Overclocking a Q6600 for 3+ years

[jpdykes]

I currently have the following spec, built Aug 07:

- Q6600 2.4GHz G0, stock cooler
- Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3R
- 4GB Geil Black Dragon PC8500 RAM 5-5-5-15
- X1950 Pro (Going to 4870)
- Winpower 450W PSU (Going to Corsair 750TX or Enermax 625W)
- Mid-tower Case (195mm across), 2x rear, 1x side (blowing HDD) Nexus 80mm fans.

NB: I will change both PSU and heat sink before attempting OC.

I am interested in the consequences of taking the Q6600 to 3.2 - 3.6GHz for a period of up to 3 years (the expected life time of the this build).

I have already discussed with iluvgillgill who seems to think the following are possibilities:

1- fail completely after a certain period
2- need to reduce/increase voltage to keep it stable at the speed was at before
3- partially malfuntion so sometimes you will get BSOD

However, he predicts that the CPU could last for 2-3 years:

"Using Intel's spec, which is 10 years for a CPU to fail. Actual warranty is covered for 3 years only. When OC a processor to about 12% of its nominal frequency it will not effect the CPU lifespan at all; because you didn't raise any voltage; voltage being the most important thing that will degrade the a electrical component. Heat is the next thing, that's why cooling needs to be efficient."

"I havent heard of anyone's CPU died in x years because he/she OCed it. So I and anyone out there can't really tell you how long it will last. As most people who OC will change to a new system/CPU before it die anyway. When I said 2-3years but maybe it can actually run for 8 years in OC form."

I was looking for a couple of other knowledgeable opinions on:

- Is a long overclock possible?
- How to go about keeping VCore as low as possible (as this seems to be the major factor in reducing CPU life)
- Suggestions of good quality heat sinks

Thanks
Jeremy

 

[iluvgillgill]

oh forgot to tell you i got a friend's PD805 OCed about 10% and 3 years down the line its still running fine.

maybe someone you tell him their system failed after OCed for X years.

 

[sportsfanboy]

I'll let you know in a little less than 2 years, lol.

Opinion? Intel designed these chips to theoretically last 3 years running at 100 percent load, at factory stock voltage and speed. I personally believe a moderate overclock of 15 to 25 percent, should last 3 to 5 years easy, as long as the overclock was done properly. what I mean by properly is, not going crazy with the voltage, and keeping temperatures under control.

 

[jpdykes]

Thanks for the comments:

- 25% on a Q6600 gets me to around the 3GHz mark. How much extra performance will I see from that? (It's around the QX6850 mark - $1000 CPU, madness)

- iluvgillgill mentioned about adjusting other settings to keep the VCore low. Can someone explain in a more detail what exactly I could adjust, what it would affect, and how likely I am to destroy stuff doing it?

- Suggestions on heat sinks would be useful too. I've looked at Xigmatek S1283 or OCZ Vendetta 2's. What other options are there? Are there even better performers?

Thanks for the help.
Jeremy

 

[sportsfanboy]

The two heat sinks you mentioned will be more than enough for that overclock.

I would recommend reading the overclocking guide at the top of the forum before overclocking. Also read the temperature guide, that is really helpful as well.

For 3.0 on a q6600, the rule of thumb is set the fsb to 333 or so, and set your voltage to what ever Realtemp says the "vid" is. Pick a non aggressive divider for your ram, (after ensuring ram voltages and timing are set properly) say a 100mhz lower than the rated speed. You do this to rule out your ram as the instability, if prime95 shows any. Test and add cpu voltage 1 at a time until stable. Than set your ram to it's rated speed or close to it, and done.

After the whole system is running stable I would systematically go through the auto voltages and tweak them down as low as possible.

 

[jpdykes]

Thanks for the input again sportsfanboy.

I will have a look at the overclocking guides, however I still need to address whether the CPU is likely survive a sustained overclock.

Jeremy

 

[sportsfanboy]

Well that chip hasn't been around for more than 2 years or so, and Intel isn't about to tell us what will happen if we crank our chips to 3.0 ghz. All we have is a guess and some common sense.

My B3 q6600 is almost a year and a few months old, and I see no sign of wear. My overclock is: 2.85 to 2.95 in the summer, and about 3.2 in the cooler months. That isn't to say it won't die on me, cause I just can say for sure. I will say, I'm pretty confident it will last me until a 32nm manufacturing tech is out. By then I won't need it any longer anyway, and will probably keep it as a spare, and to test how long an overclocked chip will last, lol.

 

[jpdykes]

I want to resurrect this tread for a couple of reasons:

1. To see if anyone has had B3 Q6600's running overclocked for an extended period.

2. To try and understand the usefulness of combinations of multipliers and FSB's.

So with the first part as straight forward yes/no what about the second part?

It seems clear that the same overclock can be obtained using a different FSB and multiplier combination. So:

FSB = 300, multi = 10 => 3GHz
FSB = 333, multi = 9 => 3GHz
FSB = 375, multi = 8 => 3GHz
FSB = 500, multi = 6 => 3GHz

But why would one be chosen over another?

Thanks for input

Jeremy

Latest specs:
- Q6600 2.4GHz B3, stock cooler (going to Xigmatek S1283)
- Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3R
- 4GB Geil Black Dragon PC8500 RAM 5-5-5-15
- ATi 4870
- Enermax Modu 625W
- Antec P182

 

[Fruity]

If you're trying to get a long life out of the system then going for a high CPU multiplier and lower FSB will probably be your way forward. Use SPD setting to bring your RAM up to its operating spec of 1066MHz, or just under.


EDIT: this link may be useful to you

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/mainboards/display/ga-p35-ds3r_6.html#sect0

 

[jpdykes]

Thanks Fruity,

So I would aim for FSB = 333 and a mulitplier of 9 if I was after 3GHz.

Am I correct in thinking that I then want to run the RAM as close to it's spec (1066) as possible, even though this doesn't give me a 1:1 FSB:RAM ratio?

Thanks

Jeremy

 

[Fruity]

Yes, run the RAM as close to spec as possible, but try not to go over if you're going for longevity.
The idea of keeping your FSB lower is that the northbridge voltage & FSB VTT voltage will be lower. From my experience, the voltage required for the Vcore doesn't change that much with the multiplier that's used.

333MHz FSB will give you a rated 1333MHz FSB which is inside your chipset operating range.

You're looking for a relatively mild overclock so don't worry too much about the 1:1 ratio

 

[jpdykes]

Thanks again Fruity,

Can you explain how you worked out the rated FSB?

Jeremy

 

[Fruity]

Rated FSB Freq = 4 x FSB Freq

Most mobo's advertise their max rated FSB. In the case of the GA-P35-DS3R, it had a max supported 1333MHz so no problems. A lot of mobo's will run higher than their advertised specs, but if it's life you're looking for, the lower the better.

 

[horendus]

My q6600 experiences

- Iv had a G0 running at 3.6 @ 1.43 volts for over a year no CPU issues (on water)
- 400x9 benches higher than 450x8 (both = 3.6ghz)
- Chipset volt and FSB volt setting have huge effect on stability...tweak them well my friends

Also

To much volts to the north bridge causes issue with my whole motherboard, including sound poping and huge performance loss (go figure?)