Pushing my q6600 to 3.8, How?

hi everybody, this is my first post here.
I apologize for my bad english.
p.s > im a nub in overclocking

My specs:
Core 2 Quad 6600
Motherboard: Gigabyte P35 (something...)
GPU: Zotac geForce 9800 GT
Fan#1 CPU: Zalman 9700 Led
Fan#2 (back case): 12mm Backfan.
Ram: 1GB x 4 (667hz)

i currently overclocked it to 3.0 and my temperature in 100% usage is around:
45c (core / cpus x 4) (if i remember correcly - im writing this not from home ..) - temperatures with everest.
should i mesure it with something else

i really whanna push my cpu further.
how far do you think i can push it with those specs..?

can you post what setting should i use for the option you present
as in (fsb / volt / etc..).

should i put extra cooling? or i shouldn't push my cpu that far..
how far can you push a q6600 with air cooling... (no wierd stuff - aka nitro cooling / water / etc...)

thanks alot !!!! in advance.

I think the Q6600 GO stepping can do 3.6GHz on air. not sure about any more head room as I have the Q9650 which can hit 4GHz on air.

VID is the "stock" voltage that the CPU programs the switching regulator on the motherboard to provide. Lower is better.

Your RAM is the limiting factor right now. DDR2-667 will take you to a 333 MHz FSB which means 3.0 GHz.

This should be your first stop.
Core2 Overclocking Guide
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/foru [...] king-guide

Shadow's Gigabyte motherboard OC guide:
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/foru [...] _11_0.html
It's for an EP35-DS3L but all the Gigabyte Core2 BIOS's are similar.

Go through the guides. Then take your core voltage off Auto and set your memory voltage to factory recommended values. Change the System Memory Multiplier from AUTO to 2.00, 2.00B, or 2.00D - whichever you need to set the Memory Frequency to twice the FSB. Then when you increase the FSB, the memory clock will rise in in proportion with it. At an FSB of 266 MHz, your memory clock should be at 533 MHz.

Download CPU-Z to check your FSB:RAM ratio. It should be a 1:1 ratio.

You may be able to push a little farther by tinkering with the memory settings. Set the RAM voltage to 2.2 volts and relax the memory timings from 4-4-4-12 to 5-5-5-15 or 5's-15 to 6's-18. That should let you push your memory a little farther.

The odds of hitting 3.8 GHz with stability are very small. Prime95 is popular for stress testing.

If this is a working system, stability will be more important than if it were a hobby system.

if i buy 4gb (2x 2GB) of 1066hz ram.....how far can i push it..?

my stepping i G0, and i understood from several people that 1066 is a bit problematic
and it has some compatibility issues..

my first main question is, should i buy myself ram with 800hz memory?
(my current ratio is 1:1 on 677hz)

> if i buy 4gb (2x 2GB) of 1066hz ram.....how far can i push it..?

Give us the full model number of your motherboard,
and we can try to find that motherboard's User Manual.


RTFM (Read The "F"ine Manual -- not always "F"ine, however


MRFS

GUIDE: Overclocking On EP/P35-DS3L v1.3.1 [UPDATED: 10/2/2008]

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/ [...] 0#t1742852


MRFS

See if you can find a quality P45 motherboard somewhere:

this ASUS P5Q Deluxe is no longer in stock at Newegg,
but it has a really robust chipset and excellent BIOS features
and was very stable for its time e.g. with Core 2 Duo CPUs:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813131297


The Intel P45 chipset was the last one for the LGA-775 socket,
just before the Core i7 LGA-1366 socket came along,
followed later by the LGA-1156 socket.


Maybe eBay?

http://computers.shop.ebay.com/?_f [...] acat=58058


MRFS

My Gigabyte EP35-DS3P motherboard will run at 400 MHz FSB freq, but not all P35's will.

Anything over 3.3 GHz is going to require a really good cooler.