Lapping, watercooling or better CPU?

[penation4000]

I have just put together a gaming computer and its running alright but when i push the overclocking to around 3Ghz (Q6600 B3) it runs at 65 to 70 under heavy loads when running prime95. Im wondering which would be the best solution for me, i can try lapping the CPU and the heatsink (Tuniq), get a water cooling system or get a new CPU. I have a few concerns about each of them:

With lapping im worried about damaging the CPU and with a new processor and watercooling my problem is im on a tight budget (I'll have about £150 to £200 to spend). Which should i do?

 

[Onus]

First off, is something slow, that you need to OC to a particular point? If not, back it off a little. If so, then I'd probably get a faster CPU. What mobo do you have?
Although there are plenty of success stories too, I've read too many terrible tales of lapping gone bad, or water cooling that leaked or otherwise failed.
If you are extremely confident, and you can TELL that your HSF and/or CPU are not flat, perhaps lapping (especially of the HSF) is a risk worth taking. Maybe a better TIM will help another 3C-5C too. Otherwise, I'd get the better chip. Two hundred pounds works out to about $378. That's at least a Q9450, if your mobo supports it.

 

[americanbrian]

I would suggest trying to get a G0 stepping Q6600. You can get the specific stepping version from ebuyer.

Sell the one you have to make some money back.

I have the G0 and a relatively **** cooler (coolermaster... £16 on ebuyer)

I can clock mine to 3.5GHz, stable, but the temp creeps up to 75 ish, so I keep mine at 3.42Ghz at the mo, which keeps my hottest core at 71C, which I find is acceptable. (I bet it would CRANK with decent cooling)

A slightly cheaper option still is more case ventilation fans. I have 2 big 140mm fans one sucks at the front one blows out the back. This helps quite a lot actually.

I have no idea about your case and if it would fit, but if you are happy @3.0 and want only a few degrees safety margin this may be the way to go.

My settings for this OC are...

Vcore: 1.475 (but this only shows as 1.42 on cpu-z, i think its cause of my nvidia board v droop?)

RAM Volts: 1.97V (kingston hyperX 6400)

Timings: 4,4,4,12

FSB: 1520Mhz

RAM: Sync Mode @ 760 Mhz

MOBO; P5N-D ASUS 750i Sli


Don't get too down hearted. I just found out that my 8800GT is CRAP. Runs at 85C at stock, and gets artifacts when stress tested. I actually had to underclock it because I was getting artifacts when playing a movie. Sh!tty bawbag.

I don't want to send it back because I ditched the packaging, and I would have to do without a decent PC until the replacement arrived (I have an older laptop I am experimenting with OCing at the mo though)

Anywhoo, its a bit of a lucky dip these things. I have a golden CPU, but the GPU is stuck underperforming.

 

[penation4000]

Well the specs for my system ATM are:

P5N-T deluxe mobo
8800gtx 768mb
VH6000BWS (with 3 extra 140mm fans added)
2GB DDR2-800 (waiting for 4Gb ddr2-1066 to arrive)
850W power supply
500GB 7200RPM HDD

good idea about selling the old cpu.

im drawn between the g0 q6600 and the q9450. plus ive had a look at the bottom of my tuniq and its as rough as hell so i may just lap that and not the cpu. The main thing now is whats the heat difference in temps between the 2 cpus? is it enough to warrant the extra cash? The most ill want to push it at the moment is to about 3.5 at the very most, maybe a bit more when i go sli. thanks for the help so far!

 

[zenmaster]

When OverClocking, What are you doing with the Voltage?
Is it left at Auto? This generally sets it much higher than required.
See if you can minimize the Voltage increase.

This should help your 3.0Ghz OC.

 

[orangegator]

I'd start by lapping just the heatsink. It's cheap, easy, and safe to to. That should improve your temps by a few degrees. Use a good TIM like arctic ceramic also. Temps of 65 to 70C under load for prime95 is on the high side, but still safe. Under normal use, you will rarely reach those temperatures. No real need to spend money on a new cpu or wc unless you want to overclock much higher than 3ghz.

 

[penation4000]

I minimise the amount of voltage for my overcocks to ensure the lowest temperature and the reason im after a new cpu or some way to overclock more is to make the system futureproof for a year or two. plus ive heard a lot about b3 q6600's not going over 62C wheras the G0's can handle up to 72 so i dont want to risk damaging it, especially if i could sell it and put the cash towards a better processor.

 

[nurn]

Honestly, 3.0 isn't bad for a B series. Luck of the draw whether a GO will bet you much further than that, especially if your HS needs lapping. I say try the lapping on the Tuniq, and see how that affects things. Even with a GO, you probably wouldn't hit 3.6 on air without lapping both HS and CPU. I can only hit 3.2 with my GO (but I haven't lapped anything yet). I'm happy enough with performance at 3.2 that I just can't be bothered spending three or four hours of monotonous lapping.

 

[Zorg]

What are you using to measure temps Core Temp? Try Real Temp It's more accurate and will most likely show a lower temp.

 

[penation4000]

im using about 4 different heat monitors at the same time just to make sure, Im also considering selling my ps3 to get enough for a qx9650. im definitely going to lap the heatsink, probably not the cpu (to high a risk for me) and just get a new one instead.

now the question is q9450, q9550 or qx9650?

bear in mind ill have £200-£250 + cash from selling q6600 + (possibly) £200 from selling ps3

which would be the best value?

 

[orangegator]

im using about 4 different heat monitors at the same time just to make sure, Im also considering selling my ps3 to get enough for a qx9650. im definitely going to lap the heatsink, probably not the cpu (to high a risk for me) and just get a new one instead.

now the question is q9450, q9550 or qx9650?

bear in mind ill have £200-£250 + cash from selling q6600 + (possibly) £200 from selling ps3

which would be the best value?

If you're planning on buying a new cpu and have the money, then I'd get the q9550. Make sure you get the E0 stepping. This should overclock like a beast and isn't too expensive.

 

[Zorg]

Is one of those four Real Temp? If not, you should try it.

 

[penation4000]

I havent tried realtemp but ill give it a try, thanks for the advice.

My next step is chosing the processor. Ive worked it out and the maximum i can afford to spend on it is around £550.

ive found a few deals and it seems that i could get a qx9650 for this.
but should i just go for a lower processor and use the money saved to improve other apsects?

(im planning on spending £550 at the end of this month and the £100 to £200 every month after that)

does anyone have any comparisons of overclocks/temps for the q9000 range? my ideal processor would be able to hit 3.6+ghz if necessaryand be stable under load

thanks for all the help so far by the way, very useful

 

[nickwest]

Why do you need so much processor if you don't mind my asking? Getting a G0 stepping and OCing is one thing, dropping a wad of cash for QX9650 is a whole different story. If you're going the gaming route get the G0 (and even then only if you need it), otherwise for games your money is better spent on the graphics card.

 

[penation4000]

im looking to make this rig so that i can overclock in the future rather than upgrading it constantly, i figure if i drop the cash now on a top processor and some good graphics cards then ill be able to stick with it for a few years. spend now save later kind of thing

 

[penation4000]

plus i want my rig to totally own my friends one lol

 

[cd14]

Get a another processor if you want more speed. My B3 hits about 3.42 and I keep thinking I can get more. I did the lapping and such and I started with a Big Typhoon, then an Ultra 120, 3x120 radiator cooling, another 120 and now a three radiator setup. Few degrees here and there but not much more speed. The Q6600 are very durable but there are limits to each no matter the cooling (aside from the exotic stuff).

The E8000's are pretty nice if you're looking for a dual core. In games and Windows, my computer feels very snappy compared to my Q6600.

 

[E3210]

You shouldn't be up that high with that speed. Make sure to set the voltages manually for your overclock. Check to see that the heatsink is mounted correctly. If your q6600 is not more then a six months old it should be G0, as that is now standard, and maybe even OEM if newer then that. Which retailer did you purchase it from?

 

[gomerpile]

I can see that heat happening. This is the reason I custom built a computer for overclocking. I'm not trying to show off the crappy build rather showing what it took for me to get the cooling required for a stable OC.
The parts have been changed since the pic but the cooling has been rock solid for 3 years.

 

[penation4000]

okay, now i think i may have found the real route of the problem here, i ran several different temp monitor programs and did prime95 (just to let you know the load temps are for the prime95 test that generates the most heat) and i found that each program was giving different readings. Realtemp gave readings of about 50C, AI suite said 60C, HW monitor said 69C, PC probe 2 said 63C and another said 57C.

This may mean that its the software giving false readings rather than the cpu running hot. Can anyone tell me which is the most reliable program?

 

[penation4000]

nice build by the way, looks like good cooling

 

[orangegator]

Try using Coretemp. That should be correct.

 

[penation4000]

i just tried coretemp and now im pretty sure realtemp is wrong, two other programs give similar readings (+/- 2C) but realtemp says its 20 to 30C lower than the rest, im really glad i didnt go with realtemp cos i would have fried my cpu, thanks for the advice

 

[Zorg]

What is the Tjmax in Core Temp and the Tjmax in Real Temp? I am more inclined to believe Real Temp than Core Temp.

I believe that the Tjmax for the B3 should be 85C. Does that match Real Temp? If so, then it is right.