Overclocking Frenzy

Betty's Quad

2009-10-03T11:57:00.026+08:00

These pics was taken during the assembly of Betty's Budget Rig.... (We call Oliver with a girl's name "Betty").

Processor:
I have chosen this 45nm. processor, for I know Betty is a multitasker... On his gaming side, Betty is quick and versatile, ( I was pawned in almost all games) very unpredictable and cunning, this Quad Core running on 2.66Ghz., 4M Cache, 1333 MHz FSB is perfect match for his skills...

Core 2 Quad Q8400

Motherboard:
Since we are in tight budget (and we are running late), I convinced Betty to try the Biostar G31-M7 TE. It's cheap, very affordable, and very compatible with our Quad Core Processor.

The packaging is an attractive box.

Specs:
CPU Support:

	Intel® Core™2 Quad Processor Intel® Core™2 Duo Processor Intel® Pentium® Dual-Core Processor Intel® Pentium® D Processor Intel® Pentium® 4 Processor Intel® Celeron® Dual-Core Processor Intel® Celeron® D Processor Intel® Celeron® Processor 400 Sequence Maximum CPU TDP (Thermal Design Power) : 95Watt

FSB:

	Support FSB 533/800/1066/1333/1600(OC)MHz

Memory:

	Support Dual Channel DDR2 533/667/800 MHz 2 x DDR2 DIMM Memory Slot Max. Supports up to 4GB Memory ※Support DDR2 533MHz While Using FSB 533/1066 CPU

Expansion Slots:

	2 x PCI Slots 1 x PCI-E x16 Slot

Storage:

	4 x SATA2 3Gb/s Connector 1 x IDE Connector

USB:

	4 x USB 2.0 Port 2 x USB 2.0 Header

LAN:

Realtek RTL8102EL - 10/100 Controller

INTEGRATED VIDEO:

Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 3100 On Board Graphic Max. Share Memory 256MB

CODEC:

	Realtek ALC662 6-Channel HD Audio

REAR I/O:

1 x PS/2 Mouse

1 x PS/2 Keyboard

4 x USB 2.0 Port

1 x VGA Port

1 x RJ-45 Port

3 x Audio Connector

INTERNAL I/O:

1 x Printer Header

2 x USB 2.0 Header

4 x SATA2 3Gb/s Connector

1 x IDE Connector

1 x Floppy Connector

1 x Front Audio Header

1 x Front Panel Header

1 x CPU FAN Header

1 x System FAN Header

1 x Serial Header

DIMENSION:

	Micro ATX Form Factor Dimension: 23.5 cm X 17.9 cm ( W x L )

OS SUPPORT:

Support Windows 2000 / XP / XP 64 / Vista / Vista 64

ACCESSORIES:

1 x IDE Cable

1 x SATA Cable

1 x I/O Shield

1 x CD Driver

1 x Quick Guide

The SATA cable is missing... luckily we have extras.

"I love the smell of new hardware."

There are few solid capacitors...

Hard Drive:
Western Digital Digital Caviar Blue

Western Digital underwent a major makeover of sorts a couple of years ago, transforming its HDD lines from one of the noisiest in the industry to one of the quietest. Wholesale adoption of Fluid Dynamic Bearings marked the beginning of this change. Most WD products offered in the last couple of years have been very quiet, competing closely with the other low-noise HDD leader, Samsung. Their traditional emphasis on high performance has not been ignored, as they continue producing the 10,000 RPM Raptor drives. The Green Power line introduced last year broke convention with its 5400 RPM spindle speed, which exacts a price in performance, ameliorated by high areal density. It also set new records for acoustics; the GP drives are simply the quietest 3.5" drives available today.

Top performance for Windows Vista - WD Caviar SE16 SATA and EIDE drives are certified for Windows Vista and are top performers on the Windows Vista Experience Index.

16 MB Cache - Bigger cache means faster performance.

Perpendicular Magnetic Recording (PMR) - The latest generation of WD Caviar SE16 drives employs PMR technology to achieve even greater areal density.

IntelliSeek™ - Calculates optimum seek speeds to lower power consumption, noise and vibration

SecurePark™ - Parks the recording heads off the disk surface during spin up, spin down and when the drive is off. This ensures the recording head never touches the disk surface resulting in improved long term reliability due to less head wear, and improved non- operational shock tolerance.

3 years End-user Limited Warranty

Memory:
Hynix 1GB DDR2 667 RAM.
Since its the only RAM left in the inventory of the shop, we have to take it. Its going to replaced by a Dual Channel Kit Corsair or Transcend.

Case and PSU:

Betty: "I wonder what "evil" stuff I can do with this?"

Power Logic 500 Watts PSU is included in the case.

The Assemble:

Release the locking mechanism.

Open the CPU cover.

Identify the CPU orientation.

Place the processor in a right orientation.

Insert the processor.

Close the CPU cover and fasten the locking mechanism.

Install the heat sink/fan

Other tools you need:
An assistant- must be dedicated, hardworking, versatile and competent.
must posses the ff:

Mascular body. Can carry heavy loads.

No beer belly... but drinks lots of it.

"Look at mah mahseel!." Strenght is needed.

Stoned... so that he can't feel pain.

The assistant needs this traits so that he can help you with this:

"See! Very demanding job for an assistant!"

"Whew! what will I do if I have no assistant?"

Install the memory.

Remove the cheap ass back plate.

Betty: "Stuborn f@*#ing back plate! Hey Assistant, help!"

He never able to remove the back plate, luckily he had an assistant.

Install the back plate of the motherboard.

Make sure that it fits, to avoid damage on the I/O ports of the board.

Adjust all screw studs to the specification of the motherboard, also remove all studs that are unused.

Gently place the motherboard on the case.

Make sure that the studs are in place where the screw holes are.

To avoid short circuit, only the screw holes and the studs must make contact with the case.

Screw the board to the case.

Never overtighten the screws.

Be careful on manipulating your metal tools on the board, it may damage the components.

Make sure you have adequate light and space on the assemby area.

Next, put all power cords to the power sockets of the board.

Install the hard drive to the hard drive bay of the case.

Install the SATA cable and all the front headers.

Connect the SATA power cord to the hard drive.

Do the same to your DVD ROM. Install the DVD ROM.

Since we have an "old school" DVD ROM. An IDE cable was installed to the board.

Connect the Molex power cable as well.

Hmmm, only one part missing...

It's ready for formatting.

It's still lacking a good Video Card so I lent my GeForce 8600GT during the OS installation.

Microsoft Vista Ultimate 64-bit

Not bad for a budget rig... just upgrade it when the time comes...

Betty is planning for an HD4870X2 in the near future...

"Hmm hmm, Bitch!"

Acer Aspire 4535G 844G50Mn

2009-09-04T22:17:00.015+08:00

(Acer Aspire 4535G 844G50Mn)

One of the laptops that I enjoyed playing with... this baby sports an ATI Mobility Radeon 4570 512MB, 500GB of hard disk space and a whopping 4GB of DDR2 RAMs. Originally bought from Singapore, it costs around SG$ 1,298.00.

(Hmmm shiny!)

It has a very quick response due to its dual-core AMD X2 Ultara 64 ZM84 2.3GHz processor. 3D gaming like Left 4 Dead and Call of Duty 4 runs smooth on high settings... Photshop CS4 and other office applications such as MS Office 2007, including virus scan can be multi-tasked effortlessly.

Too bad it uses Windows Vista Home Premium 32-bit OS, it is nice to see it running on Windows Vista Ultimate 64 or Windows 7 64....

(Installing Photoshop CS4)

(The inputs and outputs)

(The fan can be located under the body)

(Good looking layout of keys and controls)

(Having a good time playing with it)

Specs:
Processor: AMD X2 Ultara 64 ZM84 2.3GHz

RAMs: 4GB DDR2 RAM

Hard Disk Drive: 500GB SATA HDD

Video Card: ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4570 512MB

Wireless 802.11b/g/n /

Webcam

DVD Super Multi DVD Writer

Budget Power Solutions...

2009-08-24T07:23:00.007+08:00

The HEC Raptor Series

On a tight budget, sometimes we can neglect the power requirements of our PC system, relying on those "generic" PSU that comes with the computer case we buy. Then soon you will notice hard booth, no power, and worst, smoking components... (my hard drive was smoking..)
Good thing there are solutions that will fit the budget of an amateur builder will that at least protect and give stable power on his investment.

The Raptor Series provides stable voltage output and protects the system from harmful power surges and voltage spikes. And it has a full line of products from 300 watts up to 500 watts that will give budget builders an option on choosing cheap power solutions.

Specifications:

Raptor R300UV/R300PV/R350UV/R350PV
Raptor R300UG/R300PG/R350UG/R350PG

ATX 12V V2.2 compliance (Raptor R300UV/R300PV/R350UV/R350PV)
ATX 12V V2.3 compliance (Raptor R300UG/R300PG/R350UG/R350PG)
"Green Mode" eco-friendly design lowers electric power consumption (standby<>
120mm fan with thermal control and honeycomb ventilation design keep power supply and PC case cool
Dual +12V rails offer best performance for the system and peripherals
High Efficiency design (>76%)
Protections: OPP/OVP/SCP/UVP

Raptor R350/R400/R450/R500
Raptor R350P/R400P/R450P/R500P

ATX12V Ver. 2.2
120mm ultra quiet fan keep PC cool and quiet
Advance fan control design automatic adjust fan speed according to power usage
Eco-friendly Green Mode technology (standby <2w)>
Multiple safety designs protect PSU and PC from accidences
PCI-E Connector for advance graphic card power requirement
Up to 4 high-end L-type SATA connectors for latest HDD/ODD and future expansion

There you have it folks, since the HEC Raptor series can give you a 72% efficiency, it would not pass the 80% plus power efficiency factor of those high-end PSUs. But for a budget PSU that can give you stable power and protection from surges and voltage spikes, its no brainer that HEC Raptor Series fits in nicely...

Cheap G-31 Mobo

2009-05-11T01:06:00.015+08:00

One of my PC does not boot, turns out it have a bad motherboard. I need to replace it quick, but with a puny budget, it will not be easy... my first choice is the G-33, it was a full featured, micro-ATX form factor, with good driver support and reviews, but alas! The price overwhelms me... I need a board that will suit my budget, so I have to settle for a G-31 chipset based mobo. Looking through the windows of the malls here in Iloilo, I can see four dominant brands sporting G-31 chips. First choice was Gigabyte GAG31M-ES2C G31 , for a Php.2,750 ($59) board it must be good, MSI G31M3-F G31 Php.2,600 ($55), Asus P5KPL-AM/PS G31 Php. 2,970 ($64), the three brands are all good, but when I saw the ECS G31T-M7L G31, with a price tag of Php. 2,050 ($44) all the cobwebs of indecision just fades away. Why not? Its cheap, my $50 budget can at least buy an extra optical mouse... and the features of the top G-31 branded mobo can also be found on this board.

Gigabyte GAG31M-ES2C G31

MSI G31M3-F G31

Asus P5KPL-AM/PS G31

ECS G31T-M7L G31
Cheap but effective.

Acer Aspire 6935G-863G32Bn Gemstone Blue

2009-02-10T07:42:00.005+08:00

Gaming on a desktop PC that lags sometimes gets me furious, gaming on a laptop that lags is "understandable". Laptop was not meant for games, until I tried playing Left 4 Dead on the Acer Aspire 6935G-863G32Bn Gemstone Blue! Sure sometimes the game crashes, but the fault can be the software, it happens all the time even on a high-end rig... The Acer Aspire 6935G-863G32Bn Gemstone Blue has quick response due to its Core 2 Duo P8600 (2.40GHz Processor), supporting Intel 64 architecture and 3GB DDR3 RAM to go with it. Gaming is a breeze because this baby sports an NVidia GeForce 9600M GT (512MB of dedicated GDDR III VRAM) PCI express video card. It plays good on Windows Vista Ultimate with Aero enabled at DirectX 10. It can swallow a whopping 320GB files and 6-in-1 card reader makes it very versatile. Movie geeks like me will enjoy playing Blu-ray disk on a 16" Full HD 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution, Acer CineCrystal TFT LCD. This baby can run 3 hours on battery, 3hrs. is lot of time on games anyway. Its a good buy if you got $2,063 (Php.94,896)

Got Wood?

2009-02-05T09:23:00.000+08:00

This wooden case can swallow a full ATX motherboard, can accommodate up to four hard disk drives and four optical drives. A classic design from a classic material, this case design can go well with old wooden houses. Just keep it away from termites... hehehehe.

A Unique Case: Lian-Li PC-777

2009-01-28T10:15:00.008+08:00

Lian Li makers of quality heavy gauge aluminum cases made this "Memorial" case. I think this case will make a refreshing change of view compared to those conventional case you see on the market.

120mm. exhaust fan

HDD Docking bay with an intake fan

Before

After

The MSI GTX 295 ( N295GTX-M2D1792)

2009-01-20T10:55:00.007+08:00

MSI's version of the renowned GTX295 is a replica of the reference card NVidia has made, nevertheless, it is a blazing fast card. On the downside, you need to shell out $505 to have one...

The overclocked version, the: N295GTX-M201792 sports a 655MHz GPU with GDDR3-2100 Mhz. memory compared to the "stock" version with a 576MHz/GDDR3-1998 MHz. (They have the same physical appearance though.)

Packaged contents:
N295GTX-M2D1792
Driver Disk
User's Manual
Power Cable
DVI to VGA/D-sub Adapter
DVI to HDMI Adapter
S/PDIF Cable

Can Nvidia's new GeForce GTX 295 beat ATI's Radeon HD4870 X2?

2009-01-14T22:28:00.040+08:00

NVidia Reference GPU (yummy!)

The release of the GTX295 was meant to take the crown of the title "Fastest GPU in the planet" from HD4870 X2. ATI was dominating the high-end market with its 4800 series cards, and NVidia GTX280 and GTX260 trails on second place. Can Nvidia take the crown once more?

Two GTX 295 on SLI Configuration

Tale of the tape:

GeForce GTX 295 ---------Radeon HD4870 X2

Manufacturing process:-----55nm TSMC-------------------55nm TSMC

Stream Processors:--------------480 ---------------------------1,600
Core Clock----------------------576 MHz.----------------------750 MHz.
Shader Clock------------------1,242 MHz.---------------------750 MHz.
Memory Clock---------------1,998 MHz. Eff.-----------3,600 MHz. Eff.
Frame Buffer-----------------1,792 MB. Tot.----------------2 GB. Tot.
Memory Bus Width------------448-bit X2---------------------256-bit X2
Raster Operator Units-----------56 Tot.------------------------32 Tot.
Price------------------------------$499.00------------------------$499.00

Hail to the King Baby!
MSI's R4870 X2

Power Color's finest

Sapphire's Version

Quad Crossfire Configuration for the win!
(these are actually HD4870)

Who is this chick?

2009-01-06T16:17:00.013+08:00

My kumpare's "wet dream"... I got to ask him her name. Is she 18 years old or above? Hehehehe... actually I'm testing the "Lightbox" script on this lovely pic.

Due to popular demand, Car Wash Babes are back with "Lightbox" integration.

Web Master's Rig

2008-12-07T10:49:00.023+08:00

Those with the talent and skills in creating rich, vivid, beautiful and high-productivity websites really interests me. Who are this guys? What are they packing behind their world class web designs? Do they have a dream PC in which all of their designs came to life from? Well I was "crashing" some of this guys "crib" and I was able to talk to Brian Abella of Virtuoso Masters.
I was able to convinced him to let me poke around with his rig.
Here is what I found out:
Specs:

Processor:-------AMD Sempron 2800+ 1.6GHz

Motherboard:---Gigabyte GA-MA69G-S2 rev 1.0

RAM:-----------NCP 1GB DDR2 667 Mhz. Value RAM x 3

HDD:------------Maxtor 80GB PATA 7200 rpm.

Video:-----------Built-in ATI X1250 IGP

Generic Case and a 350 watt Power Supply

Here is some Q & A from the Master itself.....

Muzzy: What makes your PC whine in protest, what are the usual programs or apps that your PC are working on?

Brian Abella: The programs or apps that I usually use programming tool is Adobe Dreamweaver, CS3 Notepad ++. For designing I use Photoshop CS2, and GIMP. I also use Utorrent to download script and apps and Virtual DJ during breaktime.

A 19" AOC Wide Screen LCD for visual display

Muzzy: What made your decision on choosing AMD Sempron over Intels' counterpart for your processor?

Brian Abella: I choose AMD because its much cheaper than Intel, it was on sale, it cost Php1,600 ($33.00) so I bought it. I was in tight budget at that time.

3 GB of NPC DDR2 makes the system "quick".

Muzzy: Do you think to be a successful web designer, one must have a fast and stable PC?

Brian Abella: That would be a yes! A fast connection to the internet is also a must, those are the tools that are involve in our line of work, and most application and software for programming, designing and editing requires a high-specs PC. That is why I want to upgrade, but I can't right now, my budget is low...

Muzzy: Why is it I don't believe you?

Brian Abella: (just smiles and winks)

AMD Sempron power at it's best!

Muzzy: Is the future of Web Developing business bright? For you perhaps?

Brian Abella: I think our generation right now will be more internet savvy, so e-commerce, web hosting, web development, etc. will have bright future. Even small time businesses right now can now afford web hosting services and advertising.

A modest system that gets the job done.

Visit the Virtuoso Master site here for more details on their world-class services.

If one is not enough.....

2008-11-25T11:19:00.000+08:00

Sometimes being more productive is what we all want when dealing with software coding, AutoCAD applications and numerous office multi-tasking. One of the best solution is using dual-monitor setups.
Using two monitors enables you to be more productive by eliminating alt-tabbing. Using the Excel and Word can be easy by comparing documents or inserting from one source into a file. AutoCAD users can enjoy the benefits of dual monitor by using the secondary monitor as a reference screen. Web designers need at least 2-5 monitors, but normally they use the primary for designing and work on graphics on the secondary. At the same time view results instantly on different browsers at different resolutions...

Auto CAD is a breeze.

Coding using DW enables high productivity

Using dual-monitors can enhance also the looks of your set up... but two monitors means higher utility bills, LCD with low power processor CPU is a must have, not to mention a dual monitor compatible video card.

Intel Core i7 LGA 1366

2008-11-18T12:33:00.000+08:00

The Latest Intel Processor

Its here! It’s finally HERE! The latest from Intel, 1366 pins, has Hyper-threading and has its own memory controller. This Nehalem processor aka Core i7 (code name “Bloomfield”)was rumored to be the flagship processor of the Window 7 OS. A 45nm technology similar to the Core 2 Duo/Quads, this baby can overclock easy.

Core i7 at the left Core 2 at the right

This processor can be installed on Intel’s latest chipset the X-58. This motherboard is capable of Crossfire and SLI, so it's more flexible when deciding to go ATI or NVidia on your GPU configuration.

But this processor is still power hungry and way too expensive for ( me).

Intel's flagship motherboard for the Core i7

Asus's counterpart X-58 series mobo

This mobo utilized only DDR3 RAMs up to 16GB of it and you cannot install a Core2 Duo on an X58 or vice-versa.

I think AMD must do something about this, so that we will not be affected by Intel's rip-offs.

Budget PC for Internet Shop Owners.

2008-11-14T14:49:00.002+08:00

Choosing the right parts for the LAN or internet shop can sometimes be mind boggling. Customer relations are not enough to cater their online and gaming needs. Considering cost effective, low power parts sometimes hinders the gaming performance that the customers crave.

All gamers despise LAG. So we are going to recommend and build a modest PC with a power to run almost every MMORPG available, can run Call of Duty 4 on medium settings but with a budget wise specification.

Specs:

Processor-----------------Pentium Dual-Core E2180 2.0Ghz

Motherboard------------Gigabyte GA-945GZM-S2

Memory------------------Kingston KVR667D2N5/1GB Ram DDR667

Hard Disk Drive---------Samsung 160GB 7200rpm HDD

Video Card---------------Gigabyte GV-NX84G256H

Case------------------------Generic Case

PSU-------------------------Generic (comes with the case) at least 400 Watts

With a small mobo like this, you only need regular ATX case

Passive heat sink keeps this video card cool & quiet

The Samsung 160GB SATA in action!

Kingston RAMs are very durable & with a life time warranty

There is still more to come....

The Gigabyte 3-D Rocket II

2008-09-17T11:43:00.003+08:00

One of the best coolers I have used was the Gigabyte 3-D Rocket II. It was from a good looking webmaster Ramon “Sir Geek-A-Lot” Alivio. I was “crashing” his crib when I notice a Gigabyte cooler just lying around inside his room. It was given to the web master from PC Extreme, but it was defective. It was supposed to be used by his brother but the blower just won’t turn. Ramon decided to let me use it if I can make the thing work. It was still in a near mint condition, all accessories except the RPM controller are complete.

Alien looking fan

The stock thermal paste is still almost full and screws are complete. The first thing I have noticed is that this cooler is huge, but surprisingly light weight. With an all-copper block that makes contact with the processor. Ramon was quite sure that the PCB on the blower connection was defective, so he asked me to test the blower if it will turn on a direct line to a 12V supply.
At the house, I tested the connection with a multi-meter. The connection on the terminal was in good condition. But after connecting it to the system fan header the cooler was not performing at all. The blue LEDs are lit but blower was not turning. Taking out the blower, I made a direct connection to the mother board using wires from an old stock cooler. The power of the blower was enormous, it howls and I can feel wind on my face.
After tinting the copper block and the processor with the stock thermal paste, the first problem I have encountered in the installation process is the positioning of the massive heat sink. Following the instruction manual was not enough, for the board in the manual was not the same model as I have. Few adjustments were made so that the “clips” won’t take the RAM, and some capacitors space. The second problem was my case wasn’t big enough for the cooler. After mounting the motherboard on a bigger case, I have few minor issues on the power supply unit, for the clips are in contact with the power supply case and bending the case solved the problem. Last of the issues, is the noise it made when the blower runs on full speed. Seems this cooler is really noisy, installing it with a sound proof case will help dampened the noise.

Cramped but effective

After the installation, I turned on the switch and my system comes to life. I can actually feel the power of the blower! It was a very effective cooler with a noisy drawback. This cooler represents a brute force in cooling solution, overall its very suitable for my system....

Results on a hot & humid night

First attempt

So my fastest on air cooling

PC under $400

2008-09-05T08:31:00.000+08:00

Hey Man!
Im addicted to gaming and system building but I don't have the "wawart" (money) to indulged my fat ass on a pc shopping bliss where everything you use is all highend and fast, and shiny, and hardcore, and extreme, and......haaayyy!(bubble popping)! Back to reality, I need a fix, and of course a budget fix. I prepared some list of budget build that can be decent on any games, and be fast on multimedia and any office application except 3D rendering. The list was for the CPU only, just add the monitor and all the peripherals of your choice.

AMD build*
Processor-------------Sempron 3400+ ($70)
Motherboard ---------WinFast K8M890M2MA, integrated graphics ($55)
Memory--------------2x 512 MB DDR2 SDRAM -667 ($68)
Hard Drive------------Western_Digital WD1600JS, 160 GB, SATA/300 ($55)
Optical Drive----------Samsung SH-S182D ($30)
Case-------------------Any ($30)
Power Supply---------Coolmax ATX Black 400 W ($27)
Total Cost-------------$335

Intel build*
Processor-------------Celeron D 352 ($56)
Motherboard---------Asus P5LD2-VM ($95), integrated graphics
Memory--------------2x 512 MB DDR2-667 ($68)
Hard Drive-----------Western Digital WD1600JS, 160 GB, SATA/300 ($55)
Optical Drive---------Samsung SH-S182D ($30)
Case------------------Any ($30)
Power Supply---------Coolmax ATX Black 400 W ($27)
Total Cost-------------$361
(*prices varies on online shopping)

Both are clearly capable of handling any office and multimedia task and the level of performance provided by the budget processors still is acceptable. The hard drive is fast enough to make the system feel quick, and 1 GB of RAM is enough for applications to run smoothly. And both systems can be upgraded with dual-core or Multi-core processors in case you are not happy with the performance after a while.
But, I wanna play Oblivion! Call of Duty4 or Crysis even!

Here is my alternative list*:
Processor---------------Pentium Dual Core E2180 2.0Ghz. ($72)
Motherboard-----------ECS 945GCT-M2 ($43)
Memory----------------Team Elite 2x 512MB DDR2-667 ($35)
Hard Drive-------------Seagate Barracuda, 160GB, SATA ($55)
Graphics Card----------Palit NVidia 8600GT 512MB ($67)
Case with a 500W Generic PSU ($36)
Total Cost---------------$308.00
*based on Iloilo City Philippines prices

Sacrificing the optical drive and a good PSU resulted a more playable system,
of course adding a good PSU will be over $400.

HEC is the only brand you can actually see on display on various computer shops here in Iloilo.
So buying it will be my suggestion if you are an Ilonggo or you can buy online.

This specs can play Oblivion with all the sliders maxed at resolution 1280x1024, AA 0, AF none
with a playable an average 25fps Outdoor.
Call of Duty 4 and Crysis can be smooth on medium settings. Higher than that, crappy.

Conclusion:
So these are the options you can have on building a budget PC, of course you can try different products/brand of your choice. My choice is based on my experience on building computer systems here in Iloilo for people who don't know much about P.C.s. Overclocking may improve the performance of these specs, but it would be risky and may need additional peripherals basing on our hot and humid climate.

Overclocking my first SLI mobo

2008-09-03T19:09:00.000+08:00

Writing this article/blog was my first time... So what happened before I have done this, I must have a topic hmmmmm.... Thats it! I will tell you the details on how I mess around with my pc on hoping to get the maximum performance from this old SLI motherboard...

This was my specs:

Processor-----Pentium Dual Core E2160
Motherboard--Gigabyte GA N650i DS4L
Memory-------2x 1Gb Team Elite DDR2 800 RAM
Hard Drive----Seagate Barracuda 160GB SATA HDD
+Western Digital 160GB SATA HDD
Video Card----Palit NVidia GeForce 8600GT 512Mb
PSU-----------A generic PSU rating at 500 Watts

GA N650SLI DS4L

Inside a generic case

The processor of my choice that fits my puny budget was the Pentium Dual Core E2160

More bang for the buck processor!

It cost around $85 at that time, and that was my 2nd Dual Core build. (I was able to build a Pentium D platform for my uncle).

Zalman fan for the NB

Seagate (above) Western Digital (below)

The Pentium Dual Core E2000 family is available at three different stock speeds: the E2140 runs at 1.6 GHz, E2160 is the 1.8 GHz part and E2180 works at 2.0 GHz. All of them utilize a 200 MHz system clock (FSB800) and the Core 2 microarchitecture. When compared to Core 2 with its 2 MB or 4 MB L2 cache, the Pentium Dual Core comes with only 1 MB, and it also doesn't support the virtualization technology called VT.
I don't need VT anyway, I just need the basics.

Attempting to raise the clock speed was possible by tweaking the motherboard's FSB speed to 355Mhz. I was expecting a 3.2Ghz. easy overclock. It never boot, I tried increasing the core voltage from 1.3V to 1.5V, it booted but the damned thing hanged! I'm using a stock fan/heatsink, and I forgot that I'm living in a tropical climate with temps reaching about 35C to 41C ambient (I got no airconditioning sorry..). Adjustments was made by lowering the multiplier by 8x yeilding a product of 2.8Ghz. of clock speed. At last I got a stable overclock (or so I think) testing it with Prime 95 for 3 hours, resulted restarts! Checking my temps, to my surprise I got 59C-62C Northbridge chipset! Core temps recorded at 59C-63C!... Man this is bad... using a stock heatsink/fan on an overclocked p.c. with an unreliable PSU was a bad idea. But Im not giving up (yet), I installed a Zalman fan on my Northbridge Chipset, and got a minus 2 on my NB temps. Ultimately, I move my rig to an airconditioned room (Electronic Lab 3 University of San Agustin) with ambient temps of 18C-22C, and I was able to cranked up a 3.0Ghz using all the specs above.

Conclusion:
I should have an airconditioned room! hehehe, seriously, overclocking on a tropical climate needs an aftermarket heatsink/fan, and for those who had money to burn, liquid cooling is the best. For using fans only collects dust inside your system. So I decided to stay stock for a while, while saving up for those cool, expensive and nice looking heatsink/fan. And don't forget about the PSU, having a stable build requires stable voltage output that can be achieved using high quality, high output power supply.