E6600 *First Overclock* How far is safe?

[clarkey01]

I game and have the following;

- Intel Core 2 E6600 processor
- Asus P5B-E Motherboard
- 2GB GSkill PC2-6400 Memory
- Nvidia Geforce 8800GTS 640MB PCIe Graphics
- 320GB Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 Hard Disk
- Samsung 18x SATA Dual Layer DVD Burner
- Creative Soundblaster X-Fi Xtreme Audio Soundcard
- Premium 500watt PSU
- Akasa Zen Black Case
-Vista Home

I read this fourm quite a bit but hardly post, I want to get say 400 Mhz more out of my core 2 before I switch to a quad core in a years time. But what I want to know is -is it safe for the cpu to be overclocked that high? and do I shorten the life of the CPU by doing so? I hear you will do this if you increase the voltage(not something I want to do) , so on my current settings(default) how far can I push it ?


Thanks for your time:beer:

 

[MarcVenice]

You can probably do 2.8-3ghz on stock voltages, just bump the FSB to 333 and run orthos, watch temps and if it's stable and temps don't exceed 60c under load you're good to go. Warmth + electromigration shortens the lifespan of a cpu, but it's all relative. The lifespan might go down from 10 years to 5 years, worst case scenario, but since you're only gonna use the cpu 1 more year, and by then it will be worth 100$ if not less, then you're good to go if you ask me.

Btw, if your overclock isn't stable, make sure the ram is running within spec and try giving 0.05 or 0.1v extra to the nb. You should be fine with the stock cooler as 2.8-3ghz.

 

[clarkey01]

My temps at 40c system, 41c, 42C at stock speeds at full load ( I use speed fan to measure)

 

[clarkey01]

what would I chnage the FSB to to obtain 2.8Ghz>?

 

[Arkaign]

311 or 312

 

[idiotekniQues]

use the latest coretemp. speedfan reports quad temps at about 15c too low.

 

[clarkey01]

Originally posted by: idiotekniQues
use the latest coretemp. speedfan reports quad temps at about 15c too low.

I got core temps and at full load Im at 41/42 with both cores, whats acceptable when I try to aim for 2.8 Ghz?

 

[Accord99]

Originally posted by: clarkey01
I got core temps and at full load Im at 41/42 with both cores, whats acceptable when I try to aim for 2.8 Ghz?

Some distance away from the throttling point, which on most E6600s is 85C as reported by CoreTemp. The distance depends on your risk tolerance.