My current system is as follows:
Phenom II 720BE x3 720be with a CM tx3 plus cooling it
ASUS M3A78-EM
2x1GB of DDR2 800mhz cas 4
512mb HD 4850 with TRAD2 cooling it
CM 600w silent whisper PSU
CM elite 341 mATX case
After a lot of head scratching I have decided that I obviously need a little bit more of ram so I am going to get another 1x2GB of DDR2, which will cost me about £50.
I wouldn't mind a tiny bit more graphical performance so another HD 4850 would be the natural choice ... unfortunately my motherboard only has one PCI-e slot so in order to get another I would have to buy a new motherboard which would be pointless because then i might aswell spend the money on a GTX 460 and I don't really want to spend that kinda money because I am not that desperate for a massive jump just a bit of improvement so I am ruling out a graphics upgrade for a little while (I also need a new monitor but i have decided on that hence the tight budget!).
Instead I thought I might give overclocking my cpu a go on my crap cooler to see if i had any headroom for overclocking. I managed to get windows to boot with a my cpu on 3.7ghz on my crap cooler on 1.45 volts (1.5 over default). Therefore I am pretty confident with decent cooling (temperature is the most critical factor apparently for overclocking x3 720BEs not voltage) that I could get 3.5ghz stable at worst. This would be enough of a performance boost looking at benchmarks to keep me happy until I have enough money to get a GTX 460.
Now this is where I need help. What would be the best cooler to get which would fit in my incredibly cramped elite 341 and allow me to overclock my cpu (remember temperatures are most important according to my research) which would also be quiet? ... I hate really loud noise. I have been thinking about a h50 plus 2 gentle typhoons 1150rpm in push pull and undervolting the pump. I reckon I have just about 160mm clearance in my case for an air cooler but ideally i would want a cooler below 150mm if i went for air. I can't really afford a new case either to fit a massive cooler.
All suggestions and help are welcome.
Phenom II 720BE x3 720be with a CM tx3 plus cooling it
ASUS M3A78-EM
2x1GB of DDR2 800mhz cas 4
512mb HD 4850 with TRAD2 cooling it
CM 600w silent whisper PSU
CM elite 341 mATX case
After a lot of head scratching I have decided that I obviously need a little bit more of ram so I am going to get another 1x2GB of DDR2, which will cost me about £50.
I wouldn't mind a tiny bit more graphical performance so another HD 4850 would be the natural choice ... unfortunately my motherboard only has one PCI-e slot so in order to get another I would have to buy a new motherboard which would be pointless because then i might aswell spend the money on a GTX 460 and I don't really want to spend that kinda money because I am not that desperate for a massive jump just a bit of improvement so I am ruling out a graphics upgrade for a little while (I also need a new monitor but i have decided on that hence the tight budget!).
Instead I thought I might give overclocking my cpu a go on my crap cooler to see if i had any headroom for overclocking. I managed to get windows to boot with a my cpu on 3.7ghz on my crap cooler on 1.45 volts (1.5 over default). Therefore I am pretty confident with decent cooling (temperature is the most critical factor apparently for overclocking x3 720BEs not voltage) that I could get 3.5ghz stable at worst. This would be enough of a performance boost looking at benchmarks to keep me happy until I have enough money to get a GTX 460.
Now this is where I need help. What would be the best cooler to get which would fit in my incredibly cramped elite 341 and allow me to overclock my cpu (remember temperatures are most important according to my research) which would also be quiet? ... I hate really loud noise. I have been thinking about a h50 plus 2 gentle typhoons 1150rpm in push pull and undervolting the pump. I reckon I have just about 160mm clearance in my case for an air cooler but ideally i would want a cooler below 150mm if i went for air. I can't really afford a new case either to fit a massive cooler.
All suggestions and help are welcome.
