Project Sidewinder

[Sumanji]

Hey guys,

Thought I'd start a mini build log for my LAN gaming / 2nd PC. Aim was to use as much spare junk as I had lying around the house combined with some cheap but well-performing parts. So here's what I had to start:

• OCZ Modstream 450W PSU
• XFX GeForce 8800GTS 320MB
• Hitachi 250GB SATA Drive
• OCZ Equalizer Mouse
• Logitech Keyboard
• Windows XP x64 Edition

And here's what I've ordered to go with it:

• Abit I-N73HD Motherboard
• Intel Pentium 2.5GHz E5200 (45nm Wolfdale with 2MB cache)
• 2 x 1GB OCZ PC2-8500 SLI-Ready RAM
• Silverstone Sugo SG02
• Silverstone SST-NT06 Evolution Heatsink
• Optiarc DVD Writer
• 3 x 80mm Sharkoon "Golf ball" fans
• 1 x 92mm Sharkoon "Golf ball" fan

The total for all of that comes to roughly £265, so not too bad at all. Pic of all the bits:



Cheers,

Suman

[Sumanji]

Ok here it goes, my build log!

Chip, motherboard and cooler - note how I've mounted a 92mm fan under the heatsink to help blow air up and out through the PSU. Also I have swapped the NT06 Lite cooler I initially wanted to use for an NT06 Evolution which feels a lot tackier, but unfortunately the entire NT06 shipment has faulty heatpipes.

[Sumanji]

Had to use a nail cutter to trim some solder stubs on the backside of the motherboard so that the backplate for cooler could fit nice and tight...

[Sumanji]

Pic to show the snug fit between the PSU 120mm intake and the CPU heatsink...

[Sumanji]

Squeezing everything into the case...







All done probably won't post any benchies and stuff here unless there are any you guys specifically want to request but if I dabble in any overclocking I will be sure to post back

[staffsMike]

That looks great

I've always wondered about that cooler since it did so badly on the hexus test. What is it like? And are you still using a fan under it (good idea btw )?

[Sumanji]

Hey Mike,

I never read the Hexus review (didn't know there was one?!), but from other reviews it seemed like a pretty decent mid-range heatsink. The only reason I went for this model is because of the nice fit it gave for cooling with the PSU fan. I am still using the 92mm underneath as I hope it helps relieves some of the "strain" from the PSU fan pulling air through the fins. Tightly held in place with cable ties atm

As for temps, I have quite a big difference between cores for some reason. Core 0 idles at 44*C, while Core 1 hovers at about 38*C. At full load, both cores go up to high 50's. I don't think this is too bad considering the layout, but I'm not sure how it will cope if I start putting more voltage though the chip, or when summer comes round again!

Cheers,

Suman

[staffsMike]

Yeah dis a big one but the results are a little different to else where
http://www.hexus.net/content/item.ph...%20roundup

[Webby]

Looking good shame you couldn't get a white DVD drive though

Yeah your evo has more heatpipes than the standard NT06 so that may help a bit, plus high 50's is fine as long as your not planning on pushing loads of volts through it you will be fine, after all your CPU is already at 2.5GHz, see how fast you can get it stable without a voltage increase but really its fast enough at stock for playing most games as they are much more likely to be GPU bound rather than CPU.

[Sumanji]

Looking good shame you couldn't get a white DVD drive though...

Yeah, I did try looking all over for a white optical drive, but to be honest I think it looks pretty good with a silver optical, as it matches the Silverstone logo and also the silver strip across the bottom


Few quick updates: since I mounted the hard drive in a 5.25" bay, I've removed the 3.5" caddy which has created a lot more space for the cabling. I also got some right-angled SATA connectors which makes the drive area a bit tidier. Finally, I am in the process of overclocking this little beast having a lot of trouble with the RAM, but it is currently running Orthos with these settings:

CPU 12.5 x 266 (3.33GHz) 1.3V, VTT 1.2V
RAM unlinked at 933MHz, 5-4-4-12-22-2T, 2.1V
VMCH 1.40V

Will report back in 8 hours time!

Cheers,

Suman

[Webby]

Try lowering your multiplier, to 8 upping the FSB to 333MHz (only 2.66GHz but were looking for RAM speed here not CPU) and set the memory to linked then find the divider to get you to 1066MHz and try that (divider should be 1.6:1 or 3.2:2 or maybe 8:5) that is a standard divider for 333Mhz CPUs to get to 1066 so hopefully should be supported.

Also have you tried posting on the OCZ forums? Their support is really first rate.

[Sumanji]

Hey,

I tried the high FSB and negative divider route, still no joy... posted in OCZ forums here, but no one has replied the overclock I posted above seems stable - 6 hours of Orthos blend and 2 hours of DoD Source gave it a good pounding. Will do Orthos small FFT overnight, then OCCT memory tomorrow. If it is rock solid I will leave it at that

Cheers,

Suman

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

You should try using IntelBurnTest to test for stability. It will stress the CPU more than even Orthos or OCCT.Supposedly it is similiar to the utility Intel themselves use.

http://downloads.guru3d.com/IntelBur...load-2047.html