Q6600 24/7 Full Load on Air

[Dizz]

Hi all, my first post so please be kind!


Background: I have an Asus P5Q-Pro with a Q6600 @ 3.2 GHz, running 24/7 @ full load; the Temps are much lower than stock settings, so I am very satisfied with these results. More details in Sig.


Question: As I plan to build another PC shortly & considering the parameters “Q6600 - 24/7 full load – Low Temps” can anyone suggest other P45 motherboards that could clock a Q6600 higher on Air, without Temps escalating?

Or, in the context of my usage & choice of CPU; have I reached the “Practical” limit of a Q6600 on Air? Any other thoughts are also very welcome


Kindest Regards, Dizz

[werty316]

You should be able to crack a much higher clock speed with your setup.

[MpG]

You'll need more fan power on that heatsink if you want to go much faster without going over recommended temps. I had pretty much the same setup, a Q6600, a TRUE, and a PF-12, and while it was fully stable and well within safe temps, any higher required more voltage, which drove the temps up beyond my own 65 degree limit.

But again, with more fan power, that heatsink can move a lot of heat. All depends on your noise tolerances.

[Dizz]

Werty316, yes I have easily achieved higher clocks 3.4 GHz (425x8) & 3.6 GHz (400x9) but on Air Temps begin to escalate 56-61C & in any event 3.6 GHz is not really 24/7 stable @ full load.

Am I wrong to consider an almost 100% increase in Temps for a 200-400 MHz gain unacceptable?

Regards, Dizz

[3.0charlie]

In order to reach 3.6, that Vcore will need to skyrocket - and the temps will follow. Honestly, I wouldn't touch that Quad anymore with that setup. Now if you went for water-cooling, that would another story...

[Dizz]

Thanks Mpg, I have 9 Noctua P12 Fans in my Workstation, so I guess you could say that I like it cool & quite. I would consider putting a second Fan on the Ultra-120 heat-sink but it is already cold to the touch & I doubt that a second fan would make any practical difference?

As I said to Werty316, am I wrong to consider an almost 100% increase in Temps for a 200-400 MHz gain unacceptable? Or are Q6600 perfectly happy at theses temperatures?

[Dizz]

Hi 3.0charlie, yes I am very satisfied with this setup. If I was to consider water for my next build what would you suggest?

[3.0charlie]

It depends:

what is your budget
what is your case
what do you wish to cool: CPU, GPU, board?

[Dizz]

Hi 3.0charlie, to be honest it not that the budgets small, it's just that I love to get the biggest band for the smallest bucks!

Therefore I would have to say a Q6600 paired with a P45 chipset my enclosures are all workstation rigs; storage down one side & on the other side of the partition is the M/B & system components, needless to say lots of room for water, which I have been considering for a while.

However does the Performance/Temperature equation justify the move from Air to Water?
Your thoughts are very welcome!

Regards, Dizz

[cwestwell]

if budget is not a huge issue and you want a pro looking setup, I am a fan of the Koolance 1000w or 1300w series cases they use Lian Li cases with a nice Koolance 3or4X120mm rad setup. However you can pick up much cheaper cases and throw in a custom WC kit for much less, but these setups are nice for beginners to Water Cooling and offer enthusiast level cooling for Overclocking. And these do cost less then the Thermaltake and Zalman offerings while still offering better cooling.