Q6600 Is this really all you have to do to overclock

[purplemonkey]

1. CPU Setup - User Defined

2. Multiplier - Default

3. Front Side Bus (FSB) - 367MHz (1466MHz FSB)

4. CPU Core voltage - You might need to take this upto 1.50v maximum but generally 1.45v is fine dependent on the motherboard.

5. We advice you purchase an uprated CPU Cooler such as the Arctic Cooler Freezer 7 Pro to better cool the CPU and enable you to reach this overclock stable along with some Arctic Silver 5 compound.

Taken from Overclockers.co.uk who guarantee that you can achieve 3.30Ghz with a £149.99 Q6600

If it's that easy I'd be game... I know it sounds lame but I really don't have the time to read up on the ins and outs of overclocking, I love the idea of it but can't dedicate several hours to learning about it 100%

Incidentally what is the difference between this Q6600 and one that is sold elsewhere for £150 as opposed to the £20 premium charged by overclockers???

 

[!TIMMY!]

Its exactly the same CPU, but if you can't reach 3.3ghz then you can send it back to Overclockers. Most Q6600 will reach 3.3ghz.

Save £20 and buy one from a better e-tailer.

 

[Rastalovich]

I`d not run it at 3.3 if u plan on folding at 100% 24/7. Even with the bestest of air coolers. If it gets bursts of use tho, it`ll be ok.

Wc - no problem.

 

[D-Cyph3r]

On a decent air cooler 3.3Ghz is fine (on a G0 thats not using silly volts).

OcUK's "3.3Ghz guaranteed" Q6600's are, put simply, a waste of money. 98% of G0's will do 3.3Ghz no problem on the same motherboard, with the same RAM, But not everybody has the same setups.

1 buyer might have RAM that absolutely refuses to overclock past it's rated speed, in which case upping the FSB is a no-go. Someone else might have a OEM motherboard that doesn't allow CPU voltage to be increased, another might have 680i motherboard, which as we all know are dog**** for overclocking quads.

As said, save yourself a score and buy elsewhere.

 

[purplemonkey]

thanks guys i'll be doing that then...

I'm now simply sat wondering do I bite the bullet and spend £600 on components or wait a few more months...

One quick question on overlocking the Q6600, with 4gb of ram, 9800gtx+, 500gb HD, and a potential overclock on the CPU will a 500W PSU do the business? All the calculators so far say it will or should I get 600w to be on the safe side?

thanks again

 

[Rastalovich]

Think it would depend heavily on the brand/condition/age of the 500w.

U want to be sure, if thinking of using an existing psu, that it has all the mobo power connectors (24pin + 8 pin if required), a source for the gfxcard (not totally critical cos they often have adaptors in the box when new) and enough molex/sata power connectors.

If u are overclocking, u probably want some headroom too for all those little voltage increases >.<

Meh if it`s an old 500w, I`d invest in a quality 600/650w psu. Not cos u will definately need all those 600w, u`ll probably need 450-500.. ish.. but u got room to move - add a hard drive - and so on.

U could always try the 500 and see what happens

(great pics D-Cyph3r btw)

 

[purplemonkey]

apologies to resurrect a dead thread but...

Having just purchased PC2-8500 ram at a steal from an etailer I'm wondering am I actually going to benifit from the 1066mhz at all...

If I were planning to overclock my Q6600 I would have to use a FSB greater than 400 to warrant using 1066mhz ram otherwise 800mhz ram would have been fine right?

So 3.2 (reading it looks pretty achievable) 355FSBx9 or 400FSBx8

I've heard it's best to maintain a 1:1 ratio on ram so my 1066mhz ram would downclock to whatever 2xFSB is... in the case of 9x multiplier 710mhz and in the 8x case it would be 800mhz ...

Why have I bought 1066mhz ram??????

 

[purplemonkey]

apologies if my thinking is all wrong i've only been reading up on overclocking for about 30 minutes...

 

[rrjwilson]

It is not best to have a 1:1 ratio there is no set value for optimum. Faster RAM means better scores (only 5% at most). Better quality RAM means more stable overclocks. Ocing to small numbers is easy but the higher you go the more delicate it becomes.

Are you PurpleMonkey |UKCS|?

 

[purplemonkey]

rrjwilson - thanks for the reply!

Nope thats not me at UKCS... must be a popular name!

So when you talk about OCing to small numbers you mean it's better to use a lesser FSB and higher multiplier?

Cheers!

 

[moogle]

So when you talk about OCing to small numbers you mean it's better to use a lesser FSB and higher multiplier?

Cheers!

Yes it is. Lower FSB = less heat (because you wouldn't need a higher voltage etc). Ideally when overclocking you'd want to use the highest multiplier you have so that you don't need to have a higher fsb.

He also means (I think by the word delicate) that if you want to OC higher you got to change and set up alot more settings to fine tune your OC, as in setting GTL's, PL's and other things I've forgotten about.

 

[WelshD1K]

any q6600 will do 3.3! i had mine running 3.6 on air with 1.425v i think for almost a year

 

[purplemonkey]

WelshD1K did it burn out?

 

[AntiHeroUK]

His CPU wouldn't burn out running at that voltage unless it was a really bad chip. Intel have specified the q6600s up to 1.55v and no doubt that it being a little conservative. These chips will run on 1.65 (possibly higher) under water cooling.

 

[WelshD1K]

WelshD1K did it burn out?

lol no!

tried it @ 4ghz @ 1.5v but wasnt stable so swaped it out for a e6850 for 8x500fsb for games.

would probs do 3.8 24/7 if some oen had time and patience with it . melted duron has it now

 

[sprento]

There's an energy efficient effort out there that runs at 95W, used to be £20 cheaper when it first came out but is now more expensive, perhaps that is the price hike.