the Official Intel Core ix thread for desktops and laptops

[amitash]

I started playing Assassin's Creed, Bioshock, Crysis, COD4-MW, CnC3 TW, CnC3-KW, CnC RA3 Uprising, Farcry2, the last remnant, Race 07, NFS Undercover, The Witcher-EE, Burnout paradise.. ........... take that pembridge scholars

Finished AC, bioshock, crysis (both), cod4, cnc series, FC2, nfs Undercover and the witcher like ages ago...Now playing Burnout and GRiD (cus it came free with the card), Will start FEAR 2 and HAWX....

.) wat games u hv...also,
2.) wats the price of that water cooling thingy of urs (for the core i7).. ??
3.) wat cabinet are u using ? (coz i hv CM 690, so will this water cooling fit) ?
4.) Currently im getting temps of upto 55 degree on stock (air) cooling with no OC, how much u get ur temps at.. ? (OCed to wat..?)
5.) Also, plz teach me to OC yaar, i dnt knw a thing abt it (past exp: none, jus fear in my head )
6.) I haven't updated the bios yet, wil do so tonite...

1.I get every game thats released if i like it based on reviews and stuff...
2.The water cooling is cooler master aquagate s1..costs 4.8k
3.Im using the Antec900 and NO the cooler will NOT fit on your cabbinet or any other cabbinet..The evga mobo has a big Vreg heatsink so its impossible to fit the cooler at the back of the case...I had to remove the drive bays of my case and mod the entire case to fit it there..It took like 8hrs....The cooler also will NOT fit on lga1366 socket...I had a stainless steel custom bracket made in a factory for it....And dont go water cooling unless your a serious OCer ad since this is your first time, get a TRUE or sth.
4.The MAX temp ive reached at 3.8Ghz is 71C...and that was after 6hrs of prime...Realistically you will get less than 65C as no game ever uses all 8 threads.
5.I will post a guide here below.
6.Please update fast.

Heres my OC guide...Mostly thanks to the folks at Overclock.net and evga forums:

1.Update to latest BIOS
2.Load default settings, and ONLY change RAM voltage under the voltage tab to your rated RAM voltage, then change RAM mulltiplier to 2:6 for 1333Mhz ram and 2:8 for 1600Mhz. Now change the uncore multiplier located under BCLK to twice your mem multiplier..ie if mem multiplier is 2:6, change Uncore freq to 12x..If 2:8 change to 16x
3.Boot into windows and load default settings
4.Install and Run ELEET
5.Go to the "monitoring tab" and copy down your cpu and vreg voltages there.
6.Run Prime95
7.Go to the overclocking tab in ELEET and increase QPI by 5 and hit "apply"
8.Keep increasing QPI by 5 untill you get a blue screen or system freezes.
9.Now reboot into the BIOS and enter the last stable QPI freq in the BCLK...Eg: If your system crashes at 160QPI, then go to BIOS and change bclk under overclocking tab to 155QPI, DONT change anything else...Now boot.
10.repeat steps 5-9 untill you cannot increase bclk anymore...This is your max speed with auto settings.
11.Now get into the BIOS and increase Vcore to 1.35v and increase cpu vtt to +200mv
12.Now boot into windows and increase QPI with ELEET untill you crash...This will be your max stable overclock without too much over-volting...You should reach anywhere between 3.8-4.2Ghz...I dont think it will be stable though...I had to decrease cpu multiplier to 19x and give 1.35v to get stable 3.95Ghz...Currently running at 3.6Ghz 24x7.

WARNING: "DO NOT OVERCLOCK ON STOCK COOLING", "DO NOT OVERVOLT YOUR PROCESSOR OVER 1.34 OR 1.35V","DO NOT PUSH YOUR RAM PAST 1.65V", "ALWAYS MAINTAIN UNCORE FREQUENCY TO TWICE YOUR MEMORY FREQUENCY"

IM NOT RESPONSIBLE IF YOU BLOW YOUR PROCESSOR UP FOLLOWING THIS GUIDE. (Althought there is only a 1% chance that you will actually fry your processor...still its better to be safe than sorry"

[ashu888ashu888]

^^

hey thanx alot for this explaination appreciate it..
----------

[ashu888ashu888]

Hey guys, plz tell me if i buy the full HD Samsung 2233 SW (reso: 1920 x 1080) LCD, does that resolution lower the frames per sec (fps) rate of my games.. ?? (on my gtx 280 ssc) ?

Coz, currently im playing Crysis and Crysis warhead at 1440x900 with High settings (gamer settings)... on my 19" LCD...

COz, if the fps drops (due to that higher reso play at (1920 x 1080) then i jus wont buy it yaar.. plz suggest....

[amitash]

Obviously fps will drop...If you can play all games above 30fps, then it should be fine...I say go for the monitor, a gtx280ssc should easily be able to handle all games at high settings at 1920x1080...I think you can even go to very high/enthusiast settings on crysis.

[ashu888ashu888]

^^

I think you can even go to very high/enthusiast settings on crysis.

On my current (non HD) 19" LCD or on the 2233SW tat u were referring to.. ?? and wats ur current LCD.. ?? a 19" is it.. ?
---------

Also, shud i sell my gtx280 SSC and get a gtx295 ? (im getting abit greedy) so plz advise me... i think gtx295 is priced at 34-35K ?? and at wat price shud i sell my 1 week old gtx280 ssc..(purchased at Rs.22,750/- planning to sell at Rs.21,750/-) ??
---------

Cheers n e-peace....

[SunnyChahal]

Plan changed. Not buying a rig now. Will buy one when DirectX 11 is out. Right now most of the games max out on my rig.
Instead I'm getting a gaming lappy.

[ashu888ashu888]

^^

Wat u mean by "max out on ur rig"

Yaar, can u help me out selling my gtx280 ssc (for Rs.21750/- ?)

and a gaming lappy. ?? well, then get it from sum1 who is coming from the US to India as here, there is jus one aming lappy available, the DELL XPS M1730 (wich will giv u jus 56 mins of playing fun wen on battery and 76 mins else wise)..

[ashu888ashu888]

Ok guys,

I updated the BIOS (did a BIOS Flash) on my Evga X58 mobo,
first, set the BIOS to default values, then
saved and exit,
selected CD ROM as first boot device,
saved and exit and last,
the BIOS went for Flash mode.

here are the pics





















As Amitash told me in his posts that the mobo will beep ,

so there was constant beep (1 sec interval) and then wen the BIOS was completely Flashed, there were conctant beeps along with the msg---> "remove the diskette and press F1"
-----------------

Cheers n e-peace...


-----------------------------------------
Posted again:
-----------------------------------------
=========

THe most significant change i saw after the BIOS update (well there were many changes which can be found on evga.com)... was that my 32bit Win XP PRO+SP3 OS was able to detect 3GB of Corsair RAM as opposed to previous bios wich jus detected 2GB..
----------


Cheers n e-peace...

[nandu26]

Which is the best heatsink? Is it CCF or Thermalright Ultra 120? Which one you prefer?

[ashu888ashu888]

^^

Thermalright Ultra 120 (although i hv stock heatsink)..

[frozentears]

hi guys,

first of all congrats to all the proud owners of i7 and also the soon would be its really nice of u all to share you knowledge and expertise wid novices like ME.... even i am planning to get one for me soon. Currently I am using the below config;

- Intel 945
- 1GB ram (dun remember the manuf.)

I want to know which graphics card should i buy to play all (or most of the new games). i am a novice at all these stuff. Would it be possible if I get the latest one and use it for the new intel i7 also??
I know it might sound stupid but would really appreciate your comments

Cheers!!!

[ashu888ashu888]

^^

well, get a gpu specifically for the core i7, forget abt ur olkd system dude, jus keep it for surfing net and other type of d/loads..

For the gpu (graphics card), here even at digit we hv 2 schools of thought..

1.) nVIDIA supporting members (incl. me) hence i wud recommend u a card but ONLY wen u say ur budget.. but the most favourable cards from nVIDA are gtx 260, gtx 280, gtx 285, gtx 295

2.) ATi supporting members (my rivals..lol.. ) the favourable cards wud be 4850, 4870
----------

So post ur budget and i will post the config suitable for ur budget..
------------


Cheers n e-peace....

[frozentears]

hey thx 4 ur quick reply.....

goshhh I just bought the system in nov and its already outdated

BUDGET IS NO ISSUE as i will use the same card for the new i7 rig but also when i get the new rig another concern is should i use one gpu or two??? there we discussions around OC and i dun wanna do it (heard that it reduces the life of mobo/processor). is it correct??

cheers!!

[topgear]

^^ If budget is not a prob get two zotac or palit GTX 295 . They will cost Rs. 64K or so. Thus you will get quad gpu setu with nvidia cards

& if you are an ati fan get 2 palit Revolution 700 Deluxe HD4870 with 2GB DDR5 mem & they will cost you Rs. 62K or so. Thus you will get quad gpu setup with ati cards.

[amitash]

On my current (non HD) 19" LCD or on the 2233SW tat u were referring to.. ?? and wats ur current LCD.. ?? a 19" is it.. ?
---------

Also, shud i sell my gtx280 SSC and get a gtx295 ? (im getting abit greedy) so plz advise me... i think gtx295 is priced at 34-35K ?? and at wat price shud i sell my 1 week old gtx280 ssc..(purchased at Rs.22,750/- planning to sell at Rs.21,750/-) ??

I was refering to the new samsung full HD monitor...And my monitor is 22" but for gaming i use a 46" BRAVIA

Go ahead and sell it but i doubt you will find a buyer...GTX295 RULES! 22k in 3dmark vantage...thats 11k more than GTX285...And it costs 34k...I got mine from US at 25k

Instead I'm getting a gaming lappy.

Gaming + lappy = bad
And you bought a mac didnt you? Thats not very gamer friendly.

Wat u mean by "max out on ur rig"

You cant "MAX out" many games on your rig with an 8800GTS unless you have a 1280x768 res monitor..Maxing out means full AA, AF, native res and everything as high as it will go...Crysis wont even max out at low res, and You dont have enough video mem for GTA4

THe most significant change i saw after the BIOS update (well there were many changes which can be found on evga.com)... was that my 32bit Win XP PRO+SP3 OS was able to detect 3GB of Corsair RAM as opposed to previous bios wich jus detected 2GB..

Yes the new BIOS supports upto 24gb RAM upto 1800Mhz

[ashu888ashu888]

Originally Posted by frozentears

hey thx 4 ur quick reply.....

BUDGET IS NO ISSUE as i will use the same card for the new i7 rig but also when i get the new rig another concern is should i use one gpu or two??? there we discussions around OC and i dun wanna do it (heard that it reduces the life of mobo/processor). is it correct??

cheers!!

Not a problem (for the reply)

not a budget for ur new system ?? lol.. wat are u a millionaire ??
then, if budget is NOT an issue for u, go for 2xgtx 295 or even 3xgtx295 (get the "backplate" version of gtx295 (from Evga) and then also see this below link (if space is also NOT an issue for u) ..
http://www.surroundgaming.com/

Originally Posted by topgear

^^ If budget is not a prob get two zotac or palit GTX 295 . They will cost Rs. 64K or so. Thus you will get quad gpu setu with nvidia cards

& if you are an ati fan get 2 palit Revolution 700 Deluxe HD4870 with 2GB DDR5 mem & they will cost you Rs. 62K or so. Thus you will get quad gpu setup with ati cards.

ooh mine mine.. i wished,m i had those cards..

Originally Posted by amitash

I was refering to the new samsung full HD monitor...And my monitor is 22" but for gaming i use a 46" BRAVIA

omg.. :O a 46" bravia ?? lol... wat reso u play at then ?? (with ur gtx295) ? 25xx X 19xx sumthing of this sort ? is it ?

Go ahead and sell it but i doubt you will find a buyer...GTX295 RULES! 22k in 3dmark vantage...thats 11k more than GTX285...And it costs 34k...I got mine from US at 25k

Ofcourse i';ll get many buyers (i think so).. coz gtx295 here in INDIA still costs a bomb and not many ppl get these components from the US..

also, hey tell me one thing dude, since u got ur gtx295 from the US, i think there will be NO warranty on that card, right ? (so, wat happens in case ur card goes bad) ?..well i dnt wish for this misfortune but jus asking, coz even i';ll get i from the US (thru my friend)
------------


Cheers n e-peace....

[Shesiamem]

do not understand

[ashu888ashu888]

^^



sorry ?? well, i did not understand ur reply myself.. was i off the point on explaining sumthing? do let me knw..

[amitash]

omg.. :O a 46" bravia ?? lol... wat reso u play at then ?? (with ur gtx295) ? 25xx X 19xx sumthing of this sort ? is it ?

nope the res is only full HD 1920x1080...Not many TV's support more than that...I use a HDMI cable with it.

also, hey tell me one thing dude, since u got ur gtx295 from the US, i think there will be NO warranty on that card, right ? (so, wat happens in case ur card goes bad) ?..well i dnt wish for this misfortune but jus asking, coz even i';ll get i from the US (thru my friend)

I got mine under special circumstances...My dealer had gone to the US and got me this card under his name...He pulled some strings and registered the product under zotac india instead of zotac USA, so i get full warranty support from zotac...You can buy one from the US but if something goes wrong, you will have to ship it back there for warranty.

[ashu888ashu888]

Originally Posted by amitash

I got mine under special circumstances...My dealer had gone to the US and got me this card under his name...He pulled some strings and registered the product under zotac india instead of zotac USA, so i get full warranty support from zotac...You can buy one from the US but if something goes wrong, you will have to ship it back there for warranty.

ooh i see... thanx for the reply..

[sohancool]

Hi guys,
This is an excellent thread. I myself am going to buy a core i7 config in 2-3 weeks. I have come up with an approximate config and suggestions are welcome(I am a noobie at this , so forgive me if i make any mistakes). My budget is max 75K. So here goes.All prices are from theitwares.com.Since i reside in Pune, is it safe to buy from here(Prices in pune are a hell lot costlier)

1. Intel core i7 920 - 15300
2. Gigabyte GA-EX58-DS4 Motherboard - 15350
3. 2 GB Zion DDR3 1333MHz x 3 = 6GB RAM - 8550(3GB is sufficient here as i read somewhere, so i can cut down in this.Since 6GB Zion is cheaper, i have gone for this. Else i can go for Crosair or something else.)
4. Western Digital SATA2 640 GB (16 MB Buffer) - 3700(Heard that current seagate drives are problematic)
5. Samsung LCD20 '' 2033 - 7850(Already have a 32" Bravia so i am satisfied with this )
6. Palit HD 4870 Dual Sonic 1GB DDR5 256Bit Dual Slot Cooler -15325(Should i wait for GTX275 or ATI 4890)
7. Corsair TX650W - 7300(Suggest on this, will a 600W Suffice??)
8. Cabinet - Please suggest!! Dont know much about them!! Also suggest if any extra fans needed for cooling.

Grand total till now:- 73375

Can i cut down a little on Cabinet/SMPS Price( I mean can i have both in 8-9K??) so that i can keep the budget in check? I can't go beyond 75K

Speakers,mouse and keyboard not needed..

[amitash]

Let me tell u theres a guy called katmandude (KMD) on techenclave forums....He can get you components from the US much cheaper than here in india WITH warranty...So contact him there for the things i mention.

Get:
1.core i7 920--15k (from itwares)
2.Gigabyte DS4--15k (itwares)
3.OCZ platinum 6gb 3x2gb DDR3-1600 for 6.5k from KMD...give him this link http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820227381
4.segate 640GB 32mb buffer--4k(itwares)
5.Samsung 2033--7.8k
6.eVGA GTX260 core 216--12.5k from KMD (beats 4870 1gb)
give kmd thhis link: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130434
7.Keep the corsair TX650--7.3k
8.cabinet get cooler master cm690 for 4.2k

total: 72300Rs

[vikrant333]

Originally Posted by amitash

Let me tell u theres a guy called katmandude (KMD) on techenclave forums....He can get you components from the US much cheaper than here in india WITH warranty...So contact him there for the things i mention.

Get:
1.core i7 920--15k (from itwares)
2.Gigabyte DS4--15k (itwares)
3.OCZ platinum 6gb 3x2gb DDR3-1600 for 6.5k from KMD...give him this link http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820227381
4.segate 640GB 32mb buffer--4k(itwares)
5.Samsung 2033--7.8k
6.eVGA GTX260 core 216--12.5k from KMD (beats 4870 1gb)
give kmd thhis link: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130434
7.Keep the corsair TX650--7.3k
8.cabinet get cooler master cm690 for 4.2k

total: 72300Rs

the x58 ds4 motherboard is listed @ 14000/- at lynx-india and he give u better price then this..
and for psu go with corsiar tx750 @7900/-
and for hdd go with WD 1TB 32 mb = 5200/-@ lynx-india

[amitash]

Prices in lynx are listed without taxes....itwares lists with taxes so it should come up to nearly the same.

[sohancool]

Thanks amitash for your suggestions..i have some questions though..
1) How much time does it take to get the components from the US and is the guy on tech enclave reliable? Since according to the budget i have a more 3K in hand, so can i buy it from India(though it will be costlier)
2) Should i wait for HD4890/GTX275 and order that instead(It will be released to the retailers on the 14th April, as i have heard)

[amitash]

Thanks amitash for your suggestions..i have some questions though..
1) How much time does it take to get the components from the US and is the guy on tech enclave reliable? Since according to the budget i have a more 3K in hand, so can i buy it from India(though it will be costlier)
2) Should i wait for HD4890/GTX275 and order that instead(It will be released to the retailers on the 14th April, as i have heard)

1.He is very reliable, ppl have bought lakhs of stuff from him, you can check on techenclave...It might take a week to get to you.
2.HD4890 and gtx275 are already out in the US....they are the same price so i would suggest the gtx275 which is faster...http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130475

[sohancool]

Originally Posted by amitash

1.He is very reliable, ppl have bought lakhs of stuff from him, you can check on techenclave...It might take a week to get to you.
2.HD4890 and gtx275 are already out in the US....they are the same price so i would suggest the gtx275 which is faster...http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130475

Thanks amitash, i have PM'ed him by registering on the forum.Waiting for his reply now..

[afonofa]

Incase it hasn't been covered already, Gigabyte has extended SLI support on all their X58 motherboards(I think except the DS4). This after a UD4 owner discovered he could enable SLI by updating the bios of the UD4(previously crossfire only) with that of the UD4P(sli + crossfire). A few days later Gigabyte released new bios versions that enables SLI so people wouldn't have to resort to the bios hack.

IMO this makes the GA-EX58-UD4 the best X58 motherboard from Gigabyte, giving the flexibility of 3 PCI slots by sacrificing the 3rd PCI-E slot, which 99% of the buyers wouldn't have used anyway. I hope Indian retailers get this board in stock soon.

[sohancool]

That's amazing news man, now i should rethink over my config..

[coolnikk]

hey i'm plannig to get a 24'' hd monitor.any suggestions