• Welcome to TechPowerUp Forums, Guest! Please check out our forum guidelines for info related to our community.

need some advice for my first desktop + OC

Squall_V

New Member
Joined
Sep 23, 2008
Messages
3 (0.00/day)
Hi.
I'm going to build my first desktop that's basically for gaming, I will need some advice on choosing the best hardware that's for gaming and my first time overclocking.

CPU: intel core 2 Q9950(heard u can overclock to 4ghz)
Motherboard: asus P5Q3(heard this motherboard have easy overclocking system and can OC very good)
GPU: maybe hd4870 2x, or 2 of hd4850 or 2 of hd 4870 (which of them do u suggest?, but I think the hd4870 2x fit the asus P5Q3 motherboard more)
Memory: Corsair ddr3 4gb 2x2 1600mhz or OCZ Platinum 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3 1600. If u suggest another one which one would it be?
Case: Antec twelve hundred (I heard this case is very good for gaming and got nice cooling system but I have doubt, if this will fit with the motherboard and if it will actually have enough space for later maybe will do a quad crossfire?)
Hardrive: 500gb seagate sata 2(maybe 1tb or 2 of those 500gb going to check the prices between them)
PSU: 750 or 1000 watt? (so which PSU should I use for this rig? and does the PSU helps overclocking better if the PSU have more watt?)

Have a nice day thanks in advance :).
 
Last edited:
Joined
Feb 21, 2008
Messages
6,862 (1.17/day)
Location
S.E. Virginia
System Name Barb's Domain
Processor i9 10850k 5.1GHz all cores
Motherboard MSI MPG Z490 GAMING EDGE WIFI
Cooling Deep Cool Assassin III
Memory 2*16gig Corsair LPX DDR4 3200
Video Card(s) RTX 4080 FE
Storage 500gb Samsung 980 Pro M2 SSD, 500GB WD Blue SATA SSD, 2TB Seagate Hybrid SSHD
Display(s) Dell - S3222DGM 32" 2k Curved/ASUS VP28UQG 28" 4K (ran at 2k), Sanyo 75" 4k TV
Case SilverStone Fortress FT04
Audio Device(s) Bose Companion II speakers, Corsair - HS70 PRO headphones
Power Supply Corsair RM850x (2021)
Mouse Logitech G502
Keyboard Logitech Orion Spectrum G910
VR HMD Oculus Quest 2
Software Windows 10 Pro 64 bit
Benchmark Scores https://www.3dmark.com/spy/34962882
cpu wise, for gaming, a duo core is a better choice right now, I suggest the e8500

graphics, if you want the best, get the 4870x2, no other single card can equal it's performance right now.

PSU, a 750 watt corsair or pc power and cooling will be more than enough

Case: Antec twelve hundred (I heard this case is very good for gaming and got nice cooling system but I have doubt, if this will fit with the motherboard and if it will actually have enough space for later maybe will do a quad crossfire?)

That case has enough room to for you to do whatever you want with it.

Everything else I didnt mention is good choices IMHO.

BTW, welcome to TPU
 
Joined
Feb 10, 2008
Messages
3,393 (0.58/day)
Location
BC.CAN
Processor 2700x under H100i progeebee
Motherboard ASUS x470 prime
Cooling Fans
Memory gskill ripjaw 3200
Video Card(s) MSi Vega 64 ref
Storage 120Gb OCZ Vertex 2E SSD - 500Gb Games - 1.5tb Storage and Media
Case CM HAF 932
Power Supply Corsair TX750
Software Win 10
The 4870x2 is the best choice since for you all crossfire is done on the card you wont need to worry about anything. If you have the $$$ then go for that.

The Q9550 can hit 4Ghz but you'll NEED a good cooler to do it. I'd say get a good C2D dual for now and learn how to OC first. Learn how to build a watercooling loop and then get the Q9550. Or you can just get the Swiftec H20 220 and watercool the quad now for $160. My point is running that quad @ 4Ghz deserves/requires really good cooling.

For the PSU BarbaricSoul is right PCP&C 750w or Corsair TX750w... up to 750w the TX from Corsair is the best model worth purchasing. If you plan to run 2 x 4870x2 you will need more power.
 
Joined
Sep 17, 2008
Messages
97 (0.02/day)
System Name Blaznee's pc
Processor i7-4770k
Motherboard Asus Maximus VII Ranger
Cooling Noctua NH-U14S
Memory 16GB Kingston HyperX Beast DDR3 2400mhz
Video Card(s) Evga GTX980 Superclocked
Storage Samsung 840Pro 500GB, WD Black 1TB Sata6GB, WD Green 2TB Sata
Display(s) Acer Predator 34" G-Sync
Case Corsair Graphite 600D White edition
Audio Device(s) FiiO E18 Kunlun DAC
Power Supply NZXT Hale90 850w
Software Windows 10
I'd pick an X48 based motherboard for a DDR3 based rig..

Go with E8500 if you want to jump on the overclocking wagon..

Your chosen memory is perhaps a little on the slow side for serious OC'ing.

How do you plan to cool this sucker? Remember to get an equal amount of air in and out of the case, and keep cabling neat.. The Antec 1200 is fine, a good alternative is the Coolermaster HAF..

And yeah, I agree with the 4870x2 card, and a good 750-850w psu..
 
Joined
Feb 10, 2008
Messages
3,393 (0.58/day)
Location
BC.CAN
Processor 2700x under H100i progeebee
Motherboard ASUS x470 prime
Cooling Fans
Memory gskill ripjaw 3200
Video Card(s) MSi Vega 64 ref
Storage 120Gb OCZ Vertex 2E SSD - 500Gb Games - 1.5tb Storage and Media
Case CM HAF 932
Power Supply Corsair TX750
Software Win 10
I'd pick an X48 based motherboard for a DDR3 based rig..

Go with E8500 if you want to jump on the overclocking wagon..

Your chosen memory is perhaps a little on the slow side for serious OC'ing.

How do you plan to cool this sucker? Remember to get an equal amount of air in and out of the case, and keep cabling neat.. The Antec 1200 is fine, a good alternative is the Coolermaster HAF..

And yeah, I agree with the 4870x2 card, and a good 750-850w psu..

The HAF is a great alternative to the Antec 1200... in fact I chose it over the 1200.
 

Jmatt110

New Member
Joined
Jul 22, 2008
Messages
510 (0.09/day)
Location
Australia
Processor Intel 2600k @ 4.8ghz
Motherboard ASUS Maximus IV Extreme-Z
Cooling EK Supreme
Memory 16gb Corsair Vengeance
Video Card(s) 2x 6990 Quadfire
Storage OCZ Vertex 2 120gb, 2 storage drives.
Display(s) Eyefinity - 3x Dell U3011
Case CaseLabs TH10
Audio Device(s) Creative X-Fi Titanium HD
Power Supply Corsair AX1200W + AX850W
Software Windows 7 x64
I have the HAF 932 (check sig), absolutely awesome case :D

In terms of PSU, get a Corsair TX750W if you're going to use a single 4870x2, or the Corsair HX1000 if you decide to Crossfire the x2's.

Also I'd recommend Samsung F1 hard drives, extremely fast and quiet, can't beat that :)
 

iStink

New Member
Joined
Sep 22, 2008
Messages
648 (0.11/day)
System Name The beast
Processor E6600@ 3.4
Motherboard P5W DH Deluxe
Cooling Tuniq Tower 120
Memory 3GB G.Sill DDR2-800
Video Card(s) 8800GT @ 700/975
Storage (1)80GB With XP, (1) 320GB storage
Display(s) 205BW & 710N
Case XClio Windtunnel (I love it)
Audio Device(s) X-Fi Platinum
Power Supply OCZ gamerXStream 700W
I'll agree with the dual core processor. Maybe look into getting a Tuniq tower 120 for cooling. Never take the board's vcore above 1.55v.

OCZ plat for the ram, and even an OCZ gamerXStream PSU. They have an 850watt one that you'll be very happy with. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341003

Otherwise good setup. Although, I might get a faster smaller hdd for the operating system, then install and run your games off the 500gb.
 

Squall_V

New Member
Joined
Sep 23, 2008
Messages
3 (0.00/day)
Is the performance of Q9550 better than e8500 at resolution 1920x1200?
Will I be able to overclock the Q9550 to around 3.7ghz-4ghz with just the cooling fans in antec 1200?(I read some article there someone overclocked it to 4ghz with just cooling fans)
what about e8500 how much can I overclock it with just cooling fans?
I will probably pick the e8500 since its close to 100usd cheaper than q9950 but if the performance of Q9550 is better I will think about it.

The 4870x2 is the best choice since for you all crossfire is
For the PSU BarbaricSoul is right PCP&C 750w or Corsair TX750w... up to 750w the TX from Corsair is the best model worth purchasing. If you plan to run 2 x 4870x2 you will need more power.
hmm since 750W PSU wont be enough if I'm going to do a crossfire, how much Watts will I need to crossfire 2x, 3x and 4x of hd4870 x2, ? (good to know, as I will do crossfire 2x of hd4870 x2 when the price drops a bit more)

I'm new with overclocking and have never built a desktop before. About the cooling system for this desktop, I'm thinking about just using the fans from antec 1200 and maybe put 1 more 120-200mm fans on the side. Would that be enough?

OCZ plat for the ram, and even an OCZ gamerXStream PSU. They have an 850watt one that you'll be very happy with. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341003

Otherwise good setup. Although, I might get a faster smaller hdd for the operating system, then install and run your games off the 500gb.
btw whats so good with OCZ ram and psu?, I have read alot of articles that says alot of good things about the corsair ram and psu good price and overclocking.

Good idea, I havent done any research about hdd but which hdd is faster than sata 2? and how huge is the different between the faster HDD and a sata 2? Price wise too, is it worth getting?

Thanks everyone for all the advices/tips/replies!
 
Joined
Feb 10, 2008
Messages
3,393 (0.58/day)
Location
BC.CAN
Processor 2700x under H100i progeebee
Motherboard ASUS x470 prime
Cooling Fans
Memory gskill ripjaw 3200
Video Card(s) MSi Vega 64 ref
Storage 120Gb OCZ Vertex 2E SSD - 500Gb Games - 1.5tb Storage and Media
Case CM HAF 932
Power Supply Corsair TX750
Software Win 10
The q9550 is a great CPU if you need the 4 cores. Currently a strong dual core CPU will be more than enough for gaming especially once overclocked. You COULD overclock with the fans provided but its NOT a good idea especially for the quad. Intel provides a fan for the CPUs that is designed to handle the temperatures @ stock speed. Once overclocking you can pretty much throw that fan in the garbage. Running the q9550 @ 3.7 on the basic intel fan is a bad idea.

If you decide to get the E8500 you will easily save enough $$$ to purchase a good/great air cooler and then you could easily hit 4-4.5Ghz which would be perfect for gaming at 1900x1200. Unless you setup a watercooling system you wont get a q9550 to the same speeds you can get the E8500.

If you want to crossfire 2 x 4870x2 get the Corsair HX1000 or something like that.
 

Jmatt110

New Member
Joined
Jul 22, 2008
Messages
510 (0.09/day)
Location
Australia
Processor Intel 2600k @ 4.8ghz
Motherboard ASUS Maximus IV Extreme-Z
Cooling EK Supreme
Memory 16gb Corsair Vengeance
Video Card(s) 2x 6990 Quadfire
Storage OCZ Vertex 2 120gb, 2 storage drives.
Display(s) Eyefinity - 3x Dell U3011
Case CaseLabs TH10
Audio Device(s) Creative X-Fi Titanium HD
Power Supply Corsair AX1200W + AX850W
Software Windows 7 x64
btw whats so good with OCZ ram and psu?, I have read alot of articles that says alot of good things about the corsair ram and psu good price and overclocking.

Good idea, I havent done any research about hdd but which hdd is faster than sata 2? and how huge is the different between the faster HDD and a sata 2? Price wise too, is it worth getting?

Thanks everyone for all the advices/tips/replies!

Corsair and PC Power & Cooling PSU's are some of the best on the market right now. As I said before, since you plan to Crossfire with the 4870x2's later down the track, pick up the Corsair HX1000.

And about the hard drives. SATA 2 is just an interface (its how the HDD conects to the computer, in this case its a SATA 2 cable). The only thing faster than a SATA 2 HDD is either a Solid State Drive (they still connect using SATA 2 but are much faster than traditional hard drives. Insanely expensive however.) and an SAS setup, which I would not recommend for a first build, also quite expensive.

Some of the fastest SATA 2 HDDs you can get are the WesternDigital Velociraptor's, Samsung F1 and Hitachi Ultrastars.

And you will need an aftermarket cooler, this one is one of the best performers around and is pretty cheap: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233023
If you get that cooler, you'll also need this retention brack to get the best possible mounting on an Intel motherboard.

Hope that helps, Jmatt
 

Squall_V

New Member
Joined
Sep 23, 2008
Messages
3 (0.00/day)
Wont it dmg my rig alot if I use 1000watt PSU on my rig that doesnt have crossfire atm?
About ddr3 memory whats actually better timming: 7-7-7-24 is it better if the timing are less or better if its higher?
Which brand of radeon hd 4870 x2 should I take, asus, ati, saphire, diamond, gigabyte etc? I don't think this matter but just in case, maybe the quality between those brand are huge.

I will get the cpu aftermarket cooler and what about graphic card aftermarket cooler, do I need one? If yes which one should I get for my hd 4870 x2? Zalman VF1000 LED Heatpipe VGA RAM Heatsink or the Thermalright HR-03 Plus or Thermalright HR-03 GT?
Atm I have 8 case fans(7 of 120mm and 1 of 200mm)
Thanks again :)
 
Joined
Feb 10, 2008
Messages
3,393 (0.58/day)
Location
BC.CAN
Processor 2700x under H100i progeebee
Motherboard ASUS x470 prime
Cooling Fans
Memory gskill ripjaw 3200
Video Card(s) MSi Vega 64 ref
Storage 120Gb OCZ Vertex 2E SSD - 500Gb Games - 1.5tb Storage and Media
Case CM HAF 932
Power Supply Corsair TX750
Software Win 10
You wont damage your system with a more powerful PSU. The system will only draw the power that is needed and the PSU will only output the power that is required.

For RAM the lower the timing the better.

You dont need another cooler for the card....
 
Top