New system build - can you help me choose the bits to go inside please?

[GDB2222]

Hi all

I have been building PCs for lots of years, but I have not done any overclocking for ages. Can any of you help please?

Targets:
Overclock E4300 to 3 gig - I am not really looking to go further than that
Do this as cheaply as possible
Still end up with a rock-solid system
The main purpose of this is a voice recognition system

Motherboard requirements:
RAID 1 SATA
At least 1 x IDE connector (preferably 2)
Parallel printer port
PS/2 mouse and keyboard (preferably, but not essential)
Overclock by 50% as above

Operating system:
Windows XP initially, but maybe move over to vista if there eventually seems to be some point to that.

Graphics:
I will probably be getting a 7600GT NVidia card

Can I have suggestions, please, for a combination that should work together of :
2 gig RAM
Motherboard
CPU cooler
PSU

I have a very cheap ATX case, which I would prefer to use, but I would buy a decent case if that is needed.

Thanks in advance for any help

[staffsMike]

2 IDE's is quite hard these days. I'd stick with one as itwill give you more choice.

2GB of pc6400 crucial ballistix is only about £100 now and its a great overclocker.

Motherboard: Gigabyte DS3 is a very cheap overclocker..and the abit ab9 and asus p5b aren't much more and are very highly regarded.

CPU cooler gotta be the arctic freezer 7 pro..it's only £12 and its up with the best of them

PSU..be it on your head if you skimp on this. I'd go with a 400w FSP or Seasonic for that system..should be about £40.

[Clunk]

Originally Posted by GDB2222

Hi all

I have been building PCs for lots of years, but I have not done any overclocking for ages. Can any of you help please?

Targets:
Overclock E4300 to 3 gig - I am not really looking to go further than that
Do this as cheaply as possible
Still end up with a rock-solid system
The main purpose of this is a voice recognition system

Motherboard requirements:
RAID 1 SATA
At least 1 x IDE connector (preferably 2)
Parallel printer port
PS/2 mouse and keyboard (preferably, but not essential)
Overclock by 50% as above

Operating system:
Windows XP initially, but maybe move over to vista if there eventually seems to be some point to that.

Graphics:
I will probably be getting a 7600GT NVidia card

Can I have suggestions, please, for a combination that should work together of :
2 gig RAM
Motherboard
CPU cooler
PSU

I have a very cheap ATX case, which I would prefer to use, but I would buy a decent case if that is needed.

Thanks in advance for any help

Any decent brand PC2-6400. (you could go for pc2-5300, but you can pick up 2x1gb of 6400 for £70 quid now)
P5B motherboard, whichever variant tickles your fancy, but it doesnt have 2 x ide.
arctic freezer pro for the cpu cooler.
For the PSU, get yourself a decent branded, solid PSU. You dont have to spend a lot, but the small outlay will be worth it in terms of reliability. Something like this perhaps.

[BUFF]

2x IDE channels & cheap = 650i SLI chipset (~£75)
Asus P5N-E SLI, MSI P6N SLI-FI

[GDB2222]

Do you think I could get away with one of the cheaper Asrock boards - made by Asus?

I am totally confused by the P5B boards. There seem to be dozens of variants, and it's not that easy to tell them apart.

I am quite happy to spend a sensible amount on a PSU, as I think this is needed to get a stable system. On the other hand, if I can get away with a £40 Asrock motherboard instead of a £100 Asus board, that would be good.

[staffsMike]

Considering you want to overclock it would make sense to get a decent overclocking board.

Never used an asrock board..hadn't even heard of them until recently so it wouldn't be my choice. On the other hand it might be quite good..it's your money go for it if you want to.

[aidanjt]

ASRock is a subsidiary of Asustek, their target market is speciality low cost boards, unfortunately they don't inherent the same build quality of their parent company, the boards are prone to faults and failures.

The P5B range of Asus boards are all based on the Intel P965 northbridge, which support all the S775 range of Intel CPUs, DDR2, PCI-Express 16x, and there's a lot of permutations of the boards design such as differing supporting chips, features, and budgets, see: http://www.asus.com/products.aspx?l1=3&l2=11&l3=307 for more details.

[IAmATeaf]

If you want to get the 4300 running upto 3Ghz then you'll have to go for a mobo that overclocks well which the Asrock mobos don't.

[GDB2222]

OK, thanks for that. Looks like I'll have to spend a bit more on the motherboard then.