MAX Ghz for Core 2 Quad Q6600?

m0j0

Distinguished
Nov 21, 2010
23
0
18,510
can someone please tell me what is maxium overclock Ghz for Core 2Quad Q6600 cpu? thank you for your help :D
 

jonpaul37

Distinguished
May 29, 2008
2,481
0
19,960
That all depends on your cooling system for your CPU and the motherboard you're using. I got mine to 3.6 with no issues at all but i have known others not to be so lucky...
 

m0j0

Distinguished
Nov 21, 2010
23
0
18,510
i'm using dell XPS630 OC q6600 @ 3.4Ghz / fsb 1520Mhz on Air (maximum cpu core temp @ 61 celsius using real temp 3.60 program after 2-3hrs blackops playtime) and OC @ 3.6Ghz/1600(max. core temp @ 66 celsius).wonder if i use liquid cooling system can i get more speed and lower core temp?
 

m0j0

Distinguished
Nov 21, 2010
23
0
18,510
A. everyday use= core 3.4Ghz / fsb 1520Mhz / core volt 1.40v B. game time=core 3.6Ghz / fsb 1600Mhz / core volt 1.45v (can't tell the difference between 2 settings during game lol)
 

jonpaul37

Distinguished
May 29, 2008
2,481
0
19,960
that's about as far as you'll get the Vcore before you start to experience instability. I had mine @ 3.6 with a 1.37 Vcore and then the jump to 3.8 made me use a 1.41 Vcore. I tried 4.0 but had to go just over 1.46 Vcore and saw slight signs of instability and had to back it down. What i did notice (which is what you noticed) is that there's not much advantage past 3.4, in fact, 3.2 was almost the same as 3.6 on my setup...
 

m0j0

Distinguished
Nov 21, 2010
23
0
18,510
what's your maximum cpu core temp @ 3.6 Ghz (under heavy load or game play)? mine @ 65-67 Celsius( reading form Real Temp 3.60). if this is too high do you think i should upgrade my air cooling system to liquid cooling. thanks for your help!
 

jonpaul37

Distinguished
May 29, 2008
2,481
0
19,960
Actually, 65 - 67 is just on the border of being too high but you should be ok. I was @ 61c under full load, sometimes 63c and i kept it that way 24 x 7 for a couple years @ 3.8 to 3.6
 
A Q6600 should be able to run at 3.0 GHz on the stock cooler with little or no increase in vcore. A halfway decent Q6600 should be able to reach 3.3 - 3.4 GHz. Quite a few will run at 3.6 GHz with good cooling in a good case with stability.

I have seen a few claims of 3.8 - 4.0 GHz but never with screen shots of Prime95 running with CPU-Z.
 

m0j0

Distinguished
Nov 21, 2010
23
0
18,510
UPDATE!! with extra cpu fan my OC'd q6600 @ 3.6Ghz / fsb 1600Mhz on Air (Maximum cpu core temp @ 57 celsius reading form real temp3.60 & after 2-3hrs blackops playtime max. core temp @ 60 celsius)
 

jonpaul37

Distinguished
May 29, 2008
2,481
0
19,960
Forget which one, it was either Orthos or Prime (whichever stresses quads as the other only stresses dual core) But, i tested for just over 22 hours. Temps peaked @ about 68 testing but that's normal, i never hit that in RL apps/games...
 
Yeah, mine will boot at 3.8 GHz but it's just not stable. Mine is stable (24 hour Prime95) at 1.425 volts. Core temps hit 61 - 66 C.

If you can run at 3.6 GHz with only 1.37 volts on the CPU, you have indeed won the CPU lottery. :)
 

wonder44

Distinguished
Oct 27, 2010
447
0
18,810
Huh, i only managed to get it upto 3.42GHz on 1.36v. I hit a dead end after that. Freezing during boot or blue screen auto restart. May just be my crap Nvidia 780i mobo. But from what i have noticed, 3.2ghz to 3.4ghz doesnt seem to give you much of a boost. in fact, i noticed i had a drop in frame rates of about 2-5 in some games. and im running a overclocked gtx 285 so i have no idea whats going on there
 

wonder44

Distinguished
Oct 27, 2010
447
0
18,810
The highest q6600 overclock i have seen was 4.9ghz. However you need a golden CPU and the best of the best motherboard and ram to get any where near that
 

wonder44

Distinguished
Oct 27, 2010
447
0
18,810
people may still read this thread at some point. so not only does it help the OP but also everyone else who is looking for the same answer. It saves threads being posted all the time. You are an expert on this site i see, so you should understand what i am talking about
 

Xzeon

Reputable
Jul 15, 2014
36
0
4,540
I have q6600 and I just cant go above 3.6GHz. I am on Windows 8 x64 Pro...mine is G0 (have 400W and p5k-pro(8 phase) evo212) - I think PSU is reason for my issue, because heat is not a problem