Building New PC - Research Phase

[Brenchen 51]

Well, just a little thought.....Keep the old system you have as it is... use it as a server in a network for all the other Applications you need for FSX (AS2012, Flight Planning etc..) and use the new system to only run FSX alone, without the added load of the other applications.......regards

Can I not potentially use my laptop to do that? Because if I was to keep my video card, hdd and ram, i won't have a functional computer.

[MrKen 3]

Yes you can use your laptop to accomplish the same thing, which is better since that would allow you to recycle several components. If you're case will hold a standard ATX motherboard & permits plenty of airflow you can also reuse it.

[Paul_Smith 92]

Why would you want to keep your old HDD? A new SATA 6Gb/s drive is going to be less then €100 and will take advantage of the power of your new MB. Saves you having to get an SSD for a while.

[dazz 69]

Why would you want to keep your old HDD? A new SATA 6Gb/s drive is going to be less then €100 and will take advantage of the power of your new MB. Saves you having to get an SSD for a while.

SATA III (6GB/s) is useless for mech drives Paul. They perform just the same on SATA II. Only SATA III SSD's are able to take advantage of the extra bandwidth

[Brenchen 51]

Yes you can use your laptop to accomplish the same thing, which is better since that would allow you to recycle several components. If you're case will hold a standard ATX motherboard & permits plenty of airflow you can also reuse it.

My mother will be very glad to take that computer off me, tell me to fill in the missing components and give it to her

Why would you want to keep your old HDD? A new SATA 6Gb/s drive is going to be less then €100 and will take advantage of the power of your new MB. Saves you having to get an SSD for a while.

Ok, say we leave the old HDD out of it, by the sound of your suggestion, you're saying that I should not get an SSD? Or have I mistaken you somehow?

[denver69 0]

I agree, 2500K. I am working toward 5ghz w/ mine now. Also, what I was glad that I did:Buy 2 1tb hd's and put FSX on the second oneand...Go with win 7 64 and not 32.and...I am very happy with the coolermaster 212 but now regret not going water cooled. As I stress test at 4.6ghz my temps are just touching on 70c and that is about my continuouse limit. I am at my min voltage before BSOD's so I think any chance on getting her over 4.7 is going to require water cooling. I have done everything right to maximize the coolermaster such as lapping it properly and using good thermal paste but I just think it is at it's limit.

[Brenchen 51]

I got my i7 950 to 4.0GHz and stressing it at 99C :( I think I'm doing something wrong. Or would that be normal?My cooler is Noctua NH14D, ambient temp is at about 21-25C

[dazz 69]

I got my i7 950 to 4.0GHz and stressing it at 99C :( I think I'm doing something wrong. Or would that be normal?My cooler is Noctua NH14D, ambient temp is at about 21-25C

That's insanely hot Brendan. Should never exceed 8oºCHow did you overclock it? How much Vcore?What thermal compound did you use and how did you apply it?Is your case well ventilated?

[MrKen 3]

Well it will run hotter than a sandy bridge at the same clock, but 99C is waaaayy too hot for safety!I have three questions;1) Are you using the factory heatsink or an aftermarketcooler from a reputable manufacturer?2) Are you positive you applied the thermal paste properly? Not too much & didn't let the heatsink rock while mounting...3)What's your vcore?

[Brenchen 51]

Glad to hear some replies, but it's no longer running at that now. I went overseas, and my partner who knows minimal of computers used it, experienced a boot error and hence went back to factory default.

That's insanely hot Brendan. Should never exceed 8oºCHow did you overclock it? How much Vcore?What thermal compound did you use and how did you apply it?Is your case well ventilated?

When I was doing my research, it said under 100C was ok... :S?Anyway, vcore wise, I forgot, something like 1.4-1.5V (done this over 6 months ago so not sure my accuracy on the digits). OC'd by increase the multiplyer and vcore and VTT (if that's the write term) or something, again I don't remember the exact steps.

Well it will run hotter than a sandy bridge at the same clock, but 99C is waaaayy too hot for safety!I have three questions;1) Are you using the factory heatsink or an aftermarketcooler from a reputable manufacturer?2) Are you positive you applied the thermal paste properly? Not too much & didn't let the heatsink rock while mounting...3)What's your vcore?

ANS:

1. Aftermarket cooler, Noctua NH14D, supposedly the flagship of air cooling, dual fans dual sets of heatsink plates (looked nasty)
2. I remember I drew something like a circle on the CPU with the thermal paste but didn't spread it. I gently pressed the cooler against it so it sits firm and not wobbly
3. Again, don't quite remember, something like 1.4-1.5V?

But it seems there are more than one way to OC a CPU am I right? When I started OCing it, I experienced some problems, then some other people were telling me to read the BSOD. From then, I was trying to to get to the state I got to.Since now HW wise I'm pretty much fit, but OC is a bit scary...

[Paul_Smith 92]

It sounds like you are talking about something you tried to do months ago and can't remember any of the details. That is not really helpful to you or to us. I would suggest that before you try overclocking the next time, you put in more research. There are much more appropriate forums for these discussions then here. Even Avsims own Hardware forum would be more helpful.

[MrKen 3]

As for having more than one way to OC a CPU, that's generally not exactly true. SandyBridge is OC'ed by the multiplier, while I think yours is done primarily by adjusting the base clock. I haven't OC'ed a CPU like yours, so I don't know the correct procedure or vcore settings.One piece of advice I will offer is avoid forum discussions for overclocking. Most of the information can be trusted but you've always got people posting things they shouldn't be posting. Google a guide for your cpu/motherboard from one of the major tech sites.

Edited February 13, 2012 by MrKen

[dazz 69]

Sure there's lots of ways to overclock, but many of those are the wrong ways.There's a huge difference between 1.4 & 1.5V. 1.4 is the absolute maximum for that I7, 1.5 is far too much. Most I7 9xx do 4GHz at or below 1.3V1.5V could very well be the reason why your temps were so high, but most importantly, that Vcore can potentially fry your CPUNever exceed:8oºC in the hottest core at full load1.4V Vcore1.4V Vtt1.8V Vdimm (RAM voltage)Before OCing, stress test on stock clocks for stability and temp headroom. If your temps are too close to the 8oºC max on stock clocks, get your cooling sorted outDisable HT & try to find the minimum voltages at which your OC is stable to minimize wear and heat.

[Cuddly1956 1]

I'd suggest a ssd just for fsx - there is no pause at all on loading with one... just bear in mind the cost and your patience.As for cooling I went for the H70 cooler rather than air as I'm of the opinion of keeping the weight off the motherboard is beneficial - I'm not saying better.2500k should be well up to the job on the cpu side, but waiting for the next gen couldn't hurt if in no hurry.

[Brenchen 51]

Thanks for the heads up. I guess one of the major things I did wrong was reading lots and too much on forums rather than guides. Now I shall do more research into guides as suggested.Cheers all.