Upgrading...

[Ellothar121]

Heya! It's been forever. I'm actually looking to upgrade my build this time... Hopefully for about or under $500. Here's my current setup:

Mobo: ASUS P5E (X38 Chipset, LGA775)
CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 (2.4GHz)
Memory: G.Skill 2x2GB (DDR2@667)
Video: EVGA GeForce 9600GT (512MB, 256-bit, PCI-E 2.0)
HDD: SeaGate Barracuda 7200.11 (SATAII, 500GB)
PSU: XCLIO GreatPower 550W

I'm heading off to college next year, so I'm probably going to be getting a laptop before this time next year -- which means I'm trying to stay conservative with the money-spending on my rig. I'm aiming to play new games that are coming out, and I've got an eye on the GTX 460, but am willing to be talked out of it if you guys think I can do better spending my money on other pieces.

Thanks!

 

[Muffin Man]

if your price range for a gfx card is around $200, the gtx 460 is probably your best choice, it's a great card.

 

[Ellothar121]

Oops. I meant to mention that I'm considering either replacing my motherboard/cpu, and going DDR3, or getting that video card -- I'm not sure that I have the assets to do both well. I'm really looking to upgrade with the most bang-per-buck, and I figured that for gaming, the video card would be a natural place to start.

 

[Muffin Man]

yea, because your current card is a bit lacking.

you could upgrade the gfx card and buy a cooler to OC the cpu too.

 

[Ellothar121]

How much better can I do, with regard to a processor HSF, than an Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro? Is it worth the money to get a better one?

 

[Muffin Man]

oh cuz you listed your q6600 at 2.4 which is its stock clock speed, so i assumed you were just running with the stock hsf.

the rest of your rig looks ok IMO, so if gaming is your main priority then the gfx card is where you want to focus, up to you really how much you want to spend on the upgrade though.

 

[Ellothar121]

Alright, so I have a couple of confessions to make...

A few weeks ago, I tried overclocking with stock cooling, just to see if I could. I got it running at 3.0GHz stably, can't remember temps. I attached my Freezer 7 Pro (using the thermal pad that came on it -- I cleaned the CPU surface prior to attaching it, though) to see if I could do anything more. When I turned on my computer, I ran Prime 95 to test it, and it immediately shot past 80°C, so I panicked and shut it off. I decided to let it idle for the night, and check the temperatures in the morning. Overnight, it had gone up to 125°C and stayed 100°C+ for about 2 minutes, and then dropped back down to 80, where it stayed for most of the night (fluctuating between 85°C and 60°C, but staying mostly nearer to the high end).

I shut my computer down and was running off an old laptop until I got my new thermal paste and graphics card. After it arrived, I cleaned everything with rubbing alcohol, tinted both surfaces with Arctic Silver 5, horizontal line of the stuff across the processor's metal cap, and then attached the heatsink/fan. After starting my computer up, it idled at 50°C for a second and then went up to 60°C. I thought it would be closer to the 40-50°C that people reported with this fan, but I figured I'd give it a try. Running Prime 95, though, sent it up to 85°C again.

I recleaned and reseated my Freezer 7 Pro, and it idles with 0% load at 50°C, but if I do anything, it shoots up to 60°C and 100% load sends it up to 85°C again.

Can I get some help? ._.

 

[Muffin Man]

i'm not sure but it sounds like it might not be installed correctly or loose somewhere.

could you post some pics of how you have it setup maybe?