TomGu Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 I am ready to order the following parts for an i5-based system to be used mostly for creating large (100+ slide) presentations along with some video editing for insertion into the presentations. Secondary use of the system is business application multitasking. Intel i5 Processor Noctua NH-U12P SE2 CPU Cooler Gigabyte GA-P55-UD4P Motherboard Corsair CMX8GX3M4A1600C9 Memory Two EVGA GTS250 1GB Graphics Cards Two W/D Caviar Black 1TB 7200 RPM Hard Disks Plextor PX-880SA DVD Burner Ante* 900 Case Corsair TX850W Power Supply Four 22" HI-DEF Widescreen Monitors Planar 997-5602-000 Black Quad Monitor Stand Keyboard/Mouse The Corsair Memory Configurator suggests CMX8GX3M4A1600C9. I do plan to overclock this system (seeking 4 Ghz) so would it be advantageous to use CMD8GX3M4A1600C8 to improve my chances of a successful overclock? Secondly, since the second PCIe slot on the GA-P55-UD4P only supports 8x, would a pair of less expensive video cards (such as the EVGA 9500GT), be satisfactory for the intended usage as stated above (and create less heat than two GTS250's)? Thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corsair Employee RAM GUY Posted September 24, 2009 Corsair Employee Share Posted September 24, 2009 Everything you have stated sounds reasonable, however please note that when you have all the slots filled the over clock you can attain may not be as high as you can with only two modules installed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomGu Posted September 25, 2009 Author Share Posted September 25, 2009 Would using the Dominator series modules allow for higher overclocking when populating all of the memory slots? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomGu Posted September 28, 2009 Author Share Posted September 28, 2009 I ordered the CMD8GX3M4A1600C8 and would appreciate comments on anyone who has used a Zalman CNPS10X or Noctua NH-U12P-SE2 cooler with the CMD8GX3M4A1600C8. Wondering if either or both coolers will clear the heat spreaders / fan housing on the CMD8GX3M4A1600C8 in a Gigabyte GA-P55-UD4P motherboard? Thanks in advance. Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corsair Employee RAM GUY Posted September 28, 2009 Corsair Employee Share Posted September 28, 2009 The CPU you use will ultimately be the determining factor on how well the system will O.C. however, using higher rated memory will always ensure the O.C will not be memory limited. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomGu Posted September 30, 2009 Author Share Posted September 30, 2009 Before I open the boxes and assemble the parts, would there be a noticeable improvement if I exchanged the i5 750 for an i7 860 and left all other components the same? In other words, would the i7's hyperthreading have a significant impact on the intended use (see my first post above) and be worth the extra $70.00 that Micro Center wants between the i5 750 and the i7 860? Thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corsair Employee RAM GUY Posted September 30, 2009 Corsair Employee Share Posted September 30, 2009 Tom I am not the right person for that, maybe some of the other users have played with them and can give you a better answer. However, I would look at the reviews for both CPU's and maybe check at overclockers.com to see how well they both have done and decide from there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomGu Posted October 1, 2009 Author Share Posted October 1, 2009 RamGuy - Sorry for the trouble but thanks for responding. Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corsair Employee RAM GUY Posted October 1, 2009 Corsair Employee Share Posted October 1, 2009 NP at all its just hard to answer question like that because it is really a personal choice and sometimes one's budget will have a big influence. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomGu Posted October 6, 2009 Author Share Posted October 6, 2009 Have now installed ithe 5 processor, Noctua NH-U12P-SE2, and CMD8GX3M4A1600C8 kit into the Gigabyte P55-UD4P motherboard. Had to offset the "push fan" on the Noctua upwards 1/2" to clear the heatsinks on top of the Dominator modules. Width of the Noctua "push fan" is such that it covers the first Dominator module and forces mounting of the Dominator fan shroud "off center" with the fan shroud anchors grasping the ram retention clips of only the two outermost modules. Is this an acceptable configuration or would it just be better to leave off the fan shroud and depend on the Antec 900 case cooling (7 fans not counting the Noctuas) to cool the memory modules? Thank you. Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corsair Employee RAM GUY Posted October 6, 2009 Corsair Employee Share Posted October 6, 2009 As long as it works and you did not modify the memory you should be good to go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomGu Posted October 8, 2009 Author Share Posted October 8, 2009 Assembly of our new system is complete. Core components are an Intel i5 processor, Noctua NH-U12P-SE2 CPU cooler, Gigabyte P55-UD4P motherboard, 8GB kit of Corsair Dominator memory CMD8GX3M4A1600C8, two EVGA 250 GTS graphics cards (not configured for SLI), and a Corsair TX850W power supply. I am seeking to overclock this configuration to 4Ghz but am a relative newbie (this is my second overclocked system), so I am asking for assistance with the processor / memory frequency and voltage settings. A base clock of 200 Mhz with a cpu multiplier of 20 would reach the 4Ghz level but I am unsure about the voltage. How much do I increment the CPU Vcore above the stock setting as I begin to test? Do I also need to increment the QPI/Vtt voltage? Is yes, how much? Concerning the memory, it seems using the 10X multiplier would be correct for the 4Ghz overclock but I have seen some recommendations to use the 8x multiplier and run the memory at 1600 Mhz. Which is best? The comments I have read on memory voltage seem to agree on a maximum of 1.65 volts per Intel. Is it all right to set the DRAM voltage at 1.65 at the outset or best to increment it and see if the DRAM can meet the system's demands at a voltage less than 1.65? Thanks for reading this and for any helpful comments. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomGu Posted October 9, 2009 Author Share Posted October 9, 2009 Using the parameters described in the ncix youtube video at my system is oc'd to 3.7GHz and presently running Prime95. RealTemp is reporting the core temps at approximately 70 degrees which seems high with the Noctua NH-U12P-SE2 and seven other fans in the *ntec 900 case. Would turning off load line calibration and manually setting Vcore help reduce the core temps? Thanks. Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomGu Posted October 10, 2009 Author Share Posted October 10, 2009 I stopped Prime95 after 75 minutes (no errors), checked the bios to see how the Vcore and Dram voltages had been set (1.38125 & 1.584 respectively), turned off load line calibration, set the Vcore to closest available to 1.38125, the Dram to closest available to 1.584, and rebooted. Haven been running Prime 95 for seven hours and RealTemp is reporting the core temps about ten degrees lower than with load line calibration enabled. Seems this is a better configuration to get the same overclock at lower core temperatures. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomGu Posted October 10, 2009 Author Share Posted October 10, 2009 In trying to move above the 3.7GHz yielded by the NCIX configuration, I either encounter boot failures or Prime95 fails immediately when started. Presently at 200 bclk, 20X CPU multiplier, 1.4 Vcore, 1.3 VTT, 8X memory multiplier, 1.64 Dram voltage. CPU-Z reports the memory frequencies at 10,11,11, & 29. Sure would appreciate some help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomGu Posted October 10, 2009 Author Share Posted October 10, 2009 Enabled load line calibration and Prime95 is running but Real Temp is reporting all core temps in the high 70's to low 80's. Is it safe to let Prime95 continue at these temps? CPU cooler is a Noctua NH-U12P-SE2. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corsair Employee RAM GUY Posted October 16, 2009 Corsair Employee Share Posted October 16, 2009 That is not uncommon with an extreme over clock and you have one of the best CPU Coolers so there is not much else you can do except lower the O.C. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomGu Posted October 16, 2009 Author Share Posted October 16, 2009 Ramguy - Appreciate the response. Noctua tech informs me that mid 70's is "to be expected" with the i5 at 4GHz. By adjusting some other values in the bios, P95 finally ran for 24 hrs with no errors and the average temps (taken at thirteen random times during the test) for the four cores was 73.7, 71.5, 69.5, and 70.9. Thanks again. Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corsair Employee RAM GUY Posted October 16, 2009 Corsair Employee Share Posted October 16, 2009 NP and thanks for taking the time to post the results. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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