GUIDE: 3+GHz Core 2 Duo Budget System for $631 (Overclock)

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I bought most of the parts from a local dealer, and nagotiated the price, since I bought everything from him. Besides, most of those parts comes with a free shipping, except for the casing as far as I remember.

What I did was, print out the prices from other websites, including NewEgg, brought it to his store, and nagotiated. In fact, the total I paid was exactly USD$637, since I had a 56k internal modem for faxing purposes.

And yes, I'm on stock cooling. The extra 5x fans did a lot of cooling. I took pictures of my computer, including everything, inside out, but I couldn't post it as I do not have a Compact Flash card reader with me, and my digital camera's cable went missing. 🙁
 
Is it that all C2D are that easyly OC'ed or you have to find and but C2D proc that have unique ID number or whatsoever that can be stable enough to be OC'ed?
Coz i've done just one or two OC'ing with P4 and some can manage to gain 30% increse in speed while others are only manage at about 15% without raising the VCore.
 
Is it that all C2D are that easily OC'ed or you have to find and buy C2D proc that have unique ID number or whatsoever that can be stable enough to be OC'ed?
Coz i've done just one or two OC'ing with P4 and some can manage to gain 30% increse in speed while others are only manage at about 15% without raising the VCore.
 
It's usually the motherboard, ram, and cpu that makes the difference.

In this case, I assume that all the E6300 distributed around, are all the same, as they're all the same Allendale core, the stripped down L2 cache of Conroe.

If you purchase the same ram, or proven overclock friendly ones, and motherboard, you can easily achieve these numbers.

The reason I think all the E6300 can achieve at least 3GHz when things are done correctly is because, I'm currently running at 3.367GHz and below the stock Vcore, and with stock cooling, I'm at 60C at full load, running perfectly stable. When at 3GHz, full load runs at 55C, at even way lower Vcore.

Like I said, all E6300 has the ability to hit 3GHz, if you can't hit that speed, I'm pretty sure you did something wrong with your settings, or your other parts (ram, motherboard, psu, etc) aren't allowing you to do so.
 
Actually, I do have alot of things to critize from your build.

Unless the S3 uses the same BIOS as the DS3 (almost sure they dont), The Abit AB9 series would outperform at overclocking for only $10 more.

Corsair RAM doesnt always come in the cheapest and it performs on par with alot of other manufacturer. Pick the cheapest 1GB stick (proven to OC easier) of 5400 with 4-4-4-12 timings, for sure it will go to 430Mhz CL5 with some voltage help.

The X800GTO outrageously outperforms the 7300GT and its $3 more.

CoolerMaster isnt a known good brand for PSU. Swap for something with better quality.
 
Actually, I do have alot of things to critize from your build.

Unless the S3 uses the same BIOS as the DS3 (almost sure they dont), The Abit AB9 series would outperform at overclocking for only $10 more.

Corsair RAM doesnt always come in the cheapest and it performs on par with alot of other manufacturer. Pick the cheapest 1GB stick (proven to OC easier) of 5400 with 4-4-4-12 timings, for sure it will go to 430Mhz CL5 with some voltage help.

The X800GTO outrageously outperforms the 7300GT and its $3 more.

CoolerMaster isnt a known good brand for PSU. Swap for something with better quality.
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There's only 3 differences between the S3 and DS3.
- RAID support
- Capacitors
- Price

In my setup, it's totally budget wise, and no plans for RAID (more HDD costs more money). Whether or not the AB9 can overclock much better with an additional $10, that I can't argue as I do not own a AB9, and can't make a comparison. But, running my E6300 at 3.367GHz, with stock cooling, on a generic casing, and below stock Vcore, running full load at 59C, I believe my motherboard has much more to offer. Imagine I'm using a much better casing, a much better HSF, I would definitely be able to go way higher. In fact, I can go higher now, but I want to stay below 60C under all circumstances, to be 100% rock solid stable. What else can I complain after achieving such results at such price? Besides, the cheapest AB9 on NewEgg goes for $130, mine cost me $105, that's $25 difference. $25 can get me a OEM Open Box Big Typhoon shipped for free from NewEgg.

True, the Corsair does cost quite a bit more, but no doubt they're a great overclocker. In fact, when I was at my local store, Corsair was the only DDR2 RAM they had that was below CL5. Besides they're the cheapest, compared to the DDR2-800 models, which costs much more, and are CL5. What I've done now is clocked it above the DDR2-800 CL5 settings, for a much lower price.

X800GTO is definitely better than 7300GT in games. But forget not, this is the DDR3 model, which runs faster than the regular DDR2 model. Although it's still slower than X800GTO, it supports SM3.0, and it's newer technology. SM3.0 and DDR3 is the reason I went for 7300GT. Besides, old stuffs aren't sold at my local store. 🙁

CoolerMaster isn't a known good brand for PSU, but their price are decent, compared to other unknown brands. So far, running on my settings on stock HSF, with these settings at 3.367GHz, rock solid stable, and the PSU has yet to give me any problems after stress testing maximum heat and power consumption for over 8 hours and counting.

Again, I repeat, I really can't complain for what I'm getting for the price I paid. 😛
 
It's usually the motherboard, ram, and cpu that makes the difference.
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Which one is better RAM for C2D? DDR2 800MHz with Latency 5 or DDR2 667 with Latency 4?

Thx

It all depends on the quality/brand. For the price difference, I'd go for a good DDR2-667 with CL4. A good DDR2-667 RAM with stock CL4, can easily outperform a DDR2-800 CL5, by setting the CL to 5, and with a bit of bump in Vdimm. But then, a DDR2-667 will have difficulties hitting extremely high FSB. If you got the money, go for the low latency DDR2-800 modules.
 
There's only 3 differences between the S3 and DS3.
- RAID support
- Capacitors
- Price

In my setup, it's totally budget wise, and no plans for RAID (more HDD costs more money). Whether or not the AB9 can overclock much better with an additional $10, that I can't argue as I do not own a AB9, and can't make a comparison. But, running my E6300 at 3.367GHz, with stock cooling, on a generic casing, and below stock Vcore, running full load at 59C, I believe my motherboard has much more to offer. Imagine I'm using a much better casing, a much better HSF, I would definitely be able to go way higher. In fact, I can go higher now, but I want to stay below 60C under all circumstances, to be 100% rock solid stable. What else can I complain after achieving such results at such price? Besides, the cheapest AB9 on NewEgg goes for $130, mine cost me $105, that's $25 difference. $25 can get me a OEM Open Box Big Typhoon shipped for free from NewEgg.
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The DS3 uses all Solid capacitors while the S3 uses electrolytic ones that tend to last up to 5 times less than the solid ones. The life expentancy is of course lowered with OCing since it puts such a high load on the motherboard. RAID support is added for the futureproof ability of the motheboard. Seems like Gigabyte really went cheap on it...
While the Abit AB9 is only $15 more than the S3 and it DOES use this type of capacitors. Its got RAID support. The S3 has a FSB top of 500Mhz while the AB9 has a top of 600Mhz.
For the above reasons is why wusy didnt suggest it on its C2D OCing guide.

True, the Corsair does cost quite a bit more, but no doubt they're a great overclocker. In fact, when I was at my local store, Corsair was the only DDR2 RAM they had that was below CL5. Besides they're the cheapest, compared to the DDR2-800 models, which costs much more, and are CL5. What I've done now is clocked it above the DDR2-800 CL5 settings, for a much lower price.
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This PQI stick not only is $33 less but it uses the same Micron D9GCT chips as Corsair, therefore WILL perform the same. They run at 1.8v at the advertised specs, newegg got it wrong. Dual-channel has prooven a 3-5% improoving in real life apps so no worries about that.
By the way, here you stated that youre running them at 2.1v, now youre saying 1.9v?

X800GTO is definitely better than 7300GT in games. But forget not, this is the DDR3 model, which runs faster than the regular DDR2 model. Although it's still slower than X800GTO, it supports SM3.0, and it's newer technology. SM3.0 and DDR3 is the reason I went for 7300GT. Besides, old stuffs aren't sold at my local store. 🙁
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Considering that newegg just recently stocked a Leadtek 7300GT 128mb DDR3, I would pick the X800GTO for raw performance and the 7300GT if you WILL use the SM3.0

CoolerMaster isn't a known good brand for PSU, but their price are decent, compared to other unknown brands. So far, running on my settings on stock HSF, with these settings at 3.367GHz, rock solid stable, and the PSU has yet to give me any problems after stress testing maximum heat and power consumption for over 8 hours and counting.
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My biggest complain with the CoolerMaster is that its got a single, very weak 12v rail. This Raidmax PSU, uses the same hardware as Antec, its got more power and a stronger 12v rail. Cheaper, better, blue.

Again, I repeat, I really can't complain for what I'm getting for the price I paid. 😛
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I not flaming completly your setup, but you shouldnt recommend something based on only your experience. There are better things in the market that might be more suitable for other users. Youve got a good setup, no doubt about that, but im just trying to make it better :wink:
 
So uh... 3GHZ plus processor... I bet that does wonders for games...

Why exactly do you need to clock it so high when everything else in your system is cheapy? I already take it your not gaming... but then you need SM3.0... so you are gaming... with a 7300GT...

Another thing, in your guide, you just say, set FSB to 430MHZ... which is probably not the best thing to do right off the bat. You might want to say move up in small 5~10 MHZ increments until it doesn't post, bump up vcore or go back to last known good settings and move up in 1~2 MHZ increments...

It's a decent system for a decent price... but all you have is an oversized engine with plastic spinning rims, small tires, huge spoiler, and a loud exhaust.
 
Funny thing is, I just built a rig with the same CPU and mobo. BUT I did get much better RAM, PSU, GFX card, HDD, and aftermarket cooling. Which means that I have the supporting components to hit 3 ghz and have a very respectable system.

I think his point is that he's got a fast system on the cheap. That's all. Don't read too much into it. For the price, you can't really knock it.

If people want to nitpick, then sure you can pick a different GFX card. Sure you can get different RAM. HDD, cooler, blah, blah. There are countless combinations. So what? The point is that the general guts of his build prove that people can build a decent C2D rig on the cheap.

And keep in mind, 98% of the population are not "enthusiasts" and would be more than happy with even less than what he shows. Depending on someone's budget, they could drop an extra $150 by getting better PSU and GFX card and that is still one helluva deal.

There's always a sliding scale as to how much extra to spend, and what you get for that price. It's up to each person to customize their build and move that scale around to find what they're happy with. And that's I think what's being shown here.

One person says "One can never have enough HDD's"....I may think 1.8 Tb's of storage is asinine. So what? Someone may think I wasted $$ on a 7900 GTO. So what? The point is that if that person is satisfied with their build and actually got some great performance for their $$ investment, then that's what matters.
 
The DS3 uses all Solid capacitors while the S3 uses electrolytic ones that tend to last up to 5 times less than the solid ones. The life expentancy is of course lowered with OCing since it puts such a high load on the motherboard. RAID support is added for the futureproof ability of the motheboard. Seems like Gigabyte really went cheap on it...
While the Abit AB9 is only $15 more than the S3 and it DOES use this type of capacitors. Its got RAID support. The S3 has a FSB top of 500Mhz while the AB9 has a top of 600Mhz.
For the above reasons is why wusy didnt suggest it on its C2D OCing guide.
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The S3's highest FSB is 600MHz, that's even on my mobo's manual, and I even double checked it in my bios. There is someone in one of the Singapore forum, achieved a 570MHz FSB on a S3, on a E6300, but of course with much better power supply, and cooling, and casing. For the capacitors, I made a phone call to my local Gigabyte supplier, and was told the difference in the capacitor isn't going to make a huge difference. This motherboard was designed to be an overclocker, the S3 would last at least 5-6 years, if running on a 24/7 daily basis. Unless if you're planning to have your computer switched on for 24/7 for the next 5-6 years, this motherboard isn't going to fail for at least 5 years, and Gigabyte's representative talking to me on the phone emphasized on their seriousness in quality control. Besides, even if your motherboard can last 5 years, that doesn't mean your other parts are going to, including your HDD, Graphic Cards, CPU, etc, some might break down before your motherboard does, and in 5 years time, these parts might go obsolete, replaced with newer technology. By then, the $631 you've just spent on your system today would have definitely served to VERY well, and it would be time to move on with better money spendings.

Another point would be RAID being future proof, and come at a cost (RAID mobo costs more, more HDD costs more), but if you're on budget, you can't be going for the best of everything. At the time being, non-RAID will suffice. In real world/economics, there's always a trade-off.

Wusy didn't suggest this motherboard, because his guide and mine are totally different. His was there to achieve highest overclock, without considering budget. Mine, would be to go as cheap as possible, and for the best system for the price. There is a difference in spending $2000 to get a 5GHz system, and a $600 for getting a 3GHz.

This PQI stick not only is $33 less but it uses the same Micron D9GCT chips as Corsair, therefore WILL perform the same. They run at 1.8v at the advertised specs, newegg got it wrong. Dual-channel has prooven a 3-5% improoving in real life apps so no worries about that.
By the way, here you stated that youre running them at 2.1v, now youre saying 1.9v?
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For this point, I can't argue, you're quite right. Corsair has their RAM being sold for higher price. But I mentioned, this is the only low latency modules available at my local store, and have proven to my own experience to work perfectly with my setup. Other RAM modules might work better at a lower price, but I can't guarantee that they're going to achieve as well of an outcome as the combination I'm having. Again, I'd have to admit, I'm not perfect. At 3GHz setting, my RAM was indeed running at 1.9V stable. I had it set at 2.1V earlier to hit my maximum potential, which I'm now running at 3.367GHz solid rock stable, will attempt lower it down to see if I can run lower Vdimm stable, as soon as I have time to do a MemTest. These torture tests do take a lot of time, and I've spent countless hours reaching a satisfactory overclocking speed. Regarding the other thread that you just linked to from your reply is totally irrelevant to this thread, as that thread is totally experimental of what I'm doing (and going to do) and is not final, whereas this thread is results proven to work.

Just for your reference, this is what I had on my other thread, that you were talking about, the 2.1V Vdimm, was set for my 3.367GHz setup (481MHz FSB), not for this thread's setting of 3.01GHz.
Vdimm at 2.1V.
Vcore at 2.2875V
FSB at 481MHz (3.367GHz)
Idle: 45C
Load: 59C (9 hours Prime95 so far no problem, still running)
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The above settings are still temporary, can't be declared as my final settings, as I might decide to overclock higher, or try to lower voltages of Vcore and Vdimm to check if they could go stable at lower ratings. I've just called up my local store, and they have just received the Mushkin 2x 1GB 4-4-3-10 DDR2-800. The price of course, are much more expensive, at $340, but could ensure that I go close to 3.5GHz, or even higher. Since the store is 2 miles away from where I stay, and I've spent quite some time there over the past 3-4 days, discussing stuffs, and buying computer parts, I might just drop by tomorrow and look at it. I might not be able to afford it anytime soon, but even if I can afford it, would I spend that extra money for that kind of performance is another question to be answered.

Considering that newegg just recently stocked a Leadtek 7300GT 128mb DDR3, I would pick the X800GTO for raw performance and the 7300GT if you WILL use the SM3.0
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There will be no winner over the debate of 7300GT vs X800GTO. X800GTO has better performance, but lacks SM3.0 support, and vice versa. For me, I'd rather have that extra SM3.0 support, and a slightly lower raw performance. Benchmarks have proven that the difference aren't significant, and would save you a couple bucks. A couple bucks here, and there would eventually save you tens, and potentially hundreds in your final set up. Anyway, I'd have to rephrase, both 7300GT (DDR3) and X800GTO are excellent cards for their respective price. Choose whichever suits you better. :)

My biggest complain with the CoolerMaster is that its got a single, very weak 12v rail. This Raidmax PSU, uses the same hardware as Antec, its got more power and a stronger 12v rail. Cheaper, better, blue.
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The CoolerMaster PSU's aren't the best PSU around, but they're considerably cheaper, and at least, we can trust them better than a generic brand. If you find a better PSU for a better price, go ahead with it. :)

I not flaming completly your setup, but you shouldnt recommend something based on only your experience. There are better things in the market that might be more suitable for other users. Youve got a good setup, no doubt about that, but im just trying to make it better Wink
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The reason I'm recommending something based on my experience is, because it's proven to work. Other setups/combination might not be able to get you this results, or might even get better results. It's risk taken, and luck. My recommendation is 100% proven to achieve at least 3GHz with $631 spent. Like what you've recommended over the RAM and the PSU, and stuffs, you might be able to get a similar setup for only $600. If you do, congratulations. But if you don't, I can't be the one to be blamed, as there are no 2 different product in the market the are 100% similar, there is always a difference, whether significant or not.
 
Now I'm wondering what kind of generic case you had that allowed you to install all those fans... and what CFM those fans had? What would happen if you swapped every 80mm fan with a Vantec Tornado and the 12CM fan with a Silverstone FM121?

http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1075792

Some of the rankings there are. Some of them are real nice.

We do know that a system depends more than just on the processor. Not to mention most of the people on these forums aren't the average consumer. 98% of the population aren't enthusiasts, but 98% of the population here are.

Its a nice guide to show how to get a very good OC on a good processor, but the rig as a whole... is mediocre at best. All he's doing is removing one bottleneck, and then it'll hit the next one. It's a great budget build, but in the end, its still a budget build. I just don't want to mislead people who want to game at high resolutions into buying this build.

And the 1.8TB I spent on storage is all from Black Friday deals. 200 gig HDD's for 40 bucks, 300 gigs for around 60, and the 400 gig didn't even touch 100. When I see a good deal, I jump on them. Planning on getting another 2 320 gigs later, I want to hit the 5 TB mark by the end of next year. File Server FTW!
 
If you can get HDD's for that price, all the power to ya, great deal! 😀

As for the OP's build.......he makes it extremely clear it is a budget build, I doubt people would be confused. So for what it is meant to be, it is one helluva deal.

Great thing is, add a better vid card, some better RAM, and an air cooler, and all of a sudden the system is no budget slouch. Drop in a good vid card and this baby will hum at high rez 😉


Great stuff Wiz! Thanks for the info!
 
Now I'm wondering what kind of generic case you had that allowed you to install all those fans... and what CFM those fans had? What would happen if you swapped every 80mm fan with a Vantec Tornado and the 12CM fan with a Silverstone FM121?
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I have the pictures taken on my digital camera, but I can't upload it now, because I lost my CF card reader. 🙁

My generic casing has:

- A 8cm slot at the rear below the PSU.
- A 12cm slot at the front, right in front of the HDD slots.
- A 8cm slot on the side panel, that blows directly towards the CPU.
- Right below the 8cm slot on the side panel, there's a ventilation hole measuring 15cm x 9cm. It's not meant for any fans, but what I did was, attached 2x 8cm fans over the ventilation holes, using 3M double sided tape in between the fan and the side panel to make sure that there isn't any vibrations between the fans and the side panel, while I used nylon-bands to strap the fans against the ventilation holes, to ensure they won't fall off.

I will try to get a CF card reader from my local store tomorrow when I visit them to look at the Mushkin modules. I'll see if I'm able to borrow one, or buy a cheap one. And yes, I'm cheapskate, coz I'm a student, who's paying for my own expenses. 🙁 Every cent/dollar counts ... 😛

Those fans that I'm running are generic brand fans too, budget stuffs. 😛 If you're gonna toss in more money for better fans, the results, would definitely be better.

If you can get HDD's for that price, all the power to ya, great deal! Very Happy
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Hehehe ... that's the good thing when you shop at local store instead of online. All you do is, print out all the lowest priced items you find on the internet, bring it to the shop, nagotiate with them. Especially since you're gonna buy almost everything from them, they're most likely gonna give you a cheaper deal. That's one thing you can't do buying online, nagotiate.

Besides, the other good thing about buying at local stores is that ... if the item I purchased is still within warranty period, and with my invoice, I can go back to my local store, and they'll handle the warranty and deal with the manufacturer/supplier. In that case, I'll save more money on shipping if one of my parts break down.

Now, the one good thing here is, my Seagate is given to me with a 5 year warranty, within 1 year, I'll get a 1-to-1 replacement. The reason I get this is because, when we agreed initially to purchase a WD HDD, then we finalized our deal, and all of a sudden, he was looking over his stock, and found out that they're out of WD 160GB's. I was reluctant to take the Seagate as an offer, but he explained, Seagate has 5 year manufacturer's warranty, whereas Western Digital offers only 3 years. In the end, he tossed in a deal, a 1 year 1-to-1 replacement deal for free. That's a deal I couldn't resist.

Give me a couple minutes, then check back on my #1 post, I'll post a copy of my scanned invoice there. 😀
 
Couldn't agree with you more Skyguy. To the OP, good job, it suits your needs I gather? Then no problem you did well for the price.

Some of the things pointed out as better choices make some sense but not everyone scans half a dozen or more hardware vendors daily for price comparison like I do. Yes I'm sadly addicted to tech, it is to me what a skin mag is to a perv lol.

I can only assume the 7300GT fit into your budget and you chose it as you said for SM 3.0. I also, rather than "correcting you" on your choice, assume that its a good enough for now card which you may upgrade in the future? Waiting on DX10 perhaps? Also smart move if thats your intent.

Try to take other peoples comments as being as "constructive" as you can and don't worry about anyone saying you did anything "wrong" with your build. There is no template for a build that applies to everyone. We all have diff needs, desires from out hardware and, for some, branding can come into play. At the end of the day if you are happy with what you created then more power to you bud ! :)
 
Great thread, Wiz83, i really appreciate it!

I was planning on building a new computer around November, December. I want cheap. I want fast. This guide pretty much wraps it up. Well, at least the basics. I´ll probably go with a better GPU and a Xeon 3040 instead, but what you mentioned still applies. So thanks for sharing. 😀
 
I can only assume the 7300GT fit into your budget and you chose it as you said for SM 3.0. I also, rather than "correcting you" on your choice, assume that its a good enough for now card which you may upgrade in the future? Waiting on DX10 perhaps? Also smart move if thats your intent.
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Yeps, staying on a lower priced card now is a good move for now. And of course I will upgrade to a DX10 compatible card, IF I have the money to do so. 😛 Thanks for pointing that out. 😀

Great thread, Wiz83, i really appreciate it!

I was planning on building a new computer around November, December. I want cheap. I want fast. This guide pretty much wraps it up. Well, at least the basics. I´ll probably go with a better GPU and a Xeon 3040 instead, but what you mentioned still applies. So thanks for sharing. Very Happy
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It's my pleasure. :) As I've said before, on my other thread, that I came, I sought help, and now, time to contribute to this community. I'm here to stay for a long term basis (hopefully 😛) ... 😀

My setup is pretty strong, processor wise, but the graphic is on the limiting side. For gaming purposes, just swap the card with a much better one, which costs more ... the rest can remain the same ... you don't have to follow the list 100% ... there's always flexibility, you choose what you suits you best, and does the job ...
 
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