Couple questions about the Q6600 and OC'ing..

[MrToilet]

I've had a hell of a time getting this system to work (2 bad mobos), but it seems to be running well now.

System: Gigabyte EP35C-DS3R, Q6600, 4 GB XMS2 DHX, Enermax Liberty 500W, 88800GT.

A few questions, though, looking for some advice:

My temps under EVEREST are 42,36,42,43 on the cores at idle. (Haven't checked on load yet.) Does this seem pretty normal? Another thing I'm wondering about is whether the Gigabyte EasyTune 5 is a good program to use for preliminary OC'ing (it's a software way to adjust CPU FSB, Voltage, RAM, that sort of thing).

How high could I get with an overclock? I was going to shoot for 3.2-3.6, if possible.

Thanks!

 

[myocardia]

Your temps are about right for idle temps. What are they under load? You're going to need a better heatsink, though, if you plan on overclocking, assuming you're using the stock heatsink.

 

[Markfw]

Well, what are the specs on your memory ? And what HSF do you have ? With the right parts, you should get 3.2.3.5. My DS3R does 3510.

 

[MrToilet]

Originally posted by: Markfw900
Well, what are the specs on your memory ? And what HSF do you have ? With the right parts, you should get 3.2.3.5. My DS3R does 3510.

I have an Ultra-120 mounted on it, maybe my case airflow is a little weak....

Scratch that, the ambient temp in my room is pretty high... (my room is in the attic, so all the heat congregates up here...)

Memory timings are 5-5-5-18 @ DDR2-800. This is the exact RAM I have:
LINKY

 

[Markfw]

OK, what is the vid of your chip ? I have a bad Q6600 with a high vid of 1.3125, and it only does 3400, the rest do 3.5 (G0 stepping)

 

[MrToilet]

Originally posted by: Markfw900
OK, what is the vid of your chip ? I have a bad Q6600 with a high vid of 1.3125, and it only does 3400, the rest do 3.5 (G0 stepping)

According to Everest, I'm running 1.28V, does that sound about right?

 

[Markfw]

When you run coretemp, it tells you your VID, not your vcore (as cpuz shows)

What does coretemp report your VID as ?

 

[MrToilet]

Coretemp = 1.2875 V.

I was thinking about trying FSB 400, running 1:1 with the RAM. Do you think I'll need to bump up the CPU voltage a little?

 

[MrToilet]

Update: I have the Q6600 at 3.0 right now on stock volts. Core temps are 36,30,35,36 idle, 49-54C on P95.

I have the Gigabyte EP35-DS3R motherboard, Corsair XMS2 DHX DDR2-800 at 5-5-5-15, Enermax 500W Liberty, 8800GT @ 675/1950 currently.

I know this has been asked, I just want to make sure I'm doing this right. So I can safely add voltage until load temps hit low 60's C, right? I was going to try and hit 3.6 on around 1.45-1.5V. I was going to run FSB 400 x 9, DDR2 at 1:1.

Any other tips? I was going to up the FSB and NB voltage +.1, maybe +.2V. Will I need to put some active cooling on the chipset heatsinks to keep it stable? My mobo temps have been reallly good, 28-30C.

Thanks!

 

[bryanW1995]

with a true you should get 3.5-3.6. leave fsb and nb alone at first, just try adding vcore. I needed 1.52 with +.1 nb and fsb to get 3.51 to work. I run at 1.44 after vdroop, however...and I don't really want to mess with a bios upgrade now that I have everything stable.

 

[MrToilet]

woo! 3.6 ghz stable, 1.408V to CPU, load temps around 57-60 on all cores. This chip is SWEET!

 

[Tempered81]

Originally posted by: MrToilet
woo! 3.6 ghz stable, 1.408V to CPU, load temps around 57-60 on all cores. This chip is SWEET!

Great work, Nicely done!

:thumbsup:

 

[coreyb]

Exact same voltage, temp and speed as me. congrats!

 

[MrToilet]

Sweet - now stable at 1.36V, temps hitting 55-58 on all cores.

I can't say enough good things about this Q6600, it's an awesome CPU.

EDIT: Okay, maybe not stable, LOL. I have a question about CPU and core temps, though. As long as I keep the load CPU temp under 70C, and Core temps under ~80C, I should be safe, right? I mean, I don't plan on pushing the thermal limit, I'm just wondering how high I can go.