Am I Bottlenecking?

[KSoD]

I was recommended that mother board from a very good friend. One that i have known for over 5 years now and he has never steered me wrong yet. He uses it himself so that alone tells me it has to be decent. Then he linked me to a review of it.

MSI P6N SLI Platinum - Lauren Barnard - Maximum PC

As for that CPU that is the exact one i looked at. That would give you some extra boost if you could get it stable @ 4GHz. But even if you could get 3.8 or 3.6 you would still have a advantage. The biggest thing will be the RAM. CPU is great and all but RAM is also a big thing.

 

[SpikedCola]

So my priorities are RAM -> CPU -> Mobo, or RAM -> Mobo -> CPU, in your opinion?

Also, while Ive got your attention, what do you think is one of the top CPU coolers, under $50? I was looking at an Arctic Cooler Freezer 7 Pro, but also at a Scythe cooler (I installed one in a friends computer, and it runs completely silent - I like that)

EDIT It was a Scythe Katana 2
Scythe EU GmbH : Katana 2

 

[KSoD]

Yes i would say RAM>CPU for sure. Then if you decided to go with that setup i linked to then for sure Mobo>CPU.

I have used Artic Coolers before they are good. The Scythe i dont know. I have not had any experience with them. But it certainly does look great and that it would get the job done.

 

[SpikedCola]

gigabyte GA-X38-DQ6 PCSTATS Review - PCSTATS Maximum Motherboard Overclocking Chart & Conclusions

I think I'm in love. Nice board. Shame it's a x-fire board. Still under consideration though, because I dont plan on going SLI/X-fire (cant live without two monitors)

 

[ricanflow]

gigabyte GA-X38-DQ6 PCSTATS Review - PCSTATS Maximum Motherboard Overclocking Chart & Conclusions

I think I'm in love. Nice board. Shame it's a x-fire board. Still under consideration though, because I dont plan on going SLI/X-fire (cant live without two monitors)

Crossfire supports dual monitors.

 

[SpikedCola]

I have an 8800GT and dont plan on going to ATI (dont want this to turn into an ATI vs nVidia debate) since I just bought this card.

 

[KSoD]

I run a 6800 and run 2 monitors. Dont need to go SLi to do dual monitor.

 

[Trotter]

nvidia will run on a Crossfire board, as long as you only run one card. XD I am running an ATI on an Nvidia board.

DFI has always been a great overclocker, but for AMD. Their new Intel chips are good, too, but it has taken them a while.

 

[Puddle Jumper]

Also, while Ive got your attention, what do you think is one of the top CPU coolers, under $50? I was looking at an Arctic Cooler Freezer 7 Pro, but also at a Scythe cooler (I installed one in a friends computer, and it runs completely silent - I like that)

I would recommend the Tuniq Tower 120. It is one of the best air coolers on the market.

Newegg.com - Tuniq Tower 120 P4 & K8 CPU Cooler - Retail

 

[SpikedCola]

Any of you guys live in the northern to north-eastern States? Ive got a favour to ask of someone that does.