Q6600 Overclocking Dell E520

[avcab]

Current specs:
Dell E520 PC (Intel G965 Chipset)
E4500 @2.2ghz/2.46Ghz(for mw3 and stuff) (Using setfsb, not bios as options are locked/grayed out)
XFX GT240 DDR5
OCZ stealthxstream 500w
4GB PC6400 DDR2
Windows 7 Pro 64bit

Supported CPU's for the intel G965 chipset:
http://

Thinking of upgrading to the Q6600 (SLACR G0 Stepping Version - which supposedly overclocks better than the other version) for causal gaming such as Black ops 2, Tomb Raider, Borderlands 2 etc. Currently my E4500 default fsb is 150/760 @ 2194.6MHz and I get upto 174/760 @ 2462.4MHz (Using SLG505YC56DT) stable until my motherboard/Ram prevents further oc. When I oc it to 2.5Ghz, it restarts instantly but when I check the speed, its set @ 2.5ghz after the reboot? Whats up with that?

The Q6600 has a stock speed of 2.4ghz and I'm wondering if I can overclock it slightly with Setfsb (Unable to do it with Bios). And nope, not enough money for New case + New motherboard + New Cpu so I can OC it further.
Is there a chance to oc the Q6600 to 2.5/2.6 or so with this PC? Or is it stuck at 2.4 since my E4500 can oc Stable to 2.46 from 2.2ghz.

Thanks.

 

[Kisianik]

Most likely no. When I was over locking my 3.4 GHz Phenom, I did not noticed any visible improvements in BF3 FPS (was about 60 on low setup) until I reached 3.8, at this point I had a jump to about 73 FPS, so I increased to 4ghz (actually 4.2, but was not stable), I saw increase to about 75-76. So I doubt that increase by 0.3 or less will be very noticeable.

 

[Maxx_Power]

Wow, lots of info there. Thanks for all that, Ill re-read it again.
2.6-2.7ghz without Vcore adjustments? Thats decent, would I see any noticeable difference over the stock clock of 2.4ghz in gaming?

What games do you play ? If they are not CPU limited, you won't see (nearly) any benefit. BF3 massive multiplayer matches are CPU limited, Starcraft 2 is CPU limited (but not that you'll make up for it with the Q6600, since SC2 is not, as far as I know, capable of more than 1 core).

 

[avcab]

I play Black ops 1 (Which is so badly optimized for PC it's better to have a Quad core)
Black ops 2
Borderlands 2
Modernwarfare 3
Modernwarfare 2
Tomb Raider 2013
CSS
Loadout
Planning to play Battlefield 3

However, in everygame pretty much my CPU usage jumps to 100% not sure why :/

 

[avcab]

Most likely no. When I was over locking my 3.4 GHz Phenom, I did not noticed any visible improvements in BF3 FPS (was about 60 on low setup) until I reached 3.8, at this point I had a jump to about 73 FPS, so I increased to 4ghz (actually 4.2, but was not stable), I saw increase to about 75-76. So I doubt that increase by 0.3 or less will be very noticeable.

Even in CPU intensive games?

 

[Kisianik]

Your CPU jumps to 100% because you are bottlenecked at CPU - need stronger CPU, overclock will help here, but may not remove bottleneck.
I am helping someone else with the same overclock, but on Vostro 220, in that case user was able to apply BSEL mode overclock of Q6600 to 3GHz@1333MHz FSB http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-1676297/system.html and planning to push even higher.

So, basically it is up to you how far you want to go, yes you running the risk of burning your system, but this is the chance you have to take if you want improvements on little investment.
I don't think I can advice you more in this area.
I will help you with cooling, it is different, but about suggesting about safety vs performance - this is it.

 

[Maxx_Power]

I play Black ops 1 (Which is so badly optimized for PC it's better to have a Quad core)
Black ops 2
Borderlands 2
Modernwarfare 3
Modernwarfare 2
Tomb Raider 2013
CSS
Loadout
Planning to play Battlefield 3

However, in everygame pretty much my CPU usage jumps to 100% not sure why :/

100% CPU utilization isn't anything to worry about. If anything, it means the game is using the CPU resources to its full potential. Of all the games you pointed out, the most CPU intensive game is BF3 in multiplayer mode.

The GT240 isn't a fast card by today's standards either. You might get a bit more mileage by OCing the GPU a bit.

 

[avcab]

Ah, I see. However, before, It went to about 60-70 cpu usage, not 100%. Also, 1280x1024 doesn't use GPU but more CPU?

 

[Maxx_Power]

Ah, I see. However, before, It went to about 60-70 cpu usage, not 100%. Also, 1280x1024 doesn't use GPU but more CPU?

Given your GPU is the GT240, I think at 1280x1024, you're likely very equally stressing the GPU and CPU for MOST of your games, the GT240 should handle those titles at less than maximum settings at 1280x1024 just fine. Lower screen resolutions stresses the CPU equally as higher resolutions, if your video card can keep up. Usually, the video card (GPU) will become the limiting factor to overall frames per second at higher resolutions, so at lower resolutions, you are effectively removing the GPU induced bottleneck, and getting a sense of what the CPU is performing like. Other things that can affect the performance includes: game updates, which tends to change the CPU load a bit and driver updates (sound, video and even LAN) that also tries to either optimize for more performance (usually more demanding on the CPU) or optimize for lower CPU usage (less demanding on the CPU).

You can also tinker with settings in your games that uses the CPU more, like physics options, post-processing, positional audio, number of channels of sound, those are the ones that comes to mind.

Are your frame rates too low ?

 

[avcab]

before, in mw2 my Fps was a stable, 125 fps locked. However, it goes down to 80-50 fps these days at about 90-100% cpu usage. Black ops 1 runs poorly at about 67fps max and about 20-30fps in gunfights. MW3 is okay, slightly laggy at about 50 fps and drops to about 20-30 at times.
When I get the Q6600, should I keep @ 1280x1024 or drop the resolution so it uses more CPU?

 

[Maxx_Power]

before, in mw2 my Fps was a stable, 125 fps locked. However, it goes down to 80-50 fps these days at about 90-100% cpu usage. Black ops 1 runs poorly at about 67fps max and about 20-30fps in gunfights. MW3 is okay, slightly laggy at about 50 fps and drops to about 20-30 at times.
When I get the Q6600, should I keep @ 1280x1024 or drop the resolution so it uses more CPU?

Keep it at 1280x1024. Is this a CRT or LCD ? If it is an LCD, keep it at native res, any other resolution will introduce additional input lag (not great for shooters).

Are you planning to upgrade GPU as well ?

 

[avcab]

LCD monitor.
To be honest, I can either upgrade to a Q6600 or a 5750/5770 ATI. I'd pick one one them which benefits my PC the most, taking in OC problems and stuff.

 

[Kisianik]

LCD monitor.
To be honest, I can either upgrade to a Q6600 or a 5750/5770 ATI. I'd pick one one them which benefits my PC the most, taking in OC problems and stuff.

What is your budget then?

 

[avcab]

LCD monitor.
To be honest, I can either upgrade to a Q6600 or a 5750/5770 ATI. I'd pick one one them which benefits my PC the most, taking in OC problems and stuff.

What is your budget then?

About 95$

 

[Maxx_Power]

LCD monitor.
To be honest, I can either upgrade to a Q6600 or a 5750/5770 ATI. I'd pick one one them which benefits my PC the most, taking in OC problems and stuff.

If you can still find the 5700 series around, sometimes you can get a bargain on them for 50 bucks (the 5770, a while back). The GPU upgrade will do the most good for your FPS.

Are you planning to get a new computer in the (short) future ?

 

[Kisianik]

Not so fast, it is BTX case, let me explain

This is it

To save time I will use Optiplex case to show problem with getting video cards, cases almost the same.

Unfortunately no card that is more than 7.5 inches long or 2 slots wide will PHYSICALLY FIT inside the case - it was found that only single bracket video card can fit due to BTX MOBO, where card internals facing upward towards PC internals, not ATX, where dual card design is blocking another PCI slot by facing downward.
If you prefer the card with beefier fan, then the length of the card must not exceed 7.5 inches, otherwise only "skinny" single bracket, single slot cards can physically fit.

Pictures below will prove my point.

View shows no room for dual bracket

Single bracket only, or you have to cut dual bracket in half

Here you can clearly see only single place for the bracket

Visual explanation

7.5 inches explained, also shown "obstacles"

This is the picture of actual "skinny" single slot video card (not sure which model)- perfect, "glove" fit.

So, I found 2 GDDR5 7750 cards and one DDR3 4GB (GDDR5 is better than GDDR3, even if GDD3 offers 2 GB RAM or more), which confirmed in reviews to fit Optiplex gx620, 745 and 755 cases (the difference between those models are different processors).

Skinny, flimsier in terms of construction, completely single slot XFX 7750 http://www.amazon.com/XFX-DisplayPort-PCI-Express-FX775AZNP4-FX-775A-ZNP4/dp/B007Z3T5JC

A bit beefier cooler, not as skinny, more durable in construction PowerColor AX7750 http://www.amazon.com/PowerColor-AX7750-1GBD5-DH-Video-Graphics/dp/B00775OC28/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1362783129&sr=8-1&keywords=AX7750+1GBD5-DH

If you need Video card for working with high resolutions, BUT NOT FOR GAMING, PowerColor AX7750 4GBK3-H Radeon HD 7750 4GB is DDR3 card with huge 4GB memory, but is is not as fast as DDR5 and loosing in games http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131486&Tpk=7750&IsVirtualParent=1
Here is review of this card http://news.softpedia.com/news/PowerColor-Launches-Single-Slot-Radeon-HD-7750-4-GB-Video-Card-292712.shtml so this one is not for gamers!

I cannot say which one of those 2 DDR5 is better, both are good and got less bad reviews related to structural build.

So, future recommendations for video cards must be based on my guide, or it will not fit!

 

[avcab]

A GPU upgrade huh? Nope, no new PC in the future

@Kisianik
http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1184061

The 5770 is 7.5" long. The 8800gts is 9 inches.

 

[Kisianik]

A GPU upgrade huh? Nope, no new PC in the future

@Kisianik
http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1184061

The 5770 is 7.5" long. The 8800gts is 9 inches.

Nice find, but you would have to cut your case, in my choice, if you find appropriate card you good.

I did not mean to change PC, I just used Optiplex since the case is almost the same

 

[Maxx_Power]

I would, at this point of time, recommend a GTX650 (since HD7750's are PCI-E 3.0, and are backwards compatible to only PCI-E 2.0 due to power configurations).

HD7000 series are notorious for backwards compatibility with PCI-E 1.x.

See definitive investigation here:

http://www.overclock.net/a/the-final-answer-to-the-controversial-pcie-x16-version-compatibility

 

[Kisianik]

I would, at this point of time, recommend a GTX650 (since HD7750's are PCI-E 3.0, and are backwards compatible to only PCI-E 2.0 due to power configurations).

HD7000 series are notorious for backwards compatibility with PCI-E 1.x.

See definitive investigation here:

http://www.overclock.net/a/the-final-answer-to-the-controversial-pcie-x16-version-compatibility

Nice article, but at the end some users state that 3.0 cards are working on 1.1 PCIE, so basically all depends most likely on BIOS, if it is 2009 and newer, everything should be OK, if it is older, problems are possible.

In any way this is the only card I can guarantee to fit and work and it has good reviews in general http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814500290

Other newegg GTX650 cards might have problems fitting or have bad reviews, like PNY GTX650.

 

[avcab]

The GTX 650 is a bit too expensive - 125$.
I've seen numerous posts about people with Q6600's and 5770's and stuff in their Dell E520.
Yep Kisianik, I do have to indeed cut my case, but Im fine with that so long I can put a new gfx card in.

 

[Maxx_Power]

I would, at this point of time, recommend a GTX650 (since HD7750's are PCI-E 3.0, and are backwards compatible to only PCI-E 2.0 due to power configurations).

HD7000 series are notorious for backwards compatibility with PCI-E 1.x.

See definitive investigation here:

http://www.overclock.net/a/the-final-answer-to-the-controversial-pcie-x16-version-compatibility

Nice article, but at the end some users state that 3.0 cards are working on 1.1 PCIE, so basically all depends most likely on BIOS, if it is 2009 and newer, everything should be OK, if it is older, problems are possible.

In any way this is the only card I can guarantee to fit and work and it has good reviews in general http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814500290

Other newegg GTX650 cards might have problems fitting or have bad reviews, like PNY GTX650.

I would recommend (for lower end and mainstream GPUs) some AMDs right now, but the HD7000 series compatibility with PCI-E 1.x makes it risky. There are tons of single slot bracketed HD7750's and even LP models.

There has been a few times on Toms forums when someone (including me) recommended a HD7xxx series to someone using a Core 2 system, and it will not POST at all (I think they were brand-named boxes). Several of them were unsolved until that thread became available.

 

[Maxx_Power]

The GTX 650 is a bit too expensive - 125$.
I've seen numerous posts about people with Q6600's and 5770's and stuff in their Dell E520.
Yep Kisianik, I do have to indeed cut my case, but Im fine with that so long I can put a new gfx card in.

You should be able to find a single-slot height bracketed GPU these days. If you determine that the HD7750's fit you, there are lots of choices (ASUS HD7750 comes to mind, as well as all the low profile ones). The HD7750 isn't as fast as the older HD5770, but is a lot more energy efficient and cooler running.

Take a look at your case and see if you have 1 slot's worth of height before you cut into it. From the pictures posted in this thread, I don't know if you have the height to actually cut into at the back of the case.

 

[Maxx_Power]

Does the back of your case look like this ? If so, you don't really have any room to cut...

 

[avcab]

Its similar, but not exactly. I tried fitting the GTX 260 into the Dell e520, but it was too long (it was like, 11 inches!). I cut a bit which prevented the card fitting in at the back, so smaller cards should work.

 

[Maxx_Power]

Its similar, but not exactly. I tried fitting the GTX 260 into the Dell e520, but it was too long (it was like, 11 inches!). I cut a bit which prevented the card fitting in at the back, so smaller cards should work.

Sounds good. When are you planning to upgrade computers ? I assume maybe a year or more ?