New build - Q6600 REvival

[Pabz0r545]

Hi all. I recently just upgraded PC's from an old pre built store bought HP computer with an intel Q6600 processor to a home built i5 sandy bridge setup. I was originally going to give my old computer to my brother's kids but I decided I want to rebuild it and "spruce it up" a bit. The processor is still pretty good and the machine used to run Starcraft 2(practically the only game I play) on High graphic settings. I did some pricing and it will be only roughly 250 bucks to get it in tip top shape. I could get away with using the old ram but it only has 3gb which I figure could definitely be improved. I could also get away with using the old case but it is so cramped and such a horrible design I don't ever want to touch it again. Plus the new one looks cooler and has LED's. :P So here's the info so far.

1. What YOUR PC will be used for. That means what types of tasks you'll be performing.
Gaming, web browsing, forum posting.

2. What YOUR budget is.
$ 300

3. What country YOU will be buying YOUR parts from.
Canada or USA

4. IF YOU have a brand preference.
I have come to really like Corsair.

5. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, and if so, what those parts are.
CPU- intel Q6600
GPU- Sapphire Radeon HD 4870 1gb GDDR5
HDD- 650gb Random thing that came with the old PC
Optical Drive - Samsung DVD Burner again dunno

6. IF YOU have searched and/or read similar threads.

7. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds.
I would like to overclock.

8. WHEN do you plan to build it?
In the next weed or 2

9. What resolution do you use?
1920 x 1080

So here is a list of the parts. The main thing I am questioning here is the memory. Not sure if it is the correct memory to use. The mobo says "DDR3 800/1066/1333 (OC)" but the processor says "FSB Speed 1066 Mhz". Would getting 1333mhz memory be pointless? I am planning to try and overclock. Also what is the difference between DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600), DDR3 1333 (PC3 10660), DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) and are they all compatible with that motherboard? or should I go with a 1066 speed of memory?

CPU: Intel Core™2 Quad Processor Q6600
(8M Cache, 2.40 GHz, 1066 MHz FSB)

Motherboard: MSI G41M-P34 LGA 775 Intel G41 HDMI Micro ATX Intel Motherboard

Memory: CORSAIR XMS3 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 Desktop Memory Model CMX8GX3M2A1333C9

Is 8GB of ram overkill for this system?

GPU: Sapphire Radeon HD 4870 1GB GDDR5 PCI-E 2XDVI-I HDCP HDTV Out Video Card

Case & Power Supply: APEVIA X-QBOII X-QBOII-BK/500 Black SECC Steel MicroATX Mini Tower Computer Case 500W Power Supply

Heat Sink: GELID Solutions Slim Silence 775 75mm Ball CPU Cooler

Thanks any help suggestions and input is greatly appreciated. :)

[ilya]

Not worth investing in a Q6600 system unless you're buying used.

If you do go with your current picks, you're going to end up with a fried motherboard when you start stress testing. Either the CPU or PSU will kill it.

[Bond007]

Going to have to agree with ilya. The only thing that would be worth upgrading in a q6600 build would be parts that die or are required for it to run. If you already have 3gb ram and a video card that plays the only game you play then I wouldn't invest in it. Maybe grab a new case so that you don't mind looking at it and save the rest of your money. I am assuming your rig already has a power supply that was running the computer fine...if so keep using it (the psu included with the case you linked to is pretty much junk...as are most bundled psu/case combos). The only bundled psu that are decent (that I can think of off hand) are antec. Also there are much better cases without PSU that are cheaper than the linked case. Common budget cases are HAF 912 and antec three hundred (some people don't like it for cable management, but I love mine). You could always grab an LED fan to throw in the front of whichever case you get if you want the bright blue look (newegg also sells an antec three hundred illusion that includes 2x front 120mm blue light fans for a few more bucks).

[Pabz0r545]

Thanks for the input guys.

I wouldn't say im exactly "investing" in a Q6600 setup. I have all of the parts already, most of which i want to use and I've got a little extra money to burn and a whole lot of boredom. It's just some of the parts could use some upgrading. Besides the system works fine, I was still able to compute and game on it so it doesn't need to be anything special. Just a spare comp for my GF and I to use for casual use, since my machine is most only for gaming.

I am curious as to why the mobo will be killed by the CPU or PSU. Can you provide information on this please?

Oh yeah my question about the ram is unanswered. THe thing I needed to know most :P
Thanks again.

[ilya]

Originally Posted by Pabz0r545

I am curious as to why the mobo will be killed by the CPU or PSU. Can you provide information on this please?

Oh yeah my question about the ram is unanswered. THe thing I needed to know most :P
Thanks again.

Apevia PSU's are notorious for catastrophic failures. (sparks, fire, etc.) The MSI motherboard you picked uses a 2+1 phase power design. Meaning 2 phases for CPU power, a Q6600 has a TDP of 95W or 100W. (depending on stepping) So you can assume each phase has to handle ~50W without any overclocking. Even at 1.5V, that's at least 30A per channel, I don't know of a single MSI motherboard that can handle more than 25A per channel. Add the fact that there is no mosfet cooling on the board and you're looking at a pretty weak setup. So if you run a CPU intensive program for any extended amount of time, you can expect a catastrophic VRM failure.

As for the RAM, 10600, 10660, and 10666 are all the same, just rounded differently. Just buy the cheapest one, the 775 platform in general cannot make use of the extra bandwidth/speed provided by DDR3. As for how much memory, 4GB is more than enough for most users. If you're a power user that might have a use for 8GB, then go ahead and get 8GB, RAM prices are at rock bottom ATM.

EDIT: If you're just messing with this old system as a hobby, I'd try and learn more about it, it makes the experience more enjoyable.

[enaberif]

I have this board
http://www.msi.com/product/mb/G41M-P23.html#?div=Detail

with a q6600 and a sparkle 450w psu for my htpc and it runs fine.

[Bond007]

Garbage bundled PSU = frying all your computer components.

For the ram I wouldn't bother with more than 4gb unless you know you are going to use substantial memory hogging programs (by the sounds of it you will not). If you are using a 32bit version of windows it won't allow you to have more than 3.25GB (something around that) of memory anyway (another reason I said to just stick with the 3gb you already have). Even with increased memory speeds and capacity for 99.9% of the usage that it sounds like this machine will see you are likely talking about a single digit performance increase. Once again, IMO, money NOT well spent...but to each their own.

If you must spend $300 and the case, psu, and gpu are reusable, then buy a i3 2100/2120, MOB, and ram. Can get a combo for approx $200 if you shop around. EXAMPLE NCIX

Q6600 vs i3 2100 link

[Pabz0r545]

Wow so much more to think about now. Again, thanks for the input.

@ ilya - I am doing this just for a hobby but yes, I sure do have a lot to learn. That is all in over my head at the moment. 3 weeks ago I was just a gamer that knew nothing about PC components, just had a basic knowldege of what a pc is made up of (cpu, mobo, gpu, etc). But a few nights ago I successfully built myself a nice gaming rig and am starting to take a lot more interest. I guess hardwarecanucks is a good place to start learning. :)

@ Bond007 - I will definitely use my antec 550 which was housed in my previous PC in this build. The i3 is definitely an exciting idea but lol the whole point of me doing this was because I feel most of the components of the comp is still good enough to use for a year or two especially the CPU........

BUT that combo is just frickin awesome LOL. /drool

I originally wanted to try and OC the CPU and possibly the GPU but now I am starting to second guess that. Why I really wanted to try was because I just bought this bad@ss i5 2500k CPU(all this wasted un OC'd potential) but I'm a total noob and wanted to use the Q6600 to learn on, and obviously still keep it in good working order. Maybe it's not such a good idea though. DO you still think the motherboard has potential to fry if I use my Antec 550w and don't try to overclock?

on a side not I found this cheapo case to use since I already have a working PSU and don't need to spend much on a case. So I am down to:

Motherboard: MSI G41M-P34 LGA 775 Intel G41 HDMI Micro ATX Intel Motherboard $60

As for the memory I still don't know. This mobo only has 2 memory slots and the old one was I was using had 4, with all slots being used. How does that work out to 3mb? I dunno. I plan on installing windows 7 64 bit so I am going to go with 8GB because the 20 dollar difference is ok to me.

Memory: G.SKILL Value Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL9D-8GBNT $41

Case : Broadway Com Corp 1243MA-BLACK Glossy black Steel ATX Mini Tower Computer Case 500W Power Supply $31

So I'm down to $132 that is assuming that the mobo will be safe to use with a decent PSU and no OC'ing.

[ilya]

TBH, if you want to get you feet wet with overclocking I would do it with your new build. You seem to have a well designed motherboard for overclocking, (robust power delivery, beefy heatsink) the only issue I see with it is clearance issues due to the layout. It would also be a lot easier with a 2500k since you don't have to worry about how you adjust the base clocks.

If you use that motherboard with a Q6600, whether or not it will fry depends on usage. If you do anything CPU intensive over long periods of time I'm fairly confident it will fail rather quickly. But if you use it for something like a HTPC like enaberif, you may never see a failure before you decide to throw out the board. If you really want to overclock the Q6600 and really get into different aspects of computing, I would buy a used board. I remember someone selling a DFI board here recently. Don't know who it is, but it might be worth a look.

[frontier204]

http://www.msi.com/product/mb/G41M-P...div=CPUSupport
Hmm crazily enough that board supports the Core2Quad QX6700, so you could probably run a Q6600 on it just fine - I wouldn't recommend buying new however.

What RAM did the old HP have? If you can use it, then use it even if it's DDR2. You can then pick up a board used for no more than $45 and try that out. The LGA775 with DDR3 boards were pretty expensive when they first came out, so my guess is the inflation remains now.

For cheap cases, I'd pick a Cooler Master Elite over a cheaper case in which $5 of the price is spent on a useless PSU that you'll have to discard the second you open the packaging.