Will ram bottleneck this setup?

TranceCommunity · 17 Oct 2011 at 20:38

ASUS P5N-E SLI 650i
GTX460 768mb
Q6600
2GB DDR 5300 667mhz

Ill be investing in an OCed i5 460GTX SLI setup in about a month but im stuck with this setup until then. Dont really want to spend money as it wont be used in about a month. If its really bad i could buy another 2gb ram maybe.

Plec · 17 Oct 2011 at 20:50

If you're getting an i5 setup within a month don't bother.

Only having 2Gb will be an issue with some games but they will still be playable - but it's certainly not worth paying the 'over the odds' premium for DDR2 memory for 4-6 weeks useage.

TranceCommunity · 17 Oct 2011 at 21:42

came as a bit of a shock when i seen the price of a bit of ram alright. motherboard arrives soon. got it cheap off ebay but came into a few £ in the meantime so gonna take the plunge. by the looks of your sig ill have about the same setup as yourself. i have a 460 already so ill probably buy another one if its needed.

Would you buy the same setup again yourself? or would you advise something different.

Plec · 17 Oct 2011 at 22:27

TranceCommunity said:
Would you buy the same setup again yourself? or would you advise something different.

My sig needs updating:

I have 8Gb of memory and a 560Ti (on order) and my CPU is @ 4.6Ghz with a Silver Arrow strapped to it (still experimenting with voltages).

If i was buying now I would be looking at a z68 chipset - but if you don't need the extra features of the z68 then the p67 is a perfectly good board and has all the kinks ironed out as they're on their last revisions. Both chipsets clock the K series chip just as easily...

If you haven't got your memory yet then the 8Gb of XMS3 12800 at £47 is really worth considering (great price and quality) - it's got a proven track record of running sub 1.58V (usually 1.5V) which is adventageous when clocking the SB

TranceCommunity · 17 Oct 2011 at 23:04

Good advice. Thanks

Can you recommend a motherboard for an i5 2500k and 460 SLI?

Edit.

This is what i was planning on getting

Gigabyte GA-Z68AP-D3 Z68 Socket 1155 8 Channel Audio ATX Motherboard

Is that alright?

Plec · 18 Oct 2011 at 20:39

The Gigabyte GA-Z68AP-D3 doesn't mention offiicial support for SLI, only crossfire (x16 x 4) - you will need SLi support with the 460s.

If i was spending under £100 for on an SLi 1155 MB, and didn't need the features that the z68 offer, i, personally, would be looking at the MSI P67A-G45 Intel P67 at £89.
It's a stonking motherboard for the price now and has SLi support (x16 x 8) and has a proven track record in attaining good clocks on the 2500K - it's the motherboard i should have got (a year ago) but i was too busy wanting to experiment with budget p67 boards as they all clock surprisingly well (as do the z68).

Or if you want a z68 then i would consider spending an extra £10 again (£99) and get the Gigabyte Z68XP-UD3 also x16 x8 and has official Sli support.

TranceCommunity · 19 Oct 2011 at 11:38

Sorry complete amateur here.

Ill trust your judgement and pick up the z68 Gigabyte Z68XP-UD3 aswell as 2500k and Ram. Ill put my 460GTX in and maybe pick another 460 up in a few weeks if i feel the need.

Plec · 19 Oct 2011 at 14:53

TranceCommunity said:
Sorry complete amateur here.

It's a confusing process when you haven't upgraded for a while - especialy with the multitude of boards on offer.

TranceCommunity said:
Ill trust your judgement and pick up the z68 Gigabyte Z68XP-UD3 aswell as 2500k and Ram. Ill put my 460GTX in and maybe pick another 460 up in a few weeks if i feel the need.

The z68 Gigabyte Z68XP-UD3 is a cracking board for the money - i know it's slightly over your budget but it's been very well received and you'll be getting a lot of board for your £100.

You're moving on from quite a respectable spec (q6600) but you sould still notice quite a difference when you finally get the SB setup. The 460's in SLi will certainly make a big difference, in games that utilse it, from reviews. Although you may be pleasently surprised with the 2500K and single 460 combo (i was - i'm only upgrading as a family member needs my card).

Overclocking is a very simple process, here's a link for clocking 3 different models of p67 (Gigabyte, MSI, Asus) - link. I realise you're getting a z68 but the basic principles are the same and is usually very simple for clocks up to ~4.5GHz (especially when compared to clocking LGA775 chips).