Overclocking an old Q9550 : recommend me a CPU cooler?

2JZGTE · Nov 6, 2016

Hi all,

I'm about to take out an old PC with a Q9550@stock speed with stock intel cooler, but I'd like to overclock it and give it a second life (I'm totally new to overclocking so that would be a first for me).

I'm looking for the most cost-efficient solution, preferably a flat configuration/low-profile as my case is rather small.

I like the Rosewill RXC-Z775 but I'm not sure how it performs.

Opinions? Recommendations?

Hlsgsz · Nov 6, 2016

That cooler is not much better than the stock one. Look into the Raijintek Pallas or the cheaper SilverStone Argon AR06

2JZGTE · Nov 6, 2016

LGA775 not listed as compatible with SilverStone, and Raijintek can't be found on canadian websites

Hlsgsz · Nov 6, 2016

Right. This then: http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/product/9FGj4D/be-quiet-cpu-cooler-bk002

2JZGTE · Nov 6, 2016

Thanks. What about the Cooler Master Vortex Plus?

Hlsgsz · Nov 6, 2016

While the be quiet is better, the CM would work too.

2JZGTE · Nov 7, 2016

The bequiet has higher temps in this review... http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/7470/quiet-shadow-rock-lp-compact-cpu-cooler-review/index6.html
As I said this is not extremely important but it looks like it doesn't perform...

Anything else?

Themastererr · Nov 7, 2016

Just go to Memory Express if you're Canadian. There's like 30 775 coolers available. Price match it to the cheapest available on the web.

Hlsgsz · Nov 7, 2016

The temps there are actually impressive and i don't see the vortex in there.

hang-the-9 · Nov 9, 2016

Instead of overclocking an old CPU in a small case you may want to list exactly why you want to overclock the system and list full specs. Overclocking that CPU for general use won't help much, nor will overclocking for gaming if you have a bad video card or not enough RAM.

If you want more speed, get a solid state drive instead.

2JZGTE · Nov 9, 2016

Yes, I'm getting an SSD. Since I started the thread I decided against changing the case and sticking with my old Antec 900,. Although it has many flaws, it's still a good case... function > form. Here are the specs

Q9550
ASUS P5Q Pro Turbo
OCZ 8gb DDR2
ATI Radeon HD4870 (1gb DDR5)
PSU : OCZ Stealthxstream 600w
LG CD/DVD drive
An old 2.5" laptop HDD (Hitachi, don't remember the details, 750gb)
Antec 900

I'm planning on purchasing the following :

The smallest SSD possible to install Windows and most frequently used applications (again, Chrome and Spotify)
The PSU has lasted me 6 years until I took it out but it's not the best so maybe I could change it for something else, probably Seasonic M12-II 620W
CPU cooler

hang-the-9 · Nov 10, 2016

2JZGTE :

There is your slowness "An old 2.5" laptop HDD (Hitachi, don't remember the details, 750gb)"

It's likely a 5200rpm drive. No need to spend money on anything aside from a new hard drive.

2JZGTE · Nov 10, 2016

I looked it out and indeed it's a 5400rpm. Although I know I'll be bottlenecked by the older mobo, I thought I could still squeeze some speed from an SSD.

Btw this PC had a 1TB Seagate 7200RPM HDD before I took it out to put it in my newer build. I'd like to improve over that, which is why I thought about the SSD and overclock.

hang-the-9 · Nov 10, 2016

2JZGTE :

The motherboard would have no or a very tiny amount of issues with anything connected to it as far as speed goes. The SATA ports on it are fast enough to be used with an SSD with no issues.

2JZGTE · Nov 10, 2016

So you're saying I should forget the overclock for my type of use (spotify, youtube, netflix, general web browsing)? I thought it could help me get more speed to open/load things (of course the SSD helps more). I read the Q9550 has good potential for overclocking.

hang-the-9 · Nov 15, 2016

2JZGTE :

You won't see any difference in speeds for normal use. Gaming you would. Biggest improvement would be from a solid state drive and a clean Windows setup. Overclocking will do nothing except generate more heat and possibly shorten the life of the system.

Ravi_Singh1900 · Nov 15, 2016

Get a cooler master hyperx 212 it give you a decent oc and you use it for your future build.

2JZGTE · Nov 16, 2016

You didn't read the OP did you?

Overclocking an old Q9550 : recommend me a CPU cooler?

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