Psuedo-n00b post. xD;

[sysTERROR404]

Hey guys,

I've been a computer builder for about 8 years now...and my foray into overclocking hasn't been truly realized yet.

My first attempts and initial testing was on my current setup (see sig) Now seeing as that is a PIV Prescott build OC'ing the CPU and RAM is a bit of a risk as the CPU is known for being a plutonium reactor (heat generated by those particular models is renowned as being nuclear) so I never really messed with it much.

I'm in the process of building a newer PC as it has been about 5 years since I've upgraded. DDR and AGP were quickly obsolete within 2 months of finishing it and it's time for an upgrade while prices are at their peak for DDR2 and the new Intel exxx line.

I'm going to list the new components as the basic build, with obvious upgrades coming a few months after it's completed:

1: eVga 780i Motherboard - Acquired from [H] Reader shade_star
2: OCZ Reaper X HPC DDR2 kit 4G (2-2G)-(Timings stock @ 4-4-3-15) Acquired from newegg
3: Seagate Barracuda 7200RPM ES.2 250G HDD (OS Drive) - Acquired from newegg
4: Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 500G 32M Cache HDD (1 of 2 for storage) - Acquired from newegg
5: Samsung Lightscribe SATA DVD Burner Acquired from newegg
6: NZXT LEXA Blackline mid-tower case (loved the original, might get it for the new build)
7: e8400 Intel C2D CPU (Between this and the Q6600)
8: eVga Geforce 8800 GTS (G92) GPU (I have a feeling I'll stick with this, but may change once the 9800's are "official")
9: ABS Tagan Modular 800W PSU
10: Arctic Freezer Pro 7 CPU Heatsink

Now, my main question lies in this:

Seems how this will be my first "official" foray into OC'ing, as the equipment will allow me to do so, I'm windering if I can get any rough, perhaps, stable guesses as to:

1: The Overclockability of my RAM, voltage neccesary, and some estimates of what timings I should use in tandem with changes

2: The stress the CPU could endure seeing as this will be a 24/7 build, and I don't need benchmark breaking scores, just a reliable overclock on both, whether it be 1:1, or more.

I know the particular RAM I've purchased hasn't really been discussed anywhere, however the reviews glorify it as being some of the tightest, and most OC-able RAM for DDR2 most have ever used.

My goals are to hit at least 16k on 3D Mark 06, and achieve a stable 24/7 machine as it will be mainly for gaming, and my pursuit into the careerfield of graphic design.

So basically, yes, I'm a noob, I admit this, however, only on the overclocking aspect of the situation. Voltages, timing changes, NB temps/voltages, etc have never been a choice for me until now.

I appreciate the help, and hopefully I didn't rant too much. I just wanted some advice before I delve into this almost empty handed with the knowledge required, because honestly, frying a component because of too much voltage, or wrong timings would make me go ballistic.

Regards,

Joshy.

 

[Hades16x]

Well I believe the Q6600 is going to be your synthetic benchmark king. For massive multitasking, video editing and folding, the Q6600 will be superior.
Clock for clock on a single core program, the E8400 will be faster.
Also for overclocking head room and videogaming, the E8400 should be slightly faster. On air 3.6ghz is respectable for the G0 Q6600 and right around 4ghz is pretty good for the E8400.

My new build will consist of the DFI x38 and an E8400 if it ever comes back in stock.

Onto the ram and the guarantee of overclocking.

In theory, all the Q6600 or anything for that matter needs to do is run 100% stable at stock clocks, so with that said, You could get a Q6600 stuck at 2.8ghz for max overclock or an E8400 stuck at 3.2ghz max overclock.

Onto your ram, they produce high speed DDR2 for a reason, its because they warrant the ram for said voltage, and speed. The ram you specified doesn't have a rated speed, but for guaranteed performance I suggest this as it will net you a definite 1066 speed.

I don't seem timings being discussed as much as they were back in the 2.4C days as they dont seem to net you any real game play advantages.

Also to comment further on the need for a 16K 3dmark. I'm under the impression, especially after I have my evga680i mobo, that the nvidia chip sets only give you better performance when you insure you'll use SLI. Although it is too late, a P35 or X38 chipset probably would have net you higher 3kmark as it seems to give you SLIGHTLY(unnoticeable) better performance in real world applications.

In continuation, [H] has an amazing C2D/Q overclocking FAQ, that will promise you maximum overclock if you follow it.

Lastly, It is still under my impression that the Thermalright Ultra 120E is the best air cooler, passive or active, for the C2D/Q processors.

If the Heatsink fan combo for the Thermalright puts you out of your price range, you can surely drop that 800W PSU. The Corsair HX620 seems to be a clear choice although this would be my personal choice.

Michael

 

[Zero82z]

RAM frequency has a pretty small effect on overall performance with Core 2 machines, so don't bother spending too much time messing around with latencies. The best way to go would be to push your CPU as high as it will go while putting your RAM on a divider and setting high timings so it doesn't limit your overclock, and then once you have your max CPU speed you can start pushing the RAM.

As for the CPU stress thing, once you find your max Orthos-stable overclock your CPU will be able to take pretty much whatever load you throw at it. Typical speeds for a Q6600 are usually around 3.2-3.4GHz, and for an E8400 around 4GHz seems to be the standard on air, although in either case it's still pretty much the luck of the draw when it comes to getting a high-clocking CPU.