q6600 9x400 @1.46v ok for 24/7 use?

[adairusmc]

Originally posted by: terentenet
Do you guys really do all that testing? I mean.... 24h this, 24h that and another 24h to go along. That's 3 days of testing just to make sure your computer is stable.
What are you building there? NASA computers? Do you have critical tasks to do with your computer (your life depends on them)? I for one don't mind if my computer locks once a week. I have Nvidia to blame for sh***ty drivers and the electric company for interferences in the power lines.
When I build my computer, I do a couple of 3d marks 2k6 to make sure it all goes well as a whole, then 2-3hrs of prime95 on all 4 cores.
That's 4hours of testing, out of 72.
The other 68h I use for gaming and enjoying the computer I built.

QFT

 

[JAG87]

Originally posted by: adairusmc

Originally posted by: terentenet
Do you guys really do all that testing? I mean.... 24h this, 24h that and another 24h to go along. That's 3 days of testing just to make sure your computer is stable.
What are you building there? NASA computers? Do you have critical tasks to do with your computer (your life depends on them)? I for one don't mind if my computer locks once a week. I have Nvidia to blame for sh***ty drivers and the electric company for interferences in the power lines.
When I build my computer, I do a couple of 3d marks 2k6 to make sure it all goes well as a whole, then 2-3hrs of prime95 on all 4 cores.
That's 4hours of testing, out of 72.
The other 68h I use for gaming and enjoying the computer I built.

QFT

yep, you guys are wasting your time. you spend 3 days testing your hardware for stability when your components degrade over time and end up becoming unstable without you even noticing.

the smart is to dilute those 72 hours of testing into 3 years, running 6 hours of prime every quarter. that would guarantee a rock solid machine, not your silly 72h marathon.

 

[Markfw]

Originally posted by: terentenet
Do you guys really do all that testing? I mean.... 24h this, 24h that and another 24h to go along. That's 3 days of testing just to make sure your computer is stable.
What are you building there? NASA computers? Do you have critical tasks to do with your computer (your life depends on them)? I for one don't mind if my computer locks once a week. I have Nvidia to blame for sh***ty drivers and the electric company for interferences in the power lines.
When I build my computer, I do a couple of 3d marks 2k6 to make sure it all goes well as a whole, then 2-3hrs of prime95 on all 4 cores.
That's 4hours of testing, out of 72.
The other 68h I use for gaming and enjoying the computer I built.

Well, the first time it reboots or locks up while you are hours into a project, homework, updated resume or the like, you will value those 3 days. I use mine for real work, and if that happens to me, I loose days of work (Oracle.....) after I have to purge and reload partially loaded data.

 

[Assimilator1]

Originally posted by: adairusmc

Originally posted by: aigomorla

Originally posted by: Assimilator1
aigomorla
Blend which is a mix of both is good for long term stability because it cycles though both. I personally do at least a 6+Hour prime to be sure my rigs are absolutely WCG stable.

6hrs is nowhere near enough ,you need to do 24hrs to be as near certain as possible of 100% stabilty.Several times I've had it fail at 18hrs.
Oh & btw 24hrs that's also recommended by Primes author(writer?).

your absolutely correct.

I am just speaking out of my personal favorate. The longer the better, however, ive had fairly good luck at 6h+ on primes. Usually 7h is where most people will take it as offical.

I never test over 12 hours myself, and I never will.

Most of the time I cut it off after 8 hours if there are no errors.

Then you could be missing out on errors ,& possibly have a slightly unstable machine.
Not too critical I guess unless you do video rendering or Distributed Computing.

brainhulk
lol ,you won't nuke your CPU with P95 ,not unless you have inadequate cooling or too high a a vcore for the cooling.

kenrippy
It's not so much about heating your CPU for 24hrs its more about picking out occasional errors on an o/ced system ,3hrs is nowhere near enough to confirm even a moderate level of stabilty

VirtualLarry
Wow you go one up from me ,actually I was wondering whether we should be doing both types of test myself a little while ago.

terentenet
Do you have critical tasks to do with your computer?

Yes I do ,I run various Distributed Computing projects (science projects which involves number crunching), if the CPU isn't stable then the project will either terminate the current Work Unit early ,or crunch the WU with errors which is then latter rejected, either way it wastes time & no decent science is done.
Oh & btw ,1 of the projects I run is folding@home ,a medical research project ,so yes someone's life could be on the line ,down the road
1 or 2 days lost to testing is next to nothing in 2-3yrs (for me) of owning the setup.Also I go out too so I don't notice the downtime so much

 

[JAG87]

Originally posted by: Markfw900

Originally posted by: terentenet
Do you guys really do all that testing? I mean.... 24h this, 24h that and another 24h to go along. That's 3 days of testing just to make sure your computer is stable.
What are you building there? NASA computers? Do you have critical tasks to do with your computer (your life depends on them)? I for one don't mind if my computer locks once a week. I have Nvidia to blame for sh***ty drivers and the electric company for interferences in the power lines.
When I build my computer, I do a couple of 3d marks 2k6 to make sure it all goes well as a whole, then 2-3hrs of prime95 on all 4 cores.
That's 4hours of testing, out of 72.
The other 68h I use for gaming and enjoying the computer I built.

Well, the first time it reboots or locks up while you are hours into a project, homework, updated resume or the like, you will value those 3 days. I use mine for real work, and if that happens to me, I loose days of work (Oracle.....) after I have to purge and reload partially loaded data.

you seem to have a point but you forget the rule:

if you are working, you are getting stressed not the machine.
if you are playing, the machine is getting stressed, not you.

the rule is not infallible, but it works 99.9% of the time.

 

[KIAman]

Honestly, if I was doing real work on my computer that I would be extremely pained if it went bonkers, I would first

1. Run computer at default spec.
2. Not build my own computer, buy direct with direct warranty.
3. Not run Microsoft OS.

OCing is not a guarantee, its a risk you are taking to increase performance past default specifications.

 

[terentenet]

Assimilator1, if you are using the computer for critical tasks, then yes, you're right to make those lenghty stability tests.
If I'd have real work to do on my computer, I would buy a brand new preassembled machine with warranty and such and I would not tamper with it. Overclocking greatly reduces the stability.
I can test my computer for hours with P95 on all 4 cores and not crash. Proc loaded 100% and memory 98%.... for 3-4 hours and it won't crash. I load Lost Planet and it crashes within minutes; not now, but it used to until I found newer video card drivers.
What's the point of having a rock solid machine hardware wise if we don't have rock solid drivers and software?

 

[Assimilator1]

Well that's true but getting a pre-built rig won't solve that

Overclocking greatly reduces the stability.

Only if you don't test it properly (& i know some people say even 24hr of P95 is not enough for some DC projects but it's a helluva lot better than a hope & a pray)

 

[aigomorla]

Originally posted by: JAG87

Originally posted by: Markfw900

Originally posted by: terentenet
Do you guys really do all that testing? I mean.... 24h this, 24h that and another 24h to go along. That's 3 days of testing just to make sure your computer is stable.
What are you building there? NASA computers? Do you have critical tasks to do with your computer (your life depends on them)? I for one don't mind if my computer locks once a week. I have Nvidia to blame for sh***ty drivers and the electric company for interferences in the power lines.
When I build my computer, I do a couple of 3d marks 2k6 to make sure it all goes well as a whole, then 2-3hrs of prime95 on all 4 cores.
That's 4hours of testing, out of 72.
The other 68h I use for gaming and enjoying the computer I built.

Well, the first time it reboots or locks up while you are hours into a project, homework, updated resume or the like, you will value those 3 days. I use mine for real work, and if that happens to me, I loose days of work (Oracle.....) after I have to purge and reload partially loaded data.

you seem to have a point but you forget the rule:

if you are working, you are getting stressed not the machine.
if you are playing, the machine is getting stressed, not you.

the rule is not infallible, but it works 99.9% of the time.

ROFL i love this comment JAG.

 

[Assimilator1]

Yea I meant to say that was a good one

 

[Don66]

Originally posted by: Markfw900

Originally posted by: terentenet
Do you guys really do all that testing? I mean.... 24h this, 24h that and another 24h to go along. That's 3 days of testing just to make sure your computer is stable.
What are you building there? NASA computers? Do you have critical tasks to do with your computer (your life depends on them)? I for one don't mind if my computer locks once a week. I have Nvidia to blame for sh***ty drivers and the electric company for interferences in the power lines.
When I build my computer, I do a couple of 3d marks 2k6 to make sure it all goes well as a whole, then 2-3hrs of prime95 on all 4 cores.
That's 4hours of testing, out of 72.
The other 68h I use for gaming and enjoying the computer I built.

Well, the first time it reboots or locks up while you are hours into a project, homework, updated resume or the like, you will value those 3 days. I use mine for real work, and if that happens to me, I loose days of work (Oracle.....) after I have to purge and reload partially loaded data.

If your computer is so important that you can't afford to loose your data, because you overclocked it, then maybe it should stay @ stock speeds:shocked:

 

[adairusmc]

Originally posted by: Don66

Originally posted by: Markfw900

Originally posted by: terentenet
Do you guys really do all that testing? I mean.... 24h this, 24h that and another 24h to go along. That's 3 days of testing just to make sure your computer is stable.
What are you building there? NASA computers? Do you have critical tasks to do with your computer (your life depends on them)? I for one don't mind if my computer locks once a week. I have Nvidia to blame for sh***ty drivers and the electric company for interferences in the power lines.
When I build my computer, I do a couple of 3d marks 2k6 to make sure it all goes well as a whole, then 2-3hrs of prime95 on all 4 cores.
That's 4hours of testing, out of 72.
The other 68h I use for gaming and enjoying the computer I built.

Well, the first time it reboots or locks up while you are hours into a project, homework, updated resume or the like, you will value those 3 days. I use mine for real work, and if that happens to me, I loose days of work (Oracle.....) after I have to purge and reload partially loaded data.

If your computer is so important that you can't afford to loose your data, because you overclocked it, then maybe it should stay @ stock speeds:shocked:

:thumbsup:

 

[Markfw]

Originally posted by: Don66

Originally posted by: Markfw900

Originally posted by: terentenet
Do you guys really do all that testing? I mean.... 24h this, 24h that and another 24h to go along. That's 3 days of testing just to make sure your computer is stable.
What are you building there? NASA computers? Do you have critical tasks to do with your computer (your life depends on them)? I for one don't mind if my computer locks once a week. I have Nvidia to blame for sh***ty drivers and the electric company for interferences in the power lines.
When I build my computer, I do a couple of 3d marks 2k6 to make sure it all goes well as a whole, then 2-3hrs of prime95 on all 4 cores.
That's 4hours of testing, out of 72.
The other 68h I use for gaming and enjoying the computer I built.

Well, the first time it reboots or locks up while you are hours into a project, homework, updated resume or the like, you will value those 3 days. I use mine for real work, and if that happens to me, I loose days of work (Oracle.....) after I have to purge and reload partially loaded data.

If your computer is so important that you can't afford to loose your data, because you overclocked it, then maybe it should stay @ stock speeds:shocked:

Thats why I do stability testing. Its been running now (my best Q6600) @100% load for 2 months 24/7 with no problems, and not one single burp.

The point is, you CAN OC, so long as you test it well.

 

[bryanW1995]

Originally posted by: JAG87

Originally posted by: Markfw900

Originally posted by: terentenet
Do you guys really do all that testing? I mean.... 24h this, 24h that and another 24h to go along. That's 3 days of testing just to make sure your computer is stable.
What are you building there? NASA computers? Do you have critical tasks to do with your computer (your life depends on them)? I for one don't mind if my computer locks once a week. I have Nvidia to blame for sh***ty drivers and the electric company for interferences in the power lines.
When I build my computer, I do a couple of 3d marks 2k6 to make sure it all goes well as a whole, then 2-3hrs of prime95 on all 4 cores.
That's 4hours of testing, out of 72.
The other 68h I use for gaming and enjoying the computer I built.

Well, the first time it reboots or locks up while you are hours into a project, homework, updated resume or the like, you will value those 3 days. I use mine for real work, and if that happens to me, I loose days of work (Oracle.....) after I have to purge and reload partially loaded data.

you seem to have a point but you forget the rule:

if you are working, you are getting stressed not the machine.
if you are playing, the machine is getting stressed, not you.

the rule is not infallible, but it works 99.9% of the time.

LOL. that is far and away the funniest thing I've ever seen you write. have another :beer:

 

[Markfw]

All, jag87's comments are funny, but I am trying to make a serious point. I need power, but I don't want to pay a fortune for it. A work computer can be OC'ed and dependable if you know you to do it. My primary work computer now is a X2 4400@2.5, only 100 mhz. Every time it even burped once over the last 2 years, I would take the OC down a little more. Right now, its at 6 months or more without a burp 24/7@100%. Every other box in my house now is a C2Q or a C2D, ad the smallest OC of then all is that crappy X3210 @ 700 mhz OC. On F@H, every time I get a EUE, I take the OC down. But all but one is now stable@3.2 or better except the X3210 POS. And again, I mean 24/7@100% load for MONTHS.

 

[boglwe]

I gotta chime in here.

You can see my OC in sig. It has been running stable like that for about 2 months now. I do not think this chip has ever run at stock speed, except for first boot up and install. THE ONLY problems I have had are problems with the MB and those problems exist even at a few tests at stock speed. Its fast, clean and snappy. THe OC part is also a bit of a hobby and not so much for performance but for the sake of recognizing what a chip can do. This q6600 above all others in the world was built for OCing, (although nobody will attest to that). The price of the chip is so cheap that if it blows after lapping and other warranty breaking issues, who cares. just go get another one of the same or something even better when prices drop yet again.

I SAY, Go for it, you have the right air cooler, and your temps will be high. You temps will reduce the life of the chip, but are you really going to keep that chip that long. I say burn and turn. HAVE FUN.

 

[lopri]

Most seem to have a lot stricter than me with stability. Folks running Folding, WCG, et al. have a good reason to be more stringent when it comes to stability. I go for 6 hours if I were to brag in forums, but personally I'm comfortable after 2 hours of LargeFFT. And generally I loosen up the OC for real work machines. But as someone mentioned in this thread, a cause of instability can be anything - not limited to CPU overclocking. This not only includes other parts (GPU, memory, HDDs, PSU, etc.) but also OS, drivers, or applications as well as environment. I think 72 hours of torture testing is kinda silly for CPU testing. If at all, it could serve as motherboard testing or PSU testing, IMO. I have killed many ASUS boards this way in the past. (One of the reasons I like DFI boards - they seem to last forever)

 

[Assimilator1]

Got my Q6600 steady at 2.9GHz ,tested at nearly 3.4GHz but wasn't able to get it stable in the short time I had, but I reckon I will be able to.

Originally posted by: Don66

Originally posted by: Markfw900

Originally posted by: terentenet
Do you guys really do all that testing? I mean.... 24h this, 24h that and another 24h to go along. That's 3 days of testing just to make sure your computer is stable.
What are you building there? NASA computers? Do you have critical tasks to do with your computer (your life depends on them)? I for one don't mind if my computer locks once a week. I have Nvidia to blame for sh***ty drivers and the electric company for interferences in the power lines.
When I build my computer, I do a couple of 3d marks 2k6 to make sure it all goes well as a whole, then 2-3hrs of prime95 on all 4 cores.
That's 4hours of testing, out of 72.
The other 68h I use for gaming and enjoying the computer I built.

Well, the first time it reboots or locks up while you are hours into a project, homework, updated resume or the like, you will value those 3 days. I use mine for real work, and if that happens to me, I loose days of work (Oracle.....) after I have to purge and reload partially loaded data.

If your computer is so important that you can't afford to loose your data, because you overclocked it, then maybe it should stay @ stock speeds:shocked:

Sacrilige!:Q

Seriously though ,I think you're missing the point ,as long as you do extensive stress testing then you can have your cake & eat it

boglwe
Since when is ~£160 (~$320?) cheap?:Q ,man I wish I had your money ,I certainly wouldn't want to blow my chip!