My First Build - i7

[fullmetall]

if the noctua fits, would the V8?

 

[xthekidx]

I think you can fit any cooler you chose into that case I'm not aware of any that exceed 160mm in height, save for perhaps the V10, which is just a beast of a cooler
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103056

 

[fullmetall]

Wicked cooler, hah, thats niceee. Only looked at the V8, I thought it was pretty neat but, that one is wicked.

 

[mrmeowmix2300]

Lol yeah the V10 is...well....huge! And expensive!

So really, any cooler will fit, awesome! I was just wondering that even though the case is 8inches and the coolers 6inches, I thought that mabey with the motherboard risers and other things, but if you guys say it will fit, I trust you.

The only thing is, while they may fit, would I have to remove the side window fan or would the cooler miss it or something. I would rather have it so that the side fan could take the cpus hot air out when it comes up the heat sink. Would this be a problem?

And lastly for this post, another question, so which cooler is the best? Some say Noctua and some say the TRUE some say the V8 but which is the best overall i7 compatible cooler?

 

[xthekidx]

I don't know where the side panel fan is located, but its not that big of an issue because ideally you side panel fan will be an intake fan, fans at the back and top of your PC will be exhaust fans, so you should aim the fan of your heatsink at your exhaust fans so that the hot air coming off the heatsink is directed straight out of the case.

The TRUE is still the best out there I think, however they all perform admirably and different reviews will place one over the other. My feel of it though is that the TRUE is still king.

 

[mrmeowmix2300]

Ok so as I said I would rather have the side fan in rather then take it out. Do you think I could keep it in with a 158-160mm cooler right there?

Also, yeah I have seen that the TRUE is better but I have also seen that it dosent come with a fan and that it costs a little more.
The only reason I think I will go with the Noctua is because it comes with a really good fan (I think), its very quiet and IM pretty sure it runs just a little hotter then the TRUE. And because Im not gonna overclock the i7 920 too much, mabey just a little over 3.0, I think the Noctua is suitable, what do you think.

Plus, I could get the second Noctua fan and have a push-pull thing going.









PS: My main concern is still these big coolers fitting with out it hitting the side window. But you already said it would so I guess it will.

 

[mrmeowmix2300]

UPDATE: OK well these quotes from reviews of the case on NewEgg unofficially confirms what you guys said:

"This case has a lot of room. My Thermalright Ultra 120 extreme and GTX 280 fit with no problem. I can still access the hard drive cage opposite the video card (if you do this make sure you install the HD's first). I thought that it would be noisier with five fans but it's not."

AND

"Was able to fit the Cooler Master V8 on my EVGA x58 MB and still able to close side panel without removing side fan (barely). Fits GTX 280 video card with room to spare."

Tells me that since a TRUE or V8 will fit almost anything (V10 looking at you) will. Also big video cards are nice.

So now that I know lots of stuff can fit, Il have no prob getting a TRUE if it really is worth it getting for someone who wont overclock MASSIVELY. Like a little but nothing extreme. Ill get it if I really need it/should get it.

 

[xthekidx]

The TRUE is not worth it if you won't go for a big overclock. For 3.2 or so like you are saying, Get the Xigmatek S1283v Dark knight, it will be more than sufficient for you.

 

[mrmeowmix2300]

Well what would you consider a high enough overclock for the Noctua or TRUE sufficient? 4.0? From the reviews on newegg, people say that while the dark knight is a good cooler its not too good on the i7.

I would love to overclock higher, but I dont want an unstable system and I dont want to limit the life of my processor by very much. If you could point me to a good guide on overclocking the 920 on an EVGA x58 or ASUS P6T (Btw: does either of those boards have a big advantage other the other, i like evgas c/s) I may be inclined to overclock higher.

 

[xthekidx]

I would say 3.5 or higher would merit coolers of that caliber. Take a look at this article for overclocking the i7:
http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,2845,2335839,00.asp

 

[mrmeowmix2300]

Thanks for that article. The only thing is it dosent really explain how to do it. Ive never OC'ed before and need to learn the basics. However, with the utility's that come with the EVGA and ASUS boards, it seems to make overclocking easy.

Which board would you suggest for me, someone who would have max 2 GPUS and has a few PCI cards? I like the EVGA but Im not sure yet. I would also like to overclock the cpu to around 3.5 if I learn to do it well or its easy enough. Could I just run a utility like the EVGA precision one and it would really just overclock to a certain speed?



PS: Someone mentioned that the ram timing were too slow, would these be better: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231230

 

[fullmetall]

Yea there slow at default, you should be able to tightin them once you go in for an overclock but, the other set should be fine.

 

[mrmeowmix2300]

Wait, I can tighten the timings by overclocking? Awesome!

So should I get the red ones or the blue ones (ram-g.skill)

 

[fullmetall]

Yea.. you should be able to tighten or release timings on any certain ram like that one if its available. In my Bios, you have to disable automatic setting and set timings, look it up before going ahead and getting it and not being able to find it when looking in your new computer. Every motherboard has different settings.

 

[mrmeowmix2300]

Ok so what motherboard would you suggest?

I posted some things I plan to do above (pci cards ect).

 

[xthekidx]

Asus P6T Deluxe V2 has the best board Layout IMO and overclocks better than any other boards at that price. The Spacing between the PCIEx16 slots is ideal for 2 way xfire or sli.

Get This kit instead, its cheaper and better ram. I have them, look at my signature.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227381

 

[xthekidx]

Overclocking the i7 is pretty easy. Here is how you do it on ASUS boards:

Go to BIOS menu and go to the AI Tweaker tab. There will be an option for auto, manual, and a high performance ram setting. Set it to manual. At this point you can adjust all your voltages and clock frequencies. The P6T Deluxe V2 has drop down menus I believe, mine is the P6T and I had to enter my values manually. To get the frequency you want for your CPU; you must find out what BCLK you need. BCLKxCPU multiplier (20) =CPU frequency. So my settings are at 175x20. I got my i7 stable at 3.5ghz by changing voltage to 1.272 on the cpu, 1.64v on the ram, 1.3v uncore, and 1.9v QPI (I think, but that one could be wrong...its been a while since I did this.) and left the rest of my settings on auto. Disable speed step and virtualization tech. Ram frequency I chose 8x multiplier because my ram wouldn't run stable at 10x (1758mhz) under the 1.65v spec from intel. Then go set DRAM Timing Control or DRAM Clocks or something like that and changed timings.

Solid as a rock.

The Deluxe V2 may not need voltages as high as I used since it has a better power management design and is made to overclock better, so play around with it until you find the lowest voltages you need to run stable.

 

[fullmetall]

OCZ platinums are most likely your best bet, would have been my choice aswell if i went and looked for them on newegg.

 

[bmuell]

I REALLY like this ram's specs/price, but I haven't read any reviews: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231247

 

[mrmeowmix2300]

Om so the OCZ Platinum that was linked looks a lot better for 10 more dollars.

From what xthekidx said, overclocking looks simple. The only parts I dont understand is what to put for "1.3v uncore, and 1.9v QPI" I think I want the lowest voltage but the fastest clock right?

 

[xthekidx]

Correct.

 

[xthekidx]

Watch this, I found it very helpful.

 

[mrmeowmix2300]

Watch this, I found it very helpful.

I dont see anything to watch.

 

[xthekidx]

Forgot to post the link...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwbzQblRQ7I

 

[mrmeowmix2300]

Forgot to post the link...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwbzQblRQ7I

Oh ok thats the link. Yeah that video was very helpful! Thanks!


Ok so I guess were back to which cooler? I think Im gonna want eaither the TRUE or the Ncotua so I have room for overclocks.