I'm planning on getting a crappy computer (trying for <$300) so that I can try out overclocking, modding, and water cooling before I get my super expensive setup so that I don't blow it up

My question is, what specs should I be getting so that I can have decent Overclocking and help me practice for the big stuff (Ex. AMD Fx-57/Dual 7800 GTX).

Any ideas? Questions=I reply ASAP. Holidays are almost here!

Quote: Originally Posted by Luda215369 I'm planning on getting a crappy computer (trying for <$300) so that I can try out overclocking, modding, and water cooling before I get my super expensive setup so that I don't blow it up My question is, what specs should I be getting so that I can have decent Overclocking and help me practice for the big stuff (Ex. AMD Fx-57/Dual 7800 GTX). Any ideas? Questions=I reply ASAP. Holidays are almost here!

You may be trying to run before you learn to walk.

Try your work in stages.
1- Build the PC you want.
2- Mod it
3- Learn to OC it.
4- Then learn H2O
OR mix 2 through 4 in any order.

By the time you progress through these stages you will then want a new system any way
just to catch up with the technoledgy that passed you by. After that you will have the skills to
perform all of the tasks you have posted and be able to assist other noobs too.

Time is the factor more than the $$$ cause if you spend $ on a subpar rig to practice on then you
will have less $$ to work on the monument you desire.

Say you spent $250 to $300 on someones cast off. and then went and blew it up on your first OC attempt. You just blew up $$$ that could have been spent on the rig of your dreams.
or the same goes for H20. if you spend $$ on old school to learn thats cool but how much $$$
will you have when you decide to build it all over again in a new rig that may not be able to utilze
the H2O hardware you already have?

For a novice building a new PC is a thrill AND a constant drain on the bank account.

Rember todays technology is tomorrow's old hat.

IMO build the rig you want. Then learn the new tricks.
You will have more respect for your gear.

While this is $SOLID$ Necro, SpikeShot, Cpt. Planet and others area of expertize , i can tell you i'm pretty sure you'll want an AMD based system, and for under $300 for a complete i would say an older Asus board. Thats just my opinion though and i as of yet dont OC at all sooooooooooo. I myself have an old AMD K6-2 5ooMhz CPU im saving for a rig to learn on.

As for modding, if your not sure of your skills with tools and such, find a $10 or $15 used case and try your modding skills on that, if you mess up no great loss money wise.

Water cooling .............. not a clue !!! i have a thing about water and things that plug in wall sockets

if you want to get into water cooling try a DD setup as they are almost idiot proof. Id say they were idiot proof, but the world keeps churning out better idiots.

someone rehire that lifeguard on the gene pool and tell his lazy ass to pour in more chlorine

Quote: Originally Posted by Pharaoh You may be trying to run before you learn to walk. Try your work in stages. 1- Build the PC you want. 2- Mod it 3- Learn to OC it. 4- Then learn H2O OR mix 2 through 4 in any order. By the time you progress through these stages you will then want a new system any way just to catch up with the technoledgy that passed you by. After that you will have the skills to perform all of the tasks you have posted and be able to assist other noobs too. Time is the factor more than the $$$ cause if you spend $ on a subpar rig to practice on then you will have less $$ to work on the monument you desire. Say you spent $250 to $300 on someones cast off. and then went and blew it up on your first OC attempt. You just blew up $$$ that could have been spent on the rig of your dreams. or the same goes for H20. if you spend $$ on old school to learn thats cool but how much $$$ will you have when you decide to build it all over again in a new rig that may not be able to utilze the H2O hardware you already have? For a novice building a new PC is a thrill AND a constant drain on the bank account. Rember todays technology is tomorrow's old hat. IMO build the rig you want. Then learn the new tricks. You will have more respect for your gear.

By this logic, going and blowing up an uber PC with top-notch specs worth $$$$$$$$$$ would be better than practicing on a crappy $250 one?

Quote: Originally Posted by Pharaoh You will have more respect for your gear.

There is risk in every endever. Sure you stand chance to hose up any PC
if not paying attention and taking time to learn something before just
OCing to 12v right from the start.

IMO unless the pratice PC is free then money spent on it is $$$ you
wont have to build the one you realy want.

But hey it's not my dough. So spend away.

what computer are you posting on now? couldn't you practice modding and ocing the one you have currently? with water cooling, you won't have a problem as long as you're careful. just take small steps with ocing and check each oc to make sure its stable. if you want to practice modding, just get some junk case from a junkyard or buy a cheap case and start hacking away.

I'll give you the specs of the one I have now and you tell me if I can do any decent OC'ing.

Radeon ATI 9600 XT

768 MB RDRAM (2x 256, 2x 128) around 400 MHZ Dual Channel set at 4:3 Total CAS# 10 clocks Row to column 7 clocks

2.4 GHZ Intel Multiplier x 18 FSB at around 133

Dell MOBO AGP x4 No PCI-E i850E chipset

I think the main thing is don't push your computer further than is recommended for your current setup. If all you have is bad aircooling, don't overclock, however if you have a decent air cooled system, with a plethora of fans, sure over clock but monitor it.

Fan Controllers are great for this, as this way you can see what your temperatures are doing while your in a game, and it is a great investment for under $300.

In my forsale thread there is a Abit NF7 S version 2.0 and a Athlon 2700+ ofr sale check my thread. The board is one of the best socket A overclocking boards that was ever prodced. I have used watercooling on it many times and it is agreat board/processor. You could also pick up some G.Skill TCCD memory to overclock with and run 1:1 with the cpu.

So can anyone figure out a system <$300 that would not be powerful but would still allow me to get decent OCing?

If necessary, skip water cooling for air cooling.

Looks like the Captain has the ticket...

How's this for starts (Note- items can be bought cheaper off ebay if $ needs to be shaved off- trying to keep under $300 total)?

BIOSTAR K8NHA Grand Socket 754 NVIDIA nForce3 250Gb ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813138240
GeIL Value 512MB (2 x 256MB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM Unbuffered DDR 400 (PC 3200) Dual Channel Kit System Memory - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820144309
AMD Sempron 64 2600+ Palermo 800MHz FSB 128KB L2 Cache Socket 754 Processor - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819104249

Still figuring out the rest... input appreciated!

The holidays are almost here! Can someone help me with the specs I listed?

To start out you'll neeed to select components that are generally reliable so that any problems that arise will be related to your overclocking rather than shoddy hardware.

I'd replace the mobo with and ASUS K8N-E, http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131548, because ASUS boards are reliable and will let you explore overclocking without too much risk of hardware damage. Or you can get the Captain's board, since he already did work on it he would be in a great position to assist your efforts.

Your RAM and processor are good for starting out, but don't expect to get near the performance that everyone else has with better and more expensive components.

With water cooling I'd suggest buying a retail kit rather than separate components, because there are alot of things to consider when buying components like tube inner and outer diameter, tube type, fittings inner and outer diameter, pump power, wiring, chemicals, etc. Try Thermaltake or Koolance.

Have you read $SOLID$ Necro's guide, which is stickied in the AMD CPU/Motherboard OC forum?

As for a case: Get something cheap, but packs at least one 120mm fan hole in the back. You'll thank yourself for making it easier to dive into watercooling

Thanks for pointing out that ASUS- I must have missed it

And also I'm fully aware that my crap PC won't be even nearly as good as any of the ones here- it's just practice for the big rig I'm thinking up

Here's what I got so far:
ASUS K8N-E
GeIL Value 512MB (2 x 256MB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM Unbuffered DDR 400 (PC 3200) Dual Channel Kit System Memory - Retail
AMD Sempron 64 2600+ Palermo 800MHz FSB 128KB L2 Cache Socket 754 Processor - Retail

Newly added to components:
Nvidia 5200 FX Ultra (Zalman VF700-Cu Cooler for it)
Creative Sound Blaster Live! 24-bit 30SB041000000 8 (7.1) Channels 24-bit 96KHz PCI Interface Sound Card - OEM
Western Digital 80 GB 7200 RPM HD

I still need help finding a cheap, black, easily moddable case with a PSU. Things like mouse, keyboard, and monitor can be found cheap, and they don't really affect what I'm trying to do, so I can get REALLY cheap ones.

What else am I forgetting? What should I change? Suggestions? Everything appreciated!

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811119068

This case is relatively cheap, has a 120mm in the back for future water cooling setups, and the mesh front and holes in the side allow for good air intake for an air cooling setup as well.

Thanks for looking, but I'm pretty tight on my limit already and that is a little expensive for a case. I'll consider it though if I have enough money left before the limit.