Overclocking the processor is pretty simple. First step is to incrementally increase the FSB, keeping an eye on the temperatures. Increase it bit by bit until the system fails to boot into windows reliably, or your temperatures get too high, whichever comes first. Once you've found that point, back off the FSB slightly, boot into windows, and run Prime 95, Super Pi, Orthos, or any other stability testing program (IE, one that'll tax the processor to the maximum and hence test stability and temperature levels.) While running those, keep an eye on temperatures using either speedfan, coretemp, or the software that came with your motherboard. If the system crashed or becomes too hot, stop the tests/reboot, lower the FSB again. Rinse, lather and repeat until your system is stable and within temperature boundaries for at least 20 minutes of solid testing, although the more and longer the load, the more reliable the test results. (IE, if you have time, run it for 2/3 hours.) If you get an unstable system, but your temperatures are still very low, increase the CPU or northbridge voltage slightly and try again. Never go above 1.4 volts unless you're very confident of yourself. Excessive CPU voltage is an easy way to kill a chip, but a little extra voltage can help a chip remain stable at higher clockspeeds. You can also unlink your RAM ratios, CPU multiplier and so on if you get instability errors, but thats not something I'm familiar with, so I've basically given you the idiots guide to overclocking, the simplest of the simple ways to do it. Only prerequisites are good RAM and a decent cooler, which you have (Or should have with that RAM. good coolers are everywhere, check www.frostytech.com for the best cooling reviews on the net though.) Ask about anything I didn't explain properly on here and you'll get a much more informed response from others than from me, although if I can explain it I will.
After you find what works for 20 minutes, then try for a couple hours, then leave it on overnight. If you can get the overnight to be stable, you should be fine, as you probably won't ever load your CPU for more then that time during normal use, although a 24 hours bout of Orthos is a great way to test stability!
the Q6600 G0 stepping is a beast, it really is. My chip is at 3.6Ghz with the stock intel cooler, however i do have very good airflow and with change the HSF out at some point soon. QX6850 =£600 Q6600 =£170 10 minutes research on the web, 2 minutes in the bios and bam Q6600 is now a Qx6850, in terms of speed. you will have saved £430, err that could be a nice big 24in TFT.... or a 8800 Ultra....
Hello there! Hi Guys I am new to the Forum and I would like to know how to overclock a Q6600 since this is the CPU I will buy in a few days. This is the setup that I plan to buy. memory: CRUCIAL TECHNOLOGY BL2KIT12864AL1065 Ballistix Tracer 2GB PC2-8500 (DDR2-1066) PSU: Enermax ELT620AWT Liberty 620W Power Supply I already bought the mobo and is a ASUS P5N32-E SLI nForce 680i I also plan to buy a cpu cooler which is the Zalman CNPS9700 All advices are welcome and I really liked how Burnout21 achieved those speeds with just the stock cooler. PS: Hello from Dominican Republic
Thanks but I also want to know if this setup is good too or if there are others parts I can change to improve its performance. Thanks.
change the zalman for something else. last i looked it was overpriced for the performance. and if you want to overclock a p35 chipset is a better way to go. something like the asus p5k dlx.
Thank you but I cant change the mobo its already here. Any suggestions in what PSU I can use instead of the enermax? Thanks.
to be honest, if ur looking for raw gaming power, go with system #2, dual gtx's will kick the s*** out of a single ultra
Thanks all for the useful info. £430 for 12 minutes work is a convincing argument. What is the operational lifespan of an 3.+ Ghz overclocked Q6600 GO on air-cooling alone (heatsink with fan + case fans)?
The lifespan should be much longer then the usefulness of the CPU. By the time it would die from a medium overclock, you will have already moved on to a newer CPU and it will be obselete.
n0ferz, i clock due to years of knowledge and skill, i started OC'ing when it all really kicked off, dare i say Celeron 300A, you old dogs know what i am talking about. As for using stock cooling, i am only using it for now as i know what i am doing and how to keep my case temps down, for a novice dont expect the same performance as me. Rahneshin, I find alot of people going with ASUS mobo's because it only takes 5 people too recommend asus and everyone has them. dont over look gigabyte or abit, even DFI have released a 680i board. personally i would purchase a intel P35 based motherboard with the combined DDR2 and DDR3 surport. P35 and DDR3 whips Nvidia 680i in terms of speed. the Asus P5KC turns out to be a poor performer in OC'ing, but no surprise there as it is a budget option. my GIGABYTE GA-P35C-DS3R is a fantastic OC'er, but only has one PCI-e slot, so no advantage in using crossfire at any point. (cant see anyone wanting crossfire, due to recent performance issuses.)
Agreed. Asus make some good boards, but imo Abit and Gigabyte are releasing much better stuff as of right now.
Burnout21 - Thanks for the advice. By the way, you didn't mention your overclocking experience when first recommending I buy and overclock the Q6600. GuitarBizarre - Abit and Gigabyte are releasing much better stuff than they used to; or much better stuff than Asus?
if anything abit and gigabyte are releasing mobo's which are cheaper than ASUS and clock just as well if not better. at the moment when you buy a asus mobo, you pay far to much for the name. Oh a MSI mobo's are pure sh*t. ROFL! Rahneshin my experence with OC'ing my Q6600 and the gigabyte board has been perfect, i havent had a BSOD, or reset the bios ever since first build/boot. i mean i upped the FSB to 333 with in the first 10min, then after a day iv gone up to 400MHz!
