Please verify: Scythe Mugen 2 SCMG-2100

webdev50 · Post by **webdev50** » Tue Aug 10, 2010 3:32 pm

Hi, this is my first build and I'm planning to do light to moderate overclocking, maybe more.

I think I have all the parts figured out, but would like your confirmation that everything looks like it will fit and work well.

Do I need to buy TIM separately? (Arctic Silver 5?) A few newegg reviewers mentioned that TIM comes with the Mugen 2, but I'm not sure.

Scythe Mugen 2 Rev B. SCMG-2100

AMD Athlon II x4 635

Asus M4A89GTD PRO/USB (ATX)

(I'd post links, but I need to have 3 posts first apparently.)

Lian Li PC-7FN ATX Mid Tower Case - 19.29" x 8.26" x 18.50".

I was originally going to get a 4U rackmount case (7" tall), but the Mugen 2 wouldn't have fit, and I found a place to fit this Lian Li case on my desk: behind my monitor.

G.SKILL ECO Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 1333 (PC3 10666) F3-10666CL8D-4GBECO

I was originally going to get Ripjaws, but I was very concerned that they wouldn't have fit under the Mugen 2. I think they actually might fit, but this ECO series ram should be fast enough and it's low power at 1.35v and therefore supposedly cooler too.

What do you think? Please let me know if you see any potential problems.

Thanks!!

-- Ed

Lawrence Lee · Post by **Lawrence Lee** » Tue Aug 10, 2010 6:07 pm

All aftermarket heatsinks come with TIM. As for the memory if you have any doubt at all, go with the slimmer DIMMs.

fumino · Post by **fumino** » Tue Aug 10, 2010 7:05 pm

artic silver 5 is over rated anyways, but yes the mugen comes with TIM.

i would spring for the 1600mhz CAS7 g skill eco kit, lower latencies are generally thought to be a greater benefit to amd chips than straight out speed.

as for the cpu, the athlon's lack of a level 3 cache hurts its performance when its a quad and not a dually... you might want to consider getting one of the phenom 2 chips on either side of $100: the x3 720 or the x2 555. you could try unlocking the extra core(s) on them and getting your self a quad if you need it, and the performance boost from having a L3 cache would be noticeable over a quad core running without...

the case? idk. if you did want that 4u case though, you could look to coolers like the noctua nh-u9b, thermalright's ultra 90, or hr-01 4u version with amd mounting kits... xigmatek's s983... i would get the case you want then the best cooler you can fit in it. you're gonna see the case a lot more than the cooler, and it's not like you need to cool an i7 at 4ghz either. (all these can be found at performance-pcs.com btw)

tim851 · Post by **tim851** » Wed Aug 11, 2010 12:00 am

fumino wrote:as for the cpu, the athlon's lack of a level 3 cache hurts its performance when its a quad and not a dually... you might want to consider getting one of the phenom 2 chips on either side of $100: the x3 720 or the x2 555. you could try unlocking the extra core(s) ...

Yeah, exactly, he could try.

In those few applications that actually favour cores over clockspeed, an Athlon X4 will outpace any Phenom with fewer cores. And there is no guarantee that additional cores are unlockable.

So if the thread starter is indeed needing more cores, he is better off buying an Athlon X4. The fact that he chose the cheapest one makes me assume he is price conscious, so just advising better performing but more expensive options seems nonsensical.

webdev50 · Post by **webdev50** » Wed Aug 11, 2010 3:12 am

Thank you everyone for your replies! And thank you SPCR for the great reviews!

fumino wrote:i would spring for the 1600mhz CAS7 g skill eco kit, lower latencies are generally thought to be a greater benefit to amd chips than straight out speed.

Sounds good! I have only two ECO kits to choose from though. I need to make sure to get those on the QVL list because this motherboard has a reputation for being picky about G.Skill ram. Looks like I'll go with the first one with CAS8:

G.SKILL ECO Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 1333 (PC3 10666) F3-10666CL8D-4GBECO

G.SKILL ECO Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 1600 (PC3 12800) F3-12800CL9D-4GBECO

The only available CAS7 G.Skill on the QVL are Ripjaws. I prefer to stick with G.Skill if possible because they have good support. I now also think the low power ram is a good idea.

fumino wrote:the case? idk. if you did want that 4u case though, you could look to coolers like the noctua nh-u9b, thermalright's ultra 90, or hr-01 4u version with amd mounting kits

Yeah, the Lian-Li tower case is much better looking and much better overall. Your info about 4U coolers is good for me to know for the future though.

tim851 wrote:In those few applications that actually favour cores over clockspeed, an Athlon X4 will outpace any Phenom with fewer cores. And there is no guarantee that additional cores are unlockable.

Thanks for pointing that out, Tim. Yeah, I wanted to guarantee the four cores, I liked how the 635 performed in benchmark reviews, and it has a good price/performance ratio, so I'm starting with it for now and I can experiment with other cpus in a few years if I want.

Thanks!

-- Ed

loimlo · Post by **loimlo** » Wed Aug 11, 2010 7:59 am

Low power ram is only meaningful if you've a board that supports DRAM undervolting. And far and few boards support this feature. You've to make sure whether Asus M4A89GTD PRO/USB has this feature or not. Otherwise, it's a waste of money given low-power DDR3 memory would run at higher voltage, 1.5V, and draw similar power compared to vanilla DDR3 memory.

webdev50 · Post by **webdev50** » Wed Aug 11, 2010 4:22 pm

loimlo wrote:Low power ram is only meaningful if you've a board that supports DRAM undervolting.

Thanks for the heads-up Loimlo! You guys are awesome!

I just checked the manual and it looks like I'm covered. The "DRAM Voltage" bios setting "Allows you to set the DRAM voltage" and the values range from 1.20000V to 2.50000V.

Given that the RAM is listed on the QVL, I'd be surprised if it wasn't supported, but of course it's always best to check.

Thanks!

-- Ed

danimal · Post by **danimal** » Wed Aug 11, 2010 8:17 pm

get the cheapest possible ram, the speed will make little to no difference in the end... worrying about ram voltage when overclocking is the intent, doesn't add up.

put your money into the cpu instead, it'll go a lot further.

depending on the mb configuration, the mugen2 may hang over the ram slots, so you'll be limited to stock height ram.

i find that ocz has some of the best pricing, and their product is usually lifetime guaranteed, but shop around on fatwallet/slickdeals.

since you are in california, watch out for cpu/mb deals at frys.