As I'm European, I may as well start a thread here, now that I've found this forum. Hi there, nice to be here!
Background
I'm about two order parts for two systems based on an Abit IP35 Pro XE + E8400 combo. One system will be a gaming PC (with an 8800GTS) the other one will be an office PC. The gaming rig will be OC'ed (air-cooled w/ TRUE and an 800 to 1200 RPM 120mm fan), the office one will at this point not. Neither system will be used for benching, so no ridiculously over-priced recommendations, please. I do want a solid, rock stable, good quality RAM however (so no cheap no-name brand either).
For the Abit Staff: The deciding factor for going Abit was definitely the advanced uGuru hard-ware/BIOS fan controller as it's very popular with the silent PC community. (Otherwise I'd have gone with a Gigabyte EP45. Abit, why are you so slow with releasing P45 based boards? I fear you're losing customers due to this.)
RAM / Memory
Now the first question is, what DDR2 memory should I get for the different systems?
Both systems should be outfitted with 2x2GB (so they can be expanded to 4x2GB if need be). The memory modules should be supported by the IP35 Pro XE out-of-the-box (they should work at stock settings without any problems). RAM timings and tweaking is not my cup of tea, so preferably some RAM that doesn't require too much tinkering with to get working properly (ie "easy" RAM, I'm not a bencher). Let me clarify: I do know how to set the four basic timings, vdimm and other settings if I have a key to go by, but that's about it. I would only touch the four basic timings for personal tweaking as I really don't know much about all the 20 other ram timings. To me "A64 tweaker" meant big confusion.
The DDR2 brands available to me are: Corsair, Crucial, OCZ, Twinmos, Patriot and Kingston.
Out of these models, what should I pick for the gaming rig?
- OCZ DDR2 PC8000 4GB KIT, Reaper X HPC, 2x2048MB, Heat Pipe, (CL5-5-5-18), E.P.P
- Corsair Dominator TWIN2X8500C5DF 4096MB, DDR2, 2x2GB(KIT), DHX, E.P.P, with FAN (I would definitely not use the included fan, so if it's required this kit isn't for me. But it says it's optional.)
- OCZ DDR2 PC8500 4096MB KIT, Reaper HPC, 2x2048MB, Heatpipe, (CL5-5-5-18)
- Crucial DDR2 PC8500 4096MB CL7, Kit w/two matched DDR2 PC8500 2GB CL7 (A bit long wait on this one though. Also very expensive. Only really a last resort.)
- Patriot Extreme Performance Viper Series DDR2 4GB Kit PC2-8500
- And lots of PC6400 from Corsair, Crucial, OCZ, Twinmos, Patriot and Kingston
I intend to use a Thermalright Ultra-120 eXtreme (TRUE), so any ram kits with too exotic heatsinks that would obstruct the TRUE are out. I would like a safe PC6400-ish suggestion for the Office PC, unless the better gaming rig RAM is only slightly higher in price. Any RAM that either Komplett.se (almost) has in stock or PCB.se (almost) has in stock is fine. Lots of Kingston and Corsair PC6400 RAM is also available from a third shop GNT.se (you do need a login however).
By the way, is the IP35 Pro "ABIT'S Official Compatable Ram List" still valid for IP35 Pro XE? And why can't I seem to get the link to work? For how long are the servers estimated to be down (I was hoping to place the order tomorrow).
PSU / Power Supply
As this is going to be a silent build (or at least a very quiet one), the choices lie between:
- Seasonic's S12 Energy Plus series
- Corsair's HX/VX/TX series
- Enermax' Pro82+ series would be great, but I can't seem to find it in Sweden
Thanks a bunch, looking forward to play around with uGuru!
~ Kris