OC Q6600 Build

New to the Forum, but hello!

Finished ordering all the parts a couple days ago. Will be assembling them next Tuesday/Wednesday. Goal for this build is a 24/7 stable 333x9 (2.97 GHz) Q6600. I will however also attempt to push it to it's limits on air and test out two TIMs in the process and lapping! I'll also push the limits of the board and memory as best I can (This was "technically" a budget build).

CPU: G0 Q6600 (Batch L737A823) - I checked around and saw a couple people running 24/7 stable at 3.4 GHz @ 1.38 vCore from this batch. This is decently encouraging!

Memory: Transcend AxeRAM DDR2-800 @ 4-4-4-12 1.8vDIMM

MB: DFI Blood Iron P35-T2RL - I'm a bit "concerned" about the passive HS on the NB. I don't think it will be an issue as the Quad shouldn't go too much higher than 400 Bus.

HDs: Seagate Barracudas in RAID 0

VGA: HIS X1950Pro

Case: Cooler Master 690

Case Fans: Scythe Slip Streams (Already had these running and they are pretty quiet for the air they move).

PSU: Cooler Master Real Power Pro 650W

Heat Sink: Thermalright Ultra 120 eXtreme + Cooljag Everflow 110CFM PWM Fan

I will be assembling the rig with Arctic Silver 5 and allowing it to cure. After the curing period I will check Load/Idle Temps by using Core Temp Beta. Unfortunately I'm not the best at making graphs, so I will include the highest, lowest, and average over 1 hour of dual Orthos Small FFTs (Setting CPU Affinity for each one). Idle will be tested by allowing it to sit for 30 minutes following the test. Temps will be converted to Delta T against room Temps as tested by a Fluke HVAC Digital Clamp Meter w/ Temp Probe. The data points I will be looking at are the CPU Clock Speed, Vcore at Full Load (as measured via CPU-Z), Idle Temp (Avg All Cores), Avg/Max Load Temps (Across all Cores), dT versus the ambient air at the case intake (using a Scythe Kama Bay to intake fresh air from the front of the case to the Heat sink, will post pics/videos of the cooling setup), and dT between cores (Hottest Core - Coolest Core).

After that I will overclock to the goal of 333x9 and once again check temps. Then will be finding the maximum overclock allowed while keeping Core Temps below 60 C.

During all of that I will be finding the maximum overclock on the memory up to 2.2 vDIMM at 3, 4, and 5 CAS. Also will try to get the NB up to 425 MHz Bus (Won't be passing this mark with the passive heat sink).

So after ALL of that is said and done... I'll take the Heat Sink off and apply MX-2. I'll allow the MX-2 to "cure" (even though it says it doesn't need to) for 48 hours and repeat the tests (Stock, 2.97 GHz, Max OC). The TIM that is able to maintain the best cooling (as measured by Delta T versus ambient air) will be chosen for the "next" step.

Last step will be lapping the HS and Processor (This will be 1-2 months down the road). Following that I will apply the "winning" TIM and once again repeat the tests.

Prior to loading an OS the BIOS will be flashed to the 9/13/2007 revision and Memtest86v33 will be run from a Boot Disk with the Memory running at stock settings to ensure it's 100% good to go. "Stable" memory overclocks for 3, 4, and 5 CAS will be made at a maximum of 2.2 vDIMM as determined by completion of SuperPi 16M. I won't be going over 2.0 vDIMM or 1.375 vCORE for any 24/7 Operation.

I will also work to include video of the build (specifically about cooling setup) and as a reference for noise. All testing will be done with a closed case as if it was a normal setup.

Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy what's to come, I'll try to keep it updated!