Thanks a lot. Shim is out and so is the pricey thermal grease. Nervous
about the fan though.
Darn it....Now I've got something new to debate with myself though.
Overclock or not to overclock. If I don't overclock, then I don't really
need the nforce2 ultra 400 chipset, and could get the almost as good KT600
chipset for a cheaper price. But, by overclocking, I not only get a faster
processor, but get the higher FSB as well and can take advantage of PC3200
memory.
I use my PC for intensive stuff, so the higher speeds would certainly come
in handy.
Thing is though, if you're able to keep the temperature of your system down,
then where's the harm? I always thought that was the main concern. Well
that and getting the right settings, but I've seen many posts on the net of
people doing the exact same overclock that I'd be doing and it supposedly is
done by merely changing the fsb
Do you know what happens to a light bulb when you turn it on and off a lot?
Essentially, that's what you are doing to your system when you overclock it.
Keeping the system cooler will minimize damage and stability problems, but
overclocking will affect the long-term reliability of your computer. People
do it because they can. Besides, with most computers being REPLACED after a
year or two, is long-term reliability really important? That depends on the
individual user. I know most of my older systems get passed down to
relatives, so I want them running as smoothly as possible for as long as
possible.
If you want to maximize the speed of your system safely, go for the nvidia
nforce2 chipset, though not necessarily the DFI board (but nothing wrong
with that either). I could whole-heartedly recommend the Epox 8RDA3+, and
you will not have a problem mounting any CPU cooler on that board. Epox
uses a chipset cooler, but a low-profile one that won't get in the way of a
CPU cooler.
http://web.epox.com/html/motherboard.asp?product=EP-8RDA3plus&lang=1
Instead of PC3200 memory, buy two good quality sticks of PC2700 memory.
There are two good reasons to do this. First, the CPU and Memory will be
running asynchronously with PC3200, unless you overclock (and there is no
guarantee that you will BE ABLE to overclock, anyway). If you don't
overclock, then the PC3200 will actually SLOW your system down. The reason
is that you want the FSB and RAM to be running at the same speed to maximize
overall system speed. Your processor is a 333 processor, so your RAM should
be 333 (PC2700) also. Also, if you buy two sticks and install them
correctly, the nforce2 chipset will run them in dual channel memory mode,
which will speed up performance slightly.
Again, I wouldn't advise overclocking. There may be many people who claim
to have cool, stable systems running 3200/2500. That's no guarantee that
you will achieve the same results, because it depends on your individual
components, and no two components are exactly alike. You might be able to
overclock, and you might not. You might also damage your brand new system
trying. At best, your system will run cool and stable at way above it's
rated specifications . . . and you won't be able to tell it's overclocked
unless you run some kind of benchmark software. (what's the point . . .
bragging rights?) -Dave
