(03-31-2015, 07:01 AM)AnyOldName3 Wrote: Just a couple of points:
The G3258 is probably fine with major overclocks with just the stock cooler (i.e. the one it comes with). It's the same cooler as comes with Intel's top-tier CPUs, which have much higher TDPs than the G3258. It takes a pretty large OC on an unlucky chip to take the heat output of the G3258 above the 90W the cooler is rated for.
Bus width isn't directly proportional to performance - the whole point of nVidia's Maxwell architecture is to use things like busses intelligently so as to make do with narrow ones in order to reduce power consumption by reducing component counts. Don't dismiss a GPU because it's got a narrow memory bus. Instead, look at benchmarks - if a GPU beats another in a wide range of games, it's faster.
I was doing a bit of research on the G3258 and saw the same as what you're saying-- I used to OC pentium II's back in the day and while they ran fast, I would often experience glitches (game/OS/etc) that I was never able to quite figure out. I ultimately blamed it on the cpu overheating so a little extra cash to protect my investment is fine by me. I even picked up some Arctic Silver
The GPU reviews are hard for me to even read anymore. Around the same time I was overclocking pentium II's I used to lurk at Tom's or Anand's and analyze every gpu option ever while finding ever more ways to spend 'just another $20' on a slightly better card.
I started to do that with the processor so i'm happy as hell I can get by with a $50 cpu. I figure with the mobo choice I can upgrade to something beefy if I take a bigger interest in pc-gaming.
If I was going to build a pure gaming PC, i'd no doubt obsess and find a reason to buy a crazy vid card (and a parts list that closer to 'in your dreams' wishlist topping out at 4-5k dollars)... but I've got to imagine there's a ceiling to how much of the GPU Dolphin can use before you get to the point where they all perform the same and that's why i turned to the forum for help.
Thanks to everyone who chimed in and helped out with this. All the parts will be here Wednesday and i'll probably start building that night. Only thing arriving later is the Arctic Silver and Zalman cpu fan... so no overclocking until maybe next week. Plus I got 5% cashback on everything thanks to the ole credit card.
Should I bother with a build thread?