New: E6600 Overclocking Gaming Vista Premium

[MichaelChambers]

Hi folks.
I'm a n00b but have been doing gobs of research. Basically no real experience though.

Goals for this High-end system:
Great performance BEFORE cost skyrockets for the best components.
Great Graphics without having to update again, unless I want to: SLI me baby.
Great for non-gaming Windows applications (most of its use).
Good for viewing/editing/storing digital pictures and home movies.
Good for Learning Overclocking.
Good Expandability in case I continue this hobby (and continue to have some funds)

Ordered Components (Hopefully these will all work well together...)
CPU: Intel® Core 2 Duo E6600 Conroe Processor 2.4GHz, 1066FSB, LGA775, 4MB Cache $310
http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets...oc.aspx?i=2795
MEM: Corsair TWIN2X2048-6400C4D 2GB DDR2-800 XMS2-6400 Dominator $273
http://www.vr-zone.com/index.php?i=4224
GPU: Gigabyte GV-NX88S640H-RH GeForce 8800 GTS 640MB GDDR3 PCI-X $480 (OUCH but cheapest DirectX10 and MAN will it look good!)
MOBO: EVGA NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI, FSB 1066/1333 $240
http://www.hothardware.com/viewartic...leid=902&cid=3
HDD1-Speed: Western Digital Raptor WD740ADFD 74GB Serial ATA 10,000RPM Hard Drive w/16MB Buffer $152 (To hold Vista, Office, and temporary files)
HDD2-Storage: Seagate Barracuda ES ST3250620NS 250GB Serial ATA 3Gb/s 7200RPM Hard Drive w/16MB Buffer $96 (To hold games, media, etc)
http://www.tomshardware.com/2006/10/...r_enthusiasts/
PSU: OCZ OCZ700GXSSLI GameXStream 700W Power Supply $115
http://www.extremeoverclocking.com/r...am_700W_1.html

(Not Yet Ordered)
DVD: LiteOn SHM-165H6S 16X Dual Layer DVD+-RW w/LightScribe $41 (though maybe there is a more recent, faster one still with LightScribe I'd want)
http://www.consumersearch.com/www/co...FU5xFQodtGZ-og
OS: Windows Vista Home Premium 64 bit running full AeroGlass.
CASE?
CPU-Cooler?
Monitor?
Keyboard?
Mouse?
Anything else?

Questions:
Do I need to get a CPU cooler or does the nForce 680i's built in cooling and optional fan count?
If I need to get one, I'll go for a Tuniq Tower 120, best just-air for overclocking.

According to the articles, the E6600 can overclock to 4GHz on air. Do I have enough power to do that (I'm guessing it takes more power) and have 2 8800s in SLI? Or do I at least have enough power for full overclocking with only the one GPU?

The only case that the SLIZone certifies is CoolerMaster Stacker CM 830 at $232. What are some cheaper options that will still be good for air-flow and overclocking but will still fit everything inside? Or would it really be worth it to go for CM?

I haven't had time to research a monitor yet. I'll probably get an ergonomic keyboard.

Anyone live in South Jersey and want to help? (aka: making sure I don't destroy everything)

Anyway, hope this works as a first post. Thanks in advance...

[Mr.Ferrari]

Get a Asus P5N32-E Sli instead.

For Sli'ed GTS' with overclocking I would suggest one of these powersupplies:
Etasis 750W
Zippy 700W
PC P&C Silencer 750W

Now on the overclocking. There is no universal set for a 4ghz conroe. Just because someone hits it, doesnt mean you will automatically as well. Especially seeing as 450FSB is where the 680i boards are currently topping out.

680I gets HOT. I mean REALLY hot. I've worked with Prescott boards before, and I thought they were hot. They are Ice Cubes compared to these 680i furnaces. Prepare for some major Northrbridge and Southbridge cooling once you get into the high voltages.

Any ATX case willl work. Theres no such thing as an "sli certified case".

[MichaelChambers]

More novice questions:

How will I know when and if it is getting too hot? I've seen info in the reviews on temperatures, but I don't know where that data comes from. Does the CPU and other hot items have thermometors themselves or do reviewers/serious overclockers have a bunch of fancy sensing hardware to give the data to the benchmark type software?

What will I need for Northbridge/Southbridge cooling? I basically haven't researched cooling at all yet, so I'm not sure if that means more than a Tuniq Tower, such as several other large fans in various places that I don't know much about yet. I guess I have more research to do...

When I said the case was SLI certified, I got that from http://www.slizone.com/object/slizon...ertified_cases
But it sounds like that "certification" is basically irrelevant. Thanks. I'll have to research ATX cases too...

[Mr.Ferrari]

Yes essentially all modern cpus have some sort of thermoresistor built into the cpu die itself. Newer Core 2 Duo's have a new kind of Digital Thermoresitor that is supposed to be very accurate. Use CoreTemp for best readings. You can google it.

Dont worry about that cooling yet. Just mentioned because you did say you will be into some heavy overclocking. And after pumping voltage such as Vcore, VMCH, VICH, you will notice you board becoming very hot. Key to stability is better cooling. You dont have to worry about it now though. I highly suggest you first get the computer built and see how it goes from there.

For now just worry about getting a decent case with good airflow characteristics. For sub <200. I would suggest you look into the Coolermaster Stacker 810 OR t-01

[MichaelChambers]

Great. Thanks Mr. Ferrari.

Also, for the MOBO, I'd already ordered the EVGA instead of an ASUS. I didn't realize that there would be any difference. Oh well. Hopefully the EVGA will work well enough. If it is defective and I can RMA it, maybe I can switch.

[Mr.Ferrari]

The Evga/BFG is actually the exact same thing as Nvidia's reference board. Which is just a Foxconn board relabled. One of the reasons I suggest against it is due to it being not the greatest overclocker. It also has been known to kill ram.

But as long as it works for you..it should be all good.

[MichaelChambers]

I wish I'd been a little more patient and remembered to have my list checked before I pulled out the credit card.
(New father, not much sleep, and this new hobby isn't helping... )

EDIT: Hmm, seems it would cost ~$50 to return and restock the evga. That isn't much when compared to the whole system, so if it were you, would you part with the $50 and get the ASUS instead? Or since you said the FSB doesn't go high enough on a 680i to get to 4GHz, would you suggest a different MOBO instead? I really don't know much about overclocking yet, just that the E6600 is good at it and I thought I might as well get other parts that would overclock well too so I could try it out and get a better system for less.