hey guys i have a q9300 and nvidia control panel. in the program i can adjust the cpu fsb. stock its at 333MHz and the frequency reports 1998MHz. what is that 1.9GHz? is that per core and do i add them together? supposedly the q9300 is at 2.5GHz but i dont see it anywhere. i also downloaded cpu-z and it shows 1998MHz core speed. again does that mean 1.9GHz? per core? because if i add all 4 together that would be 7.6GHz not 2.5GHz. where does the 2.5GHz come from. can any one explain what im seeing. thanks for answers in advanced. i would just like to overclock to about 2.6GHz

In your BIOS you probably have speedstep enabled. This turns down the multiplier when you CPU is not loaded, which will result in a lower frequency. You are seeing your CPU at idle has dropped down to a multiplier of 6, and 6 X 333 (FSB) = 1998MHZ.

You can easily get this processor over 3GHZ without problems with heat, so good luck.