Best bang for the buck to overclock a Q6600?

[shingor6]

I want to upgrade my computer and I don't want to spend a ton of money.

I think I'm set on the CPU, intel Q6600 looks good.

Now which motherboard and ram should I choose?

I want to overclock it to something like 3.2ghz

Should I go with DDR2 ram or DDR3 and why?

How fast should the ram be, is 800 enough or 1066?

Do you have some recommendation for the board, when I purchased my last Board, DFI was great for overclocking.

I do not need much from a board : at least 1 PCI port, 1 ethernet port, 2 IDE and 2 sata. That's probably enough for me.

I just want the best bang for the buck

Also I guess like in the past, the OEM heat sink is not enough to overclock, so any suggestion?

 

[Lupiron]

Cheap mode = P5k-e wifi, q6600, ddr2 800 4-4-4-12 junk.

OEM good for the speed you want, as far as the fan goes, yes.

--Lupi

 

[jeremyrailton]

the xigmatek 1283 seems to be the best performance for the price right now as far as coolers go.

for mobo and ram, just get an inexpensive p35 board and some DDR2 800 RAM. DDR3 costs too much, needs a more expensive board, and offers little to no performance boost.

if it were me, i'd do the gigabyte p35-ds3l, crucial ballistix DDR2 800(find whomever has them on sale), and the xigmatek cooler. you're looking at about $150-$170 for the package

 

[Lupiron]

With that cooler, the P5k-e wifi would easily get you to 3.6 on just about any VID q6600. And you'll have the ability to have a high FSB if you want it. Had mine at 475 forever!

You dont want to cheap of a board. Here is how it usually goes: You get the stuff, see how easy OCing is, and then wanna OC more! So at least get an easy board, and one that can get pretty high.

Had my q6600 @ 3.8 with a 475 FSB synced with the ram at 950! Can you say smokin'? Yee Haw!

--Lupi

 

[htoonthura]

I would recommend the following to your 3.2 G goal :

G P35 Ds3 L
any compatible 800 mhz ddr 2 ram ( i am using corsair ; i am loving it)
A good cooler.

3.2 G is easy to achieve. You may want to go beyond that, but, in my case, i stop at 3.2.

The performance gain between 3.2 and 3.6 or 3.8 is not a lot compared to the voltage you are putting in. You save like 2 s from 3.2 to 3.6 G, but you are using so much juice to make that 2 S happen. At that point- 3.6 or above, you are stressing too much on the whole system. To me, it does not make sense and it is not worth it. But, it is just me. It is your call.

 

[robertito]

+1 DS3L
+1 Xigmatek 1283

 

[jerreece]

Don't get a 680i board. lol

The more I read this forum, the more I wish I had bought my CPU and Mobo separately. Got mine as a combo deal.

Everyone seems to like their P35 Intel based boards. If you want to OC I wouldn't do the 680i that I have. Had it stable at 3.3Ghz for two days, now it won't OC at all and stay stable.

As far as memory goes, I really like Corsair's XMS stuff. Always had good luck with Corsair memory.

 

[lunyone]

Best bang for the buck:
Mobo - Gigabyte DS3L/Abit IP35-e/Asus p5k se
CPU HSF - Xigmatek s1283 easily!!!
Memory - CAS4 DDR2 800mHz Crucial/Corsair/Patriot/G.Skill any will do for what you want to do. At a FSB of 400mHz (800mHz for the DDR2) you'll be at: 9x400mHz = 3.6 gHz, so the 800mHz DDR2 will be plenty for your desires.
PSU - Make sure you have a quality PSU and don't skimp on it. I'd rather skimp or buy something cheaper than skimp on the PSU, especially if your going to OC! I'd recommend the Corsair vx550w PSU/Antec 500w Earthwatts or better if your looking for a new setup.

 

[Shadow703793]

^Agreed. Add to the PSU list PP&C.

 

[jsc]

Don't get a 680i board. lol


Everyone seems to like their P35 Intel based boards. If you want to OC I wouldn't do the 680i that I have. Had it stable at 3.3Ghz for two days, now it won't OC at all and stay stable.

As far as memory goes, I really like Corsair's XMS stuff. Always had good luck with Corsair memory.

My eVGA 680i board also did not like quads. Best I could do was 3.0 GHz with a Q6600 - and this with a board that would reach 3.6GHz with an E6600. The Q6600? That's in a Gigabyte EP35-DS3P running at 3.6 GHz.

Memory? I happen to like Crucial.

 

[rubix_1011]

P5K Deluxe WiFi here...its worked great for me. P35 has been a really good chipset, I only wish it supported SLI (if I actually was serious about it, I might do something with it).

I run water, so I replaced the NB heatsink with a chipset cooler I had previously...not sure how much it helps, but might as well use it.

I usually go with OCZ, but Corsair and Crucial are also good.

I have seen many, many people on these forums using the ASUS and Gigabyte P35 boards and are very happy with them. If you are only running a single, strong GPU, P35 gets my vote.