Tired of waiting...

[Insomniak]

So I pulled the trigger on an A8N-SLI from ZipZoomFly now that it was back down to 199.99 with free shipping. It's a bit more board than I need (the rest of the system is a 6600GT (single), 1GB Mushkin, A64 3000+), but I think that's right on the money as I plan to OC this processor within 6 months and move up to a new graphics card within a year probably. I wanted this system to be a starting point that will eventually take me to a dual-core processor with SLI'd 512MB cards. Think the board can last that long? Well, we'll see.

My immediate intentions, over the next few months, are to get some aftermarket cooling on to the processor and RAM, and start trying to walk that 3000+ up to 3500+ speeds (2.2Ghz or so - shouldn't be hard, judging on what's happening with .09 Winnies these days).

Comments? Thoughts? Any advice on working towards this? From what I understand, the ASUS Bios as it is is mediocre for overclocking, but I'm willing to bet future BIOS releases will fix that. I'm currently favoring a Zalman 7000Cu for HSF.

Grr...I was really hoping to score a Gigabyte Ultra board, but I've had these parts sitting on my desk for 3 weeks now...no more waiting, time to build.

 

[FastEddie]

Aftermarket cooling = Zalman 7000B Alu, the copper version is way to heavie for the minor gains you'll see compaired to the Alu version.

 

[Insomniak]

I thought copper was more heat conductive?

 

[FastEddie]

The difference is so minute between the Alu and Copper in the 7000B line, yet the copper weighs nearly twice what the alu does. Also note that the Alu's is within the amd spec for hs/fan weight wise, the copper is way outside of that range.

 

[Insomniak]

True enough. People use coolers outside of AMD spec all the time, and it's not really a concern, but that said, the 3000+ has been hitting 2.4 Ghz + on the stock HSF that comes with the retail box. I think any Zalman 7000 will probably be more than enough to find the chips limit.

Well, board should be here monday or tuesday (dunno how fast ZZF is about processing/shipping), and after assembly, installation, configuration, burn-in, and stability testing, I'll get around to playing with clocks and seeing what there is to tell...

 

[Insomniak]

Oh, and one more thing - regarding the EZ PLug:

My PSU is a 20 pin ATX 1.3, meaning I'll be running 4 pains short on the main connector. Since I only plan to run a 6600GT single initially, this is not a big concern. I will be moving to an ATX 2.0 PSU when/if I decide to go SLI. However, this PSU does have an "extra" molex connector that is meant to be plugged into a high end graphics card. This molex looks just like a 12v lead, only it has half as many wires running to each pin. I'm taking this to mean it's roughly half a 12v lead.

Anyway, this thing would fit perfectly into the EZ Plug, and since I don't really need the extra power from the EZ plug, would it really be neccesary to run a true 12v lead all the way over there? Given that it's a 6600GT, I don't think so, but other opinions are welcome...

 

[Jim Bancroft]

I think you did the right thing. I'm in something of the same boat; I have a few parts scattered around the house I'd like to put into a new box, but I've been waiting (and waiting and waiting) for some competition and availability to kick in on the AMD PCIe front, and it just hasn't happened. AMD must be livid, or if they aren't they should be, considering the sales and market share they've missed because of this. How long has PCIe been available on Pentium 4 mobos?-- Six months or six years?

Asus is a great brand, even if the overclocking on this board isn't uber-duper just yet. And $199 for their SLI you say? Interesting....

 

[FastEddie]

I'm using this Thermaltake adapter at present---> ATX to BTX
But have an AGPB 500W that will be here today that replaces the Antec True 480 that has to go back for RMA.
Alot of peeps are just using good standard 20-pin ATX ps with this board

The ez-power connector is just a plain 4-pin molex that must be used when dual video cards are installed--it just gives the PCI-E 16x slots a dedicated power source. Yes, I've got a molex plugged in to mine even with only one 6600GT in use.

It's the waiting that sux---I've been planning this build for months and expected availability as the manufacturers originally stated, which was last November. You'll like the Asus board, it's feature rich and accessory packed.

 

[hkhawk]

No man, the Thermalright heatsinks are better than the Zalmans. If they will fit on the board get either an XP-120 or XP-90. The Zalmans are excellent, second only to the Thermalrights. Go for the best though!

 

[Insomniak]

Thermalrights charge a ridiculous premium for the XP series. Not enough performance to justify the cost IMO, while the Zalmans, being considerably less, do IMO.