Hey all running a G0 Stepping Q6600 on stock intel air, in an Antec 900, I've currently got it on 3.4ghz ( 378mhz x9, ram 1:1:20 DDR2 907 ) with CPU Core at 1.44v and ram at 2.1v. This runs stable, when I up to 400mhz X9 and I drop the ram to 1:1:00 800mhz DDR2, and up the CPU Core to 1.47 the system will boot but fail a 3dMark06 test on the cpu section, and won't run any game stable for more than ten minutes. Coretemp shows the idle temp to be around 40c ( helps having the Antec 900 ) and max temperature on the logs was 61c. Running this on an Abit IP35 Pro, powered by a Corsair HX620. And the ram is Corsair XMS2 DDR 800mhz 2x2048MB. Any tips on how I can obtain 3.6ghz?
you: me: thermaltake maxorb cooler b3 stepping q6600 3.0ghz cpu voltage: 1.3 idle temp 45 load temp 60-65 (with ampbiant temps in the 20's) the fact that you hit 3.4 with stock cooling and 1.44v is pretty damm good in my book. considering that even though I have the older stepping, even with a much better cooler I only run at 3.0ghz. Quite likely whats holding you back the the FSB on the motherboard. depending on what motherboard you have of course (hint hint). Honestly I would take what you have and run with it. the extra 200mhz wont give you a noticeable performance gain. if you just want to do it for the sake of doing it then most likely we will need to know what bios options you have. but again that would require knowing what motheboard you have. As far as the temps are concerned, I know that when you crank up the fans in the antec 900, it does move air like a storm (and sounds like one too) but you may want to consider cooling on your northbridge. mine gets pretty hot (have the 900 as well) which is one of the reasons I only clock to 3ghz despite the fact that I can get it up to 3.2ghz. I did have to up the voltage on my northbridge and southbridge to get a higher fsb when I was overclocking. I assume that you did as well, unless you left the settings on auto. which you should not do. Also for temps depending on what version you have of coretemp it may be off by 15 degrees. that was a problem I had back when I was overclocking, I bumped it up to 3.3 or 3.4ghz and the temps looked fine but at the time they were really reading low by 15 degrees. I was running my 6600 at over 70degrees. So yeah, if it was me I would keep what you have now, but in order for us to help we need the rest of your system specs. and the settings in your bios would help as well.
Right full system specs are Antec 900 Corsair HX620 PSU Abit IP35 Pro Intel G0 Q6600 Corsair XMS2 4GB 2x2GB DDR800 250GB SATA2 WD HD XFX 8800GTS Alpha DOG XXX 750/1100 Onboard Audio Samsung DVDRW SATA Vistargh X64 Sp1 Ultimate I did post the settings in my bios in the first post, I'm running 3.4ghz with 378mhz x9, ram timings 1:1:20 and cpu at 1.44v. I have the cpu stepping turned off, the fans are on high, and all other bios settings are default and not messed with. of course cpu voltage is on manual.
What's the CPU VID? If it's 1.3V (ish), you may need more volts through the CPU. Watch your temps though, and I wouldn't go above 1.7V.
I'd rather see everything though. like the pci bus speed (or whatever its called) for example. should be set to 100mhz and not auto. leaving it on auto can kill cards like your 8800. General rule when overclocking, nothing should read auto in the bios. especially for a high fsb like the one you have.
Step 1: take the stock Intel cooler off and dropkick it into the nearest river. Step 2: get a real cooler Step 3: hit 3.6 ghz Even if you don't notice the extra 200mhz, a good cooler with a quality 120mm will be much quieter.
And you don't need to break the bank for a cooler on a Q6600, they already overclock really nice. I doubt you could get 3.6 on anything short of a Ultra 120 w/fan, but 3.6 is a high goal for air anyways. Stick with the 3.4 and get a quieter cooler or get water cooling and push it past 4.
i had 3.6 easily on my q6000 g0 before i sold that rig... had a antec nine hundred (soooo cool i could run my 120 eXtreme passive) ip35 pro 2gb ballistix pc8500 2x1gb tagan dualengine 500w hd3870 pcs had it on IIRC 400x9... 1.44 or .45 vcore erm ram 2.0-2.2v i cant member but they said something about ballistix being meant to run at 2.0 so its not much an increase... erm think that was it. oh i also had a sycthe 120mm fan non silent version 1600rpm... not the 1200 silent. temps around 46C on load on crysis with all fans on high on antec and think it went down to 37-45 with them on medium and big 200mm top on low IIRC... either way niiice temps.it was prime stable too did 3.8ghz with errr 425x9 IIRC... never benched it though as i was happy with 3.6 and i think it needed more voltage/testing with timings etc. as for timings it was either optimal or aggressive (i can't remember the ip35's name for the settings but it'll be something like that) hope this helps. 3.3 was nice but 3.6ghz opened cs3 photoshop in sub 2seconds it was ridiculous. that was 32bit vista ultimate... never got round to doin it in 64...
Yeah I'd love to run it on 3.6ghz but i feel it just can't handle the temperatures hence the shutting down to a BSOD. I have been thinking about this long and hard, and a visit to Scan and seeing some demo machines has made my mind up. I plan to enter Watercooling now I hope to buy a new larger case for sub £100? which is larger than my 900, and perhaps get someone in to watercool my rig for me. I know it's a simple install but I learn better from watching than reading.
Just installed Scythe MiniNinja, temps on passive are 43,43,37,38c. That seem fine? running at 400x9, ram at 2.1v DDR-800 :1:1, CPU at 1.5v although once I know this is stable I'll be knocking it down a touch.
