Overclocking and PC Performance Optimization for System Builders

On the Case

I'm a noob and fully expected to see a wide variety of products, but I found hundreds of similar tower cases in the Computer Cases category on Newegg. It is absolutely ridiculous that so many different models exist, and that a company is selling many different products distinguished only by quality of workmanship and corresponding price. Talk about daunting, and Newegg alone lists 2,102 products under "computer case".

After some trial and error with Newegg's excellent search engine (the engine offers to complete words as you type and its guesses are excellent), I realized that I should be looking for a "desktop case." While Newegg offers over two thousand entries under computer cases, it includes only 78 desktop cases. Soon I had a new term to learn: HTPC. Most of these desktop cases are designed for HTPCs, or Home Theater PCs, which are supposed to blend in with a home entertainment system and look just like any other shiny box.

It quickly became apparent that I had some new vocabulary to learn. I wanted a generic case, but I could choose between ATX, Micro ATX, and BTX. Consulting the book and my friends, I learned that an ATX-based model was the generic case I was looking for. Searching for "ATX" within the 78 desktop cases got me 44 ATX and MicroATX cases. As size was not that big a deal, ATX was the way to go.

Fans were the next logical step. The larger the fan, the less RPM it needs to move a given amount of air. As a result, larger fans move more slowly and make less noise. Noise per se is not a problem, but I wanted as little vibration as possible in order to get the longest possible life. Fans appear to range from 40 mm to 120 mm in size, so obviously I wanted 120 mm fans. I would have liked a full steel case for durability, but none was available.

I settled on the SilverStone LC-17 case, which is a full-sized ATX HTPC unit with a pair of 80 mm fans in the back. The case was not the most expensive, but the top end models appear to have an LCD screen to show what digital music is being played - a feature specifically for a home theater PC. As I was building a gaming PC, I did not need an LCD screen. Reading the comments on Newegg, I learned that some of the less expensive cases can be flimsy, and you do get what you pay for.

I wanted to stick with a premium manufacturer for no other reason than to avoid a case that might break. In a better market, I would not need to pay a premium price in order to get a product that fit minimum expectations. Overall, I felt let down by the case manufacturers.

Reviewer comments on Newegg can be a valuable resource, and many stated that you cannot load this case with extra fans for the hard drives and that you cannot fit six hard drives in the case, but since I did not intend to fill the case with six hard drives, I anticipated no problems with the case.

Table of Contents

• Introduction

• On the Case

The Processor

I really don't know much about CPUs, but before deciding on the motherboard, it's the first logical step. I chose to go Intel, and went with the most popular model on the Newegg site, the Intel Core 2 Duo E6600. The Intel website lists its key specifications, all of which are superior to the processor in my previous computer: a 2.4 GHz speed, 1,066 MHz front side bus, and 4 MB of L2 cache.

The Motherboard

Next, it was time to choose the motherboard. I wanted an SLI-compatible motherboard and needed it to support an Intel chip, so that narrowed the search down. I also wanted to use DDR2-800 memory, about the middle of the range (pick a number, any number, I decided to choose one mostly to help me pick the memory). It seemed reasonable to buy an SLI-compatible motherboard in case I wanted to upgrade graphics performance.

I chose the ASUS P5N-E SLI NF650i SLI motherboard. Newegg has already moved on, but I should have read the reviews more carefully and seen that some of the motherboards were defective. Of course, I may have broken the motherboard or it was otherwise damaged, so I cannot be certain that the one shipped was defective. What I do know is that it didn't work, but that's for later in this article.

Look closely at the specifications of SLI motherboards, and you'll see that all too often, as on the latest version of this motherboard as I write this article, the motherboard delivers PCI Express x16 with one graphics card, but PCI Express x8 (twice) with two graphics cards. I suspect that this minimizes the benefits of SLI technology in the current generation of SLI motherboards. If a mainstream motherboard is ever released that delivers full PCI Express speeds to two graphics cards (and there may be one – remember, I'm a noob at this) then SLI technology will be worth it.

Table of Contents

• Introduction

• On the Case

The Memory

The "Building the Perfect PC" book states that Corsair and other top of the line memory brands deliver negligible benefits over standard memory. Still, I chose a name I trust, Kingston, and have been happy with it. I initially ordered 4GB (4x1GB) of DDR2-800 memory but, again, if you check the motherboard specifications closely, and if you read the motherboard manual, you'll find that there are some hidden issues.

All too often, even though a motherboard has four memory slots, it is not guaranteed to work perfectly if more than two of those slots are occupied. I now use 2 GB of RAM but initially ordered 4 GB of RAM, and that's a whole other story.

The Graphics Card

Along with the motherboard, I selected an ASUS graphics card (SLI compatible, of course). I had used ATI in my previous computer, so I chose to go with NVIDIA. I went with the ASUS EN7900GS, the top of the line in terms of mid-range DirectX9 graphics cards.

Storage Hardware

This section was easy. I chose a Sony floppy drive, an ASUS DVD-ROM drive (I have an external drive that can write to DVDs; my internal drive is intended for games, which will mean lots of read-only use), and a Lite-On CD-R/RW drive. For the hard drive, I selected a fast 320 GB Seagate Barracuda, which uses the SATA 3.0 Gb/s connection instead of a legacy (slower) IDE connection.

The Power Supply

While I skipped the Corsair memory, I couldn't bypass the 520-watt Corsair CMPSU-520HX power supply, which is SLI compatible, offers a 5-year warranty and seemed to be far more powerful than anything I'd ever need.

Extras

I ordered a pair of Silverstone cooling fans that I have not used, I ordered a sound card that I don't need, but my graphics card did include a free copy of the game Supreme Commander, which is a nifty diversion.

Shipping

Finally, I decided to have it all shipped by FedEx, which cost just under $150.

Table of Contents

• Introduction

• On the Case

Houston, We're Going to Have a Problem

Once I received all the hardware, I expected the rest to be easy. I was very, very wrong.

My difficulties came almost immediately, while installing the motherboard. Although the concept of standoffs had been explained to me in words, I had not truly understood the real-world implications. The motherboard is suspended from the case by tiny cheap metal prongs that have screw ends on the bottom and a bowl-like flat top in which there are additional screw threads. The motherboard rests on several of these metal standoffs, and you attach it to the case with mounting screws.

My first mistake was to install the motherboard before installing the I/O shield, or faceplate. This covers the external connections (USB, Ethernet, etc) and is made of the cheapest metal in the entire computer (and there are many flimsy looking things). It snaps right into the case, not the motherboard, so you snap it on before you install the motherboard. My girlfriend said I sweated a lot, but I think I was sweating because I felt foolish about screwing up and having to take out the motherboard, not because I was working hard. I also felt bad because I cut my thumb on the faceplate, which did not hurt very much but was very messy.

As I was removing the motherboard, I bent some components. In retrospect, I believe that I may have broken the motherboard at this point (if it was not already defective).

Putting it all Together

At this point, I did not yet know that the motherboard was busted, so I connected the other components.

The first order of business was the Intel CPU and the fan system. Intel provides a marvelous video (also available on YouTube). However, I found it difficult to figure out whether the processor was correctly aligned.

Next, I installed the CPU heatsink-fan. Again, it was shocking to find such primitive technology in a computer. You place four plastic bolts, one at each corner of the CPU. The fan sits on top of these. It has four pin-like contraptions that fit not into threads like a normal screw, but merely serve to spread out the plastic a little bit until it is locked tight in the motherboard's mounting holes. Surely, manufacturers could build a better technology than this.

The memory installed easily and the power supply fit nicely. The case vents the Corsair power supply out the right hand side.

The hard drive installation was not impossible, but it was difficult. Again, I had to get used to a concept that had been explained in words. The hard drive is held in place by screws in a cage. The cage attaches to the case with more screws, and fits into slots along the floor of the case. The screws align horizontally, and were difficult for me at first, but after I had installed and uninstalled these cages a few times, I found them easy to work with.

Physically, the CD-ROM and DVD-ROM drives, similarly, fit easily in the cage, as did the floppy disk.

Connect the Dots

The fans and the cage lights all connected simply and easily. The hard drive, DVD drive, and CD drive connected easily, but I found that the cheap SATA connectors that were supplied with these drives were inferior to one extra connector I had bought in a store, which snaps into place and stays there. Connecting the floppy drive was extremely unpleasant. The complaints I had read about the case suddenly made sense. Jamming the floppy connector into place required removing the DVD and CD drives and then reinstalling them. Case makers should have better internal designs so that components like DVD and floppy drives are an easier fit.

It was time to turn on the computer. Would it pass what the book called "the smoke test"?

Table of Contents

• Introduction

• On the Case

1st Attempt: Failure to Launch

For whatever reason, the ASUS motherboard kept shutting down after a few minutes of operation. I never found out why, although there are several possibilities: defective manufacturing, improper CPU alignment, bent motherboard components, and a CPU fan installation error I made with my second motherboard that I may have also made with the first motherboard.

So I had to replace my first motherboard. Reading the comments on Newegg, I saw one that said that gave the ASUS motherboard less than flattering remarks, and recommended that buyers should try the MSI version. This is how I ended up with the MSI P6N SLI Platinum motherboard - same basic features, same NVIDIA 650i SLI chipset, but this time it worked.

Light That Candle

The second install came together relatively pain-free, now that I had already been through the process once, but it still wasn't easy. I turned on the system and it was fine but the temperature was way too high, quickly reaching 70 degrees Celsius. I turned it off. It took me a long time but I eventually realized that the fan was not properly seated on the CPU, so there was inadequate heat transfer. I fixed the problem and have had no thermal issues since. I downloaded an application, MSI Dual Core Center, and as I type this, I can see that the CPU temperature is 29 degrees C.

Installing the OS on this system was very, very easy. I simply inserted the Windows XP CD into the drive, and everything loaded automatically. That part rocked!

But I only have 2 GB of RAM in the system. Why? Because the motherboard isn't guaranteed to be able to run with 4x1GB. Ouch! I paid for that RAM, and messed up shipping it back (I lost a stick and found it later). That was an expensive mistake.

Furthermore, I learned that you have to read your motherboard's RAM compatibility notes extremely carefully. I had purchased RAM that appeared to have the correct serial number but a very important letter (the last one) was wrong. The right memory was KHX6400D2LLK2/2G. The wrong memory was KHX6400D2LLK2/2GN. What's the difference? I don't know! I'm a noob! But RTFM - read that fine manual.

One final comment: it should be easier to take the hard drives from your old computer and put them in your new computer. That's directed at Microsoft, and I understand that it's not a trivial request.

Conclusion

Building your own computer is a learning experience that was frequently frustrating, and mistakes cost me some extra money when I'd hoped to save. But now I have a computer I can love and whose components I personally selected as the best for the job. But as a gamer, I'm already thinking, when should I build the DirectX 10 machine?

Table of Contents

• Introduction

• On the Case