RAM + Motherboard for E8500

[Poster Matt]

Hi there,

Can you guys help me please with a few questions about my new build.

I'm getting an Intel Wolfdale Core 2 Duo E8500 but am not sure which RAM
to get or what motherboard to put them in.

Firstly the RAM - I've singled these two out as likely contenders:

Corsair Dominator PC-8500 - TWIN2X2048-8500C5D
2x 1GB - DDR2 - PC-8500 / 1066MHz - 5-5-5-12 Timings
http://www.cclonline.com/product-info.asp?product_id=8511

OCZ DDR2 PC2-8500 Reaper HPC CrossFire Certified Edition - OCZ2RPR1066A2GK
2x 1GB - DDR2 - PC2-8500 / 1066MHz 5-5-5-15 Timings
http://www.cclonline.com/product-info.asp?product_id=15835

As you can see they are almost identical, except in the timings. The
Corsair has 5-5-5-12, the OCZ has 5-5-5-15. I'll be honest, I don't know
what the timings mean and whether it will make any difference.

My supplier also has both Corsair and OCZ 2x 1GB DDR2 PC2-6400 / 800 MHz
RAM at a bit over half the cost of the PC2-8500 / 1066MHz.

http://www.cclonline.com/product-info.asp?product_id=13635
http://www.cclonline.com/product-info.asp?product_id=13616

I really have no idea which RAM to get, any advise would be most appreciated.

Next the motherboard.

Firstly a review I read about the E8500 said the following:

"Wolfdale processors can support fractional multipliers, which allowed
Intel to make the list of supported clock frequencies even richer. This is
exactly what we see in case of Core 2 Duo E8500: it supports 9.5x clock
frequency multiplier. Note that the mainboard BIOS also needs to support
fractional multipliers for a CPU like that to function properly. However,
all leading mainboard maker should release corresponding BIOS updates very
soon, so there is no need to worry."
http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu/display/intel-wolfdale_3.html

The Socket 775 motherboards I've looked at don't seem to mention anything
about the 'fractional multipliers', so I'm a bit stuck and don't really
know whether the CPU won't function or would just slightly under perform
until a BIOS upgrade is made. So I need some advise on this too please.
Perhaps I could have some specific motherboard recommendations from you gurus?

I'm also thinking about overclocking the system, maybe also increasing the
CPU's Vcore so please bear that in mind. I read somewhere the OCZ memory
does not 'like' overclocking on Gigabit motherboards, that's the kind of
information where I could really screw up, so anything anyone could let me
know about in my board choice would be gold dust!

Apologies - this has turned into a long post - but better to give too much
info. than too little.

Thanks a lot guys.

Matt

 

[johns]

See if you can find it in a mobo bundle. Check Mwave.

johns

 

[Fishface]

I'm getting an Intel Wolfdale Core 2 Duo E8500 but am not sure which
RAM to get or what motherboard to put them in.

Is the recipe in the xbitlabs review too rich for your blood? I've personally
never spent over half the cost of the P5E on a motherboard. The X38
boards seem pretty expensive, maybe a P35 would suffice. Are you
planning to try for over 4 GHz? If not, you may be happy with DDR2-800.
400 x 9.5 = 3.8 Ghz and you'll still need an aftermarket CPU cooling solution.

This person seems more than happy with his Asus P5K-E:
http://groups.google.com/group/alt.comp.hardware.pc-homebuilt/msg/3d3e6f8591bddbf8
http://www.cclonline.com/product-info.asp?product_id=16739&category_id=251

 

[Poster Matt]

Is the recipe in the xbitlabs review too rich for your blood? I've personally
never spent over half the cost of the P5E on a motherboard. The X38
boards seem pretty expensive, maybe a P35 would suffice. Are you
planning to try for over 4 GHz? If not, you may be happy with DDR2-800.
400 x 9.5 = 3.8 Ghz and you'll still need an aftermarket CPU cooling solution.

This person seems more than happy with his Asus P5K-E:
http://groups.google.com/group/alt.comp.hardware.pc-homebuilt/msg/3d3e6f8591bddbf8
http://www.cclonline.com/product-info.asp?product_id=16739&category_id=251

Thanks FF. As it happens I'd already decided on exactly that model.

Hilariously the product description ends with these words:

"To create a peaceful environment, several new and improved innovations
are included to reduce noise and temperature. Don't change your way of
life for a computer. Instead let the ASUS Lifestyle Series improve the
quality of your life."

Wow - improve the quality of my life - with this motherboard. I'd better
get it ASAP. ;-)

To answer your question; yes I am planning to try for over 4GHz, probably
not as a 24/7 solution, but certainly in tests while I learn more about
overclocking. You say "I'll still need an aftermarket CPU cooling
solution", the heatsink CPU cooler I've chosen, which has been given many
praises in Tom's Hardware overclocking reviews, is the Zalman Super Aero
Flower Cooler - CNPS9700-LED, URL below.

http://www.tomshardware.com/2007/12/21/toms_reference_system/page5.html

Do I need to look beyond this and a decent air cooled case if going for
over 4 GHz or even overclocking at all?

Cheers.

 

[Fishface]

To answer your question; yes I am planning to try for over 4GHz, probably not as a 24/7 solution, but certainly in
tests while I learn more about overclocking. You say "I'll still need an aftermarket CPU cooling solution",
the heatsink CPU cooler I've chosen, which has been given many praises
in Tom's Hardware overclocking reviews, is the Zalman Super Aero Flower
Cooler - CNPS9700-LED, URL below.

http://www.tomshardware.com/2007/12/21/toms_reference_system/page5.html

Do I need to look beyond this and a decent air cooled case if going for over 4 GHz or even overclocking at all?

I'm sure that they tested it on the bench. It can get mighty warm in a case
without good ventilation. Quiet and cool don't usually go together.

Good luck on your overclock!