upgrades and overclocking

[belinik]

Finally decided to retire my e8400 and join the sb party(a trip at microcenter sealed the deal for me). Original Rig:

e8400
8gb ddr2
4870
xigmatek h.d.t
tx750
6 hdd and 1 ssd

Upgrade list:
2600k (purchased)
G.Skill ripjaw 12800 8gb * 2 set (pending)
another ssd to raid those vertex 2 (both of them are the old batch )
Asus P8z68-v Pro (pending)
corsair H50 that I got it cheap and never used it



I have never overclocked anything and with this CPU I don't think god of OC will forgive me if I leave it stock. I do plan on using this cpu for a while so I don't plan on going 4.4+, a minor increase will satisfy me. Some help or some place to read about do's and don't will be greatly appreciated!

My tx750 is about to hit 3rd year I was wondering if it can support the new setup provided I am minor OCing?

I still have some cash left, video card is next on my list. I have a 460gtx at my sis computer but I do not see any big improvement over my 4870. With my budget of ~250 should I expect any decent up?

I know I need another ssd to take advantage of the z68 but is it true that I can do that later without reformat as long as I install it in raid mode?

Thanks!

[ZZLEE]

Best to load OS on a new drive.

[JJThomp]

I don't know about your ssd questions but for vid card you really have 2 options. HD 6950 1gb (you can get the 2gb if you buy used) or GTX 560ti. I Personally would buy a used HD 6950 that can be flashed to 6970 because then you are really getting bang for your buck.

Check out redflagdeals

[kingnubian]

With respect to overclocking, read as much as you can before attempting it as there are some pitfalls but also lots of positives :).
That 2600k has a very very good chance of reaching 4-4.4Ghz with just a multiplier adjustment to be honest. 4Ghz is almost a given with these cpu's.
There is a very concise guide aimed at Asus motherboards but applicable to other makes on Asus's own forum & mirrored here.

Official ASUS P8P67 Series Overclocking Guide and Information - [H]ard|Forum

S1155 overclocking is different than S1366, S1156 & S775 overclocking so do some reading. Also if shooting for 4.4ghz+, I would seriously consider an after-market cpu heatsink solution. It doesn't have to be expensive just more capable than the stock Intel unit. A Hyper 212+ is a good example.

The idea is to go slow and easy. We want that shiny new pc to be around for a long time, or at least until the next upgrade. Check my sig to see where I've gotten with my setup.

[Addictedtokaos]

Originally Posted by belinik

My tx750 is about to hit 3rd year I was wondering if it can support the new setup provided I am minor OCing?

Yes, your 750 should do fine as these newer drives, CPU, RAM all use lower power consumption. Dont worry unless you want to move to Xfire or SLI

Originally Posted by belinik

I still have some cash left, video card is next on my list. I have a 460gtx at my sis computer but I do not see any big improvement over my 4870. With my budget of ~250 should I expect any decent up?

I was able to pick up a gtx 570 for $279 after $40MIR ($319 before the MIR) from NCIX. Just watch for a good sale or price match.

I noticed a nice increase going from my 5850 @ 900/1200 to the 570. With my OC'd 5850 I would get about 50+ (70 AVG) FPS in black ops @ 1400x900. Now I get 90FPS min with my 2500k and gtx 570 @ 1920x1080.

Originally Posted by belinik

I know I need another ssd to take advantage of the z68 but is it true that I can do that later without reformat as long as I install it in raid mode?

Yes, install with your controller in RAID config. Then when you get your second drive, create an image of your OS install to one of your storage drives. Create the raid. Then restore the image to your newly created raid. Done.

Before you go ahead with a z68 and RAID, remember that SSD RAID doesnt support TRIM and you will need to rely on Garbage Collection... read up.

[Eldonko]

Enter BIOS, click OC Tuner, enjoy a 1000Mhz overclock. Should be 100% stable with a 2600k.

I own and reviewed that board so if you have any questions just ask. Grab the latest BIOS and drivers from this thread: ASUS Official Z68 Chipset Motherboards - Support Thread - XtremeSystems Forums

Take a look at this regarding SSD caching Intel Z68 Review - The Sandy Bridge Platform Expands