Clarkdale Efficiency: The Perfect Clock Rate For Intel's Core i5-661

Voltage Table And Test Setup

We tested using Intel’s reference LGA 1156 cooler, which comes bundled with all Core i5 dual-core boxed processors and can handle a Core i5 at up to about 4 GHz. It has a copper core and is quiet enough for an average desktop PC. But since it's half as high as the quad-core coolers designed to tackle 95W or 130W TDPs, you shouldn't expect too much from it. We decided to use it since not everyone would want to spend another $30 to $80 for a premium cooler. We recommend getting a tray CPU and purchasing a CPU cooler separately if you want less noise and/or better cooling.

Benchmarks and Settings