Overclocking And Heat

Let's see how far an increase to 1.65V CPU core voltage takes this early-stepping E6700 review sample:

Using the same core voltage allowed the processor to reach the equivalent clock level, regardless of whether the CPU was cooled by the TEC-equipped Vigor Gaming Monsoon II Lite air cooler or the Gigabyte 3D Galaxy II water cooler. The stock cooler left the system stuck at 3.46 GHz, because the processor became more sensitive to heat as clock speeds were increased, while crashing at the higher heat levels that resulted from increased voltage.

Both the TEC-enhanced air cooler and the water cooler reached 45 degrees Celsius at the maximum stable clock speed of 3.64 GHz, but notice the minimum temperature change between 3.46 GHz and 3.64 GHz for the Monsoon II Lite. In practice, the Monsoon II Lite rarely used its TEC, which was clearly evident by an increase in fan speed that accompanied its use. Temperatures at the threshold of TEC operation cause an audible grumbling noise from the unit as the TEC rapidly turned on and off.