Overclockers bundles

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I think this is the right sub-forum to post this in!

I'm having problems with my current mobo so i'm looking at replacing it and the thought swirled through my head (I hate it when that happens... it's the same as $$ flashing in my eyes ;) ) that I could upgrade my mobo and processor using one of the OCuk bundles and upgrade the RAM at same time. Now I have a few questions that I need clarifying... :D

My system is powered by a brand new ModXStream 500w psu and i'm using a Radeon X1900XL 512mb graphics card... which is probably 4-5 years old but hasn't really been used heavily and was £100 back then. The rest of the system is ****.

Firstly, (this may be a stupid question, but to me if you don't know the answer then it's never stupid) are the OCuk bundles worth the money? Or is it worth spending the same money and looking at seperate parts to compile a better bundle as such?

I found the Dual core bundles to be quite attractive, and I won't buy a non-OC'd one so i'm looking at the £250-275 i3 bundles: http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=BU-035-OB&groupid=43&catid=339&subcat=1803
OR
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=BU-039-OB&groupid=43&catid=339&subcat=1803
With regards to the overclocking, is it completely stable?? I've heard of Overclocks resetting themselves occasionally and wondering if that would happen on that bundle.

The 4.4ghz bundle also has USB 3... is there any compatiblity issues with this or is just a quicker USB port? I'm not sure on the USB types but I know currently i'm using USB 2.
Also with the 4.4ghz bundle, would the CPU fan that comes with it be adequate for such a high OC? My case is an old server case and has 3 fans (currently disabled) that will add it to, altho if I do end up buying the bundle, I may well upgrade to a nice looking case.

The 4.2ghz bundle has a Gigabyte mobo instead and I was wondering which one out of the 2 would actually be better... and again, would the non-upgraded CPU fan be sufficient? If either of the non upgraded air cooling is not sufficient, then I can't say i'm keen on water cooling as something about the liquid near electrical equipment spells disaster to me... although I never hear of a disaster with them I suppose :)

If I did purchase one of the bundles, would it be compatible with my GPU? I don't really want to upgrade the GPU tbh. =P

Sorry for the blinking essay but I'm careful with my money... :)

Thanks in advance.
 
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USB3 and your GPU should have no compatibility issues, to start off with :).

OCuk's pre-overclocked bundles come pre-tested for stability with a warranty on them, so if you want an overclocked system but aren't too confident, they're the perfect choice. OCuk only choose coolers that are adequate for the overclock and parts, so don't worry about that. I wouldn't bother with watercooling though- it's generally accepted to be overpriced for the results. As for the bundles themselves, you do pay a price premium for the overclock, between the cooler and an extra surcharge for the expertise and labour of OCuk's overclockers, but it's not a huge premium for the massive increase in performance.

I'd recommend case and GFX upgrades, but you should be alright till you have the money. Maybe put them on your Christmas list :).
 
Thanks for the quick reply.

That all sounds good... It's getting to the point where I need to choose between 4.2ghz and a Gigabyte mobo or 4.4ghz and Asus mobo (I don't know the maufacturer/reliability factors between the 2 :) )

A new Case I might even order at the same time as the bundle.. or I may not.. It depends if i'm in a tight-ass mood or a spending mood tbh.

I'm at work atm so I can't check and I don't remember whether my GPU is PCI-E or PCI... but both the mobo's have PCI-E slots I think so that should be ok.

Atm, I have an old MSI 875-2 Neo mobo and a 3ghz P4... but the mobo is set to slow in BIOS because it won't start on fast so the computer is a slug compared to what it was like a week ago. So tbh, £270 for an almost complete revamp will probably quadruple the performance of my currrent setup in theory.
 
Also - is the RAM fairly decent quality?? I can see it's quite quick, but not sure on the make.

The RAM is *fantastic*- it's Corsair, who have been a trusted make in RAM for years and years, and still produce top-quality results. If you want a case, you don't need to spend your life savings- ~£40 will get you an Antec 300 or a Coolermaster 430, both of which are excellent budget cases without any space or cooling issues, unless you try to put a card like the 5970 in, which is the size of a small house. Personally I prefer the 430, but that's really down to looks.

Asus and Gigabyte are both trusted names in computing, so I'd get the cheaper one with USB3 and the faster clock myself. Read up on the motherboards individually if you want more info on their feature sets.
 
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