cooling lol, i would just go with the stock fan and save some bucks.
Either motherboard will get it to 2.4 ghz easily and you certainly don't need water cooling for that. I'd only get the water if you want to go over 3ghz. If you're trying to keep the costs down just get the 650i, its over $100 less and actually last time I was reading about the boards the 650i's reached 2000FSB more consistently. I have the P5N-E 650i board and have overclocked the E6600 from 2.4 to 3.4 and thats still being pretty conservative.
adam0926: If you had read my original post I actually state why I wouldn't buy the e6600 and the 680i. How easy would it be to overclock a e6600 to 2.93 Ghz, the level of an x6800? Any recommendations on what cooling solutions I could go for to overclock? I don't want anything to burn, so I would like something that can cool the CPU properly and still be relatively cheap.
stay on stock fan n provide some good air cooling, go for the 680i sli its 1 of the best mainboards for overclocking, and the 680i sli doesnt differ that much from the 650i n u can overclock n reach the e6600 with it, but still r u planning to SLI?
I asked this because if you are ever planning on doing sli now or later on in the future, you're definitely better off with a 680i. With a 650i, when you sli it, it becomes x16 x8, with half-bandwidth video card on the second one. The 680i comes with both full x16 pci-e rails, so there's a discrepancy there.
[QUOTE="jfelisario"]one question, do you plan to sli?jfelisario
I asked this because if you are ever planning on doing sli now or later on in the future, you're definitely better off with a 680i. With a 650i, when you sli it, it becomes x16 x8, with half-bandwidth video card on the second one. The 680i comes with both full x16 pci-e rails, so there's a discrepancy there. wow i never knew that !!!!
Yeah and it offers a boost of like 0-1% right now. Its actually 2x8 as well. PCI-E 2.0 will probably be out before 2x16 is taken advantage of. BeavermanA
Huh, what are you referring to, the 680i being 2x8?
No the 650i is 2x8 when in SLI mode. I wouldn't be getting a 680i board unless I had the money to get a 8800 GTX and E6600 or better. If he's getting a E6320 he probably doesn't have the extra money for either, so he'd be better off getting the 650i and spending the money saved on a better single gpu. There is also a version of the 650i that does 2x16 and is much cheaper than the 680i's as well, although quite a bit more than the regular.
I am not sure if I will go with SLI in the future. I am planning on getting an 8800 GTS 640 Mb GPU with the system (I've reconsidered, and decided to buy all the parts myself, build it, and save off a bit of money for later use). I am hoping to upgrade to an 8800 GTX or better down the line. What do you guys think? Should I prepare for SLI in the future? My main concern now, though, is getting the most out of whatever CPU I'll buy. I am not one of those that wants the best graphics in the world, but I would like to play on at least High settings any game that I would be playing. So If I can be assured that an e6600 could easily be overclocked to 2.93 Ghz (x6800 levels, as posted before). This is because I also use a lot of demanding applications (I do large-canvas works in Photoshop, 3D Studio Max, Illustrator, etc, and the more power the better.
Thanks a lot. I think I'll invest the extra dollars to get an e6600 and a 680i mobo. Buying the parts separately should shave off a few bucks from what the cost would be where I to purchase everything from a PC manufacturer.
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