Why is the Q6600 so popular with overclockers?

[El_Mayo]

everytime i visit a pc gaming forum i always see at least one person with a Q6600 oc'd to about 3.2-3.6Ghz
at 3.6Ghz:
1. will it reduce the lifespan of the chip?
2. how hot will it get?
3. will the performance boost make the Q6600 match the Q9550?

 

[Cache]

Well, the Q6600 OC's like a dream--most of the time. I've built 4 PC's using the Q6600 simply because it is darn near effortless to OC, and it's been a strong, reliable chip.
1. Unless you do something rash like overclock at higher-than rated volts in the middle of summer in Death Valley, the lifespan of the chip won't suffer any undue lifespan shortage. That said, I've got a 25% OC on my current Q6600 while undervolting it.
2. Depends entirely on cooling, the chip (also the stepping), the ambient temps, etc. Generally speaking, a good aftermarket cooling solution gives you cooler temps which translates into more room to OC.
3. At stock speeds? A good (ED: overclocked) Q6600 will annihilate a stock Q9550. All things being equal, I believe (correct me if I'm wrong here, btw) that a Q9550 only gives you around 7-15% more in real world performance boost over the Q6600.

 

[El_Mayo]

im going to be using my computer for gaming and some multi tasking... the i7 would be overkill.. especially considering i'd have to buy a socket 1366 motherboard, and tri channel RAM.
if i buy a Q6600 it should give decent gaming performance(?), and i currently use an AMD TurionX2 and it works just fine.

 

[Cache]

im going to be using my computer for gaming and some multi tasking... the i7 would be overkill.. especially considering i'd have to buy a socket 1366 motherboard, and tri channel RAM.
if i buy a Q6600 it should give decent gaming performance(?), and i currently use an AMD TurionX2 and it works just fine.

The Q6600 gives some fine gaming performance, so don't worry about that. If you're looking to save a little money right now the Q6600 is still an excellent option, particularly if you want to save the $250 or so more that it would cost to move into an I7 system. Personally, while I like the idea of the I7, I'm not sold on the idea that Intel will support both that and the upcoming chipset. I figure time is on my side, and at the very least you can get a couple of very good years out of the Q6600--especially considering that most programs out there don't take advantage of multi-cores yet.

 

[El_Mayo]

so.. the Q6600 it is then
thing is.. i'm not building my pc for a while (till december)
the Q6600 might be outdated by then

 

[Cache]

so.. the Q6600 it is then
thing is.. i'm not building my pc for a while (till december)
the Q6600 might be outdated by then

*laughs* Assuming it's still available! Even then, it may be too expensive as its' price is rising quickly thanks to limited availability. Truthfully? I'm going to miss that chip.

 

[El_Mayo]

:O limited availabilty?
too late then
maybe budget i7 mobo's will be out?
and i7 90 price will be lower?

 

[El_Mayo]

i'll probably be opting for Q9550 then
won't be overclocking though
for fear of damage

 

[Cache]

i'll probably be opting for Q9550 then
won't be overclocking though
for fear of damage

Honestly--you're over 8 months away before you'd be building, and goodness only knows where prices and components will fall by then. Since it's so far away, do monitor prices and trends, but otherwise don't pin your hopes on one chip or another. It's just too far away to even consider anything that you'd be purchasing at this point.

 

[eklipz330]

as of now, you dont even need a core i7 setup, you need about 4gb of ram to handle most things nowadays, ima wait for the q9650 to hit about the price of the q6600 before i upgrade to it... if it doesnt happen, ill just get on a new setup i guess =[

 

[El_Mayo]

Honestly--you're over 8 months away before you'd be building, and goodness only knows where prices and components will fall by then. Since it's so far away, do monitor prices and trends, but otherwise don't pin your hopes on one chip or another. It's just too far away to even consider anything that you'd be purchasing at this point.

okay mate i'll keep that in mind
i know for a fact graphics card prices definately go down though

 

[Cache]

okay mate i'll keep that in mind
i know for a fact graphics card prices definately go down though

Most definitely! The system I built for my wife last week has a GTX 260 Core 16--a better card than mine, I assure you--and I spent only $210 on that. My card was an extra $60 above and beyond that just a few months ago. In a year I might be able to give my card up to the homeless or something since the tax rebate would be worth more than the card itself.

 

[El_Mayo]

Most definitely! The system I built for my wife last week has a GTX 260 Core 16--a better card than mine, I assure you--and I spent only $210 on that. My card was an extra $60 above and beyond that just a few months ago. In a year I might be able to give my card up to the homeless or something since the tax rebate would be worth more than the card itself.

aha
but will a GTX 260 216 be abnle to play the latest games for like.. 3 years?

 

[Cache]

aha
but will a GTX 260 216 be abnle to play the latest games for like.. 3 years?

*chuckles*

That depends entirely on what Crytek releases next, doesn't it?

 

[El_Mayo]

*chuckles*

That depends entirely on what Crytek releases next, doesn't it?

good point
although at 1680x1050
crysis (even the first one) is playable with a GTX 260 216
i heard.
but i'm praying the GTX 275 reduces in price

 

[jsc]

All the current Intel chips will run 2 speed bins (twice the FSB) faster than rated (OK, the i7 technically doesn't use an FSB).

Install good cooling, watch your temps, and stay under Intel's max voltage recommendations and your computer will be obsolete long before it dies of overclocking considerations.
--------
Q9550 @ 3.6 GHz - 58 C. to 61 C. P95 load
Q6600 @ 3.6 GHz - 61 C. to 65 C. P95 load