Want to know what to buy for a good OC of the Q6600.

[AlexB123]

Hi all.

I was just wondering if this would be a good buy if I want to push the Q6600 to the 3.4 GHZ mark.

Mobo: EVGA 122-CK-NF68-A1 LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard. - I worked with the 680i to OC an E6600. Is there a cheaper/better SLI mobo? I guess SLI isn't really needed if there is a better mobo to OC with.

Ram: G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory. - I love this ram. D9's, cheap, perform well and OC like a madman.

CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz 2 x 4MB L2 Cache LGA 775. - This would be my first time working with this CPU.

Fan: ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro 92mm CPU Cooler. - Worked with this before. Its not a hassle to put on like some of the bigger boys and keeps things cooled.

Thermal Compund: - Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound - I have worked with this before and know that it will make a difference, plus its dirt cheap.

Now I never worked with a quad core before so I may still be in the E6600 OC mode, so if you know of some better parts, toss me a suggestion!
Thanks for the advice guys!

 

[skyguy]

The RAM, mobo, etc is fine. But with OC'ing a Quad, it's all about the cooling. The ACFP7 is good, no question, but is it good enough to cool an OC'd Quad? I'm not convinced it is. Hard to find info on the subject right now too.

Research for examples of the QX6700 and cooling with an OC. That's the key, not the other stuff.

 

[graysky]

You're gonna be hard-pressed to push it that high on air without exceeding 70 °C or so in the cores. My advice for cooling is either the Ultra-120 Extreme (I use it on my Q6600 @ 9x333) or the yet-to-be-released IFX-14.

You'll definitely want to lap both the HS and the IHS on the Q6600. See that latter of those two links for the temp decrease it did for my system.

 

[AlexB123]

Thanks much for the advice guys.

I have never OC'd a quad core before... So I have no idea what temps, speed, etc. I should go for.

So what should I shoot for on air?
Should I go for the 3.0 mark instead, or is that still too high?
What would be a safe OC for one of these beasties?

Also I see (from reading these forums) that a lot of people are now having problems with this EVGA mobo. I have used it twice before and never had a problem with it... But who knows...
Is there a safer mobo to OC with?

As for lapping the sink and the IHS on the CPU... Aren't these things deisgned to mount with the IHS in place? This could lead to some problems... Things touching that shouldn't be touching and the like.
I have done it to heat sinks, but never to the IHS on the CPU.
If I go for a safe OC, would I still need to lap the IHS on the CPU?

 

[graysky]

I have never OC'd a quad core before... So I have no idea what temps, speed, etc. I should go for.

So what should I shoot for on air?
Should I go for the 3.0 mark instead, or is that still too high?
What would be a safe OC for one of these beasties?

3.0 GHz with the right HS and cooling is very attainable. I like to keep the load temps under 63-65 °C as per RMClock. You might be able to push 3.2 or 3.4 depending on your safe zone for temps and on your room temp. Believe it or not, room temp plays a pretty big role in CPU temps. Have a look here.

Also I see (from reading these forums) that a lot of people are now having problems with this EVGA mobo. I have used it twice before and never had a problem with it... But who knows...
Is there a safer mobo to OC with?

I'm really happy with my P5B-Deluxe. Very happy now that I did the pencil vdroop mod to it.

As for lapping the sink and the IHS on the CPU... Aren't these things deisgned to mount with the IHS in place? This could lead to some problems... Things touching that shouldn't be touching and the like.
I have done it to heat sinks, but never to the IHS on the CPU.
If I go for a safe OC, would I still need to lap the IHS on the CPU?

Yeah, when you lap the IHS, you're simply flattening it, not removing it. You don't need to lap it at all; I would recommend that you do to maximize contact between a lapped HS. My own experience with one Q6600 is that the IHS was far from flat -- mine was concave. Have a look at the pics in this q6600 lapping thread. You can see by my temps the magic of flattening surfaces that transfer heat.

Don't do anything to it at first and see how your temps are coming out. Lapping a HS is a no-brainer in my opinion and more or less risk-free. As long as you're careful, lapping the IHS is safe to do. You just have to use common sense and take your time.