Greetings, all :)

So here's the deal: I've got everything for my (mostly) new system picked out, save for the RAM. I'm getting either a Q6600 or Q6700 through the Intel Retail Edge program, and am planning to overclock it. This will be my first major attempt at pushing a chip (done a few small overclocks in the past, but I hope to get to about 3.2-3.4GHz with either chip). So far, the system setup looks like this:

Mobo: ASUS P5K-E
CPU: As stated, Q6600 or Q6700
GPU: My current eVGA 8800GTS 640MB
DVD: LG H62N and Pioneer DVR-212D
HDD: My current Seagate 200GB and WD 250GB

I know quality RAM is important when OC'ing, so I'd just like to grab some opinions here. I'm looking at two different speeds for the RAM (1066MHz and 800MHz). These are all 2GB kits (2x1GB sticks).

In the 800MHz category, I'm looking at these three: G.Skill F2-6400CL4D-2GBHK (supposedly 4-4-3-5), G.Skill F2-6400PHU2-2GBHZ (4-4-4-12) or finally these Corsair Twin2X2048-6400C4 (4-4-4-12). I've heard the G.Skill's are great OC'ers but I really do like Corsair products.

As for the 1066MHz sticks, I'm looking at these three: Mushkin XP2-8500 at 5-5-4-12 (I'm not a fan of Mushkin RAM after my last experience with it, so this is a last resort), Corsair XMS2 Twin2X2048-8500C5 at 5-5-5-15, or G.Skill F2-8500CL5D-2GBHK at 5-5-5-15.

Basically my question in two parts: First, will I see any tangible differences in overclocking by switching to 1066MHz RAM (enough that it warrants the price difference) over 800MHz RAM? And secondly, in your own humble opinion, which are the best choices at 1066MHz and at 800MHz, with the principal concern being overclocking on a P5K-E?

Any and all advice is appreciated. Right now I'm leaning towards the Corsair 800MHz kit; it's got good timings and the price is reasonable.

I'm thinking I might either lap the cooler this weekend if I get time, or else I'll return it and pony up the dough for a CNPS9700 when I get my new case.

On another note, does anyone know what the safe thermal envelope is for the A64 3700+?

[QUOTE="TheDisturbedOne"]

My case really *isn't* (or rather, wasn't) a hotbox. I've got 2 80mm fans installed (one sucking in, one blowing out) and they both push about 40CFM (Cooler Master ones, I believe). And my PSU has a 120mm fan that takes a little bit of air out, as well as the fan attached to the GPU. So there should be enough cooling. I think I'm just gonna try re-applying with some AS5 and then sticking it all in my Nine Hundred.

p.s. Yes my avatar is from ISOS5, I just haven't frequented the forums as much as I did in the past. Too busy with school and work now.

RayvinAzn

Even that much airflow might not be enough to dissapate all that heat quickly - a smaller case will heat up faster than a larger one, even with more air blowing on it. Think of two pots on a stove - one of them is 50% full of water, while the other is 25% full of water. Assuming the same heat, the smaller one is naturally going to boil quicker. Even if you turn the heat down on the smaller one a bit, it'll still come to a boil faster than its fuller counterpart.

As for ISOS 5, I found it to be a bit of a dissapointment, to be quite honest. 1 and 2 were excellent, three was decent enough, but 4 and 5 just didn't cut the mustard. It was nice to see my boy Joni Ljungqvist on the tracklist though, I've known him since he was begging people to listen to his tracks. It's nice to see that he's made some headway in the production world, and his track was definitely one of the better ones on the CD.

Yeah I get that it's not enough to dissipate the heat properly, but what I don't get is why my temperatures went UP when I installed the F64 Pro. The *only* thing that changed was the heatsink/fan combo. I installed the 8800 with the stock cooler, saw my temps go up, installed the new heatsink and saw my temps go up again. *That's* what I'm worried about. And yes, ISOS5 was a bit of a disappointment to me, as well. I used to be a big fan of Tijs but his newer works just aren't as good as his stuff from around 2000-2001. I still think ISOS3 and Summerbreeze were his best mix albums.

And -Sal, I've already done that =P I've got a room fan blowing at it now whenever I'm gaming.

As general replies to all the answers...

I heard the paste that came with it was pretty decent, so I stuck with it. I'll pick up some AS5 at work tomorrow, anyway.

I also *did* clean the CPU with rubbing alcohol and lint-free cotton swabs before I set the cooler. And I've tried re-seating it as well.

My case really *isn't* (or rather, wasn't) a hotbox. I've got 2 80mm fans installed (one sucking in, one blowing out) and they both push about 40CFM (Cooler Master ones, I believe). And my PSU has a 120mm fan that takes a little bit of air out, as well as the fan attached to the GPU. So there should be enough cooling. I think I'm just gonna try re-applying with some AS5 and then sticking it all in my Nine Hundred.

Thanks for the help guys, appreciate it =)

p.s. Yes my avatar is from ISOS5, I just haven't frequented the forums as much as I did in the past. Too busy with school and work now.

Basically what's happening here is that I upgraded my CPU cooler from the stock A64 cooler to the Arctic Cooling Freezer 64 Pro (it's the only one that would fit in my current case; it's a mATX case and board). I just recently installed an eVGA GeForce 8800GTS 640MB (running at stock speeds) and predictably saw my case temperatures increase about 10C-15C on average. My CPU temps went up from about 40C at idle to around 51C at idle, so I bought the F64 Pro.

For some reason, my CPU temps have not dropped AT ALL. I'm still idling at around 50C-51C, which worries me a bit especially since the F64 Pro has more fins, larger fan and is also PWM controlled via the motherboard and occasionally SpeedFan. I used the standard paste that came applied to the cooler (called MX-2 I believe, it's listed on AC's website, anyway) and someone at work suggested re-installing the cooler with some Arctic Silver 5 instead. Is there anything else that can be done, or did I just get stuck with a crappy cooler?

Appreciate any help you guys might have.

P.S. Just as a side-note, I'm going to be picking up an Antec Nine Hundred pretty soon, as well, but the high temperatures worry me right now. I know they'll go down once they're in the new case.

Hey all, so I've got a bit of a quandary on my hands. Looking to buy an M-Audio X-Session Pro MIDI USB mixer but no M-Audio products (software OR hardware) support Windows XP MCE. So here's what I'm wondering: does anyone know of any way to upgrade from MCE (2002 edition) to XP Pro, but without losing all my settings? It doesn't matter if it's convoluted as hell or whatever, I'm just dying to do this.

Thanks