Newer build, please comment on components

[vaiovenom]

Hi, Please check out my signature and let me know what you think. I basically winged this build by reading forums and reviews. I do want to comment that I absolutely love this motherboard. It kicks butt. Any comments or suggestions?

[Freakitchen]

Am I right in thinking this system is already up and running? What sort of comments are you looking for?

The quality of all your components is very good.

[vaiovenom]

Yes, it is up and running for about two weeks. I guess I was just asking to see if anyone had bad experiences with any of my choices. I bought these parts over a 3-4 month stretch and wanted someone to confirm my choices. Looks like I did alright. Thanks

[Freakitchen]

Yeah, you did alright. Buying components over the course of time inevitably leaves some things more outdated than others - the most glaring of which in yours is the Pentium D - the Core 2 Duo chips are now the processors of choice, and outperform the PD by a fair margin. Of course, all your other components are compatible with a C2D, should you wish to upgrade.

[vaiovenom]

Excellent, thanks. The only issue I have seen so far is keeping Pentium D cool enough, especially under a load. Since I put on the Zalman, I've been idling temps around 39C-41C. When I load any games, it goes up in the 50C - 60C range. I may have to swap out the processor in the future just to keep it cool enough.

[Freakitchen]

anything up to 60 degrees isn't really a problem; only worry if they get towards the mid-high 60s. I know that some Pentium Ds run hotter than others, am personally not sure exactly which ones, though.

If you're concerned, you could always pulling the board from the case and try re-attaching the heatsink to ensure it's on 100% correctly. The thermal compound, too, needs to be applied in the right way, which is a VERY thin layer. Anything more will actually act as an insulator rather than a conductor.

EDIT: A look at some of the Newegg reviews for the Pentium D 935 Presler (3.2Ghz) shows that a number of users complain about the heat it puts out, so this could tell you that your temps aren't actually as bad as they might seem.

[blue60007]

Those temps are fine. Anything over 65-70C is trouble.

The 8xx series runs hotter than the 9xx series since it's based on an older, hotter core.

[Mr.Ferrari]

Pentium D's, especially the 8xx series are furnaces, your temps are fine.