Overclocking a core 2 duo 6600, need advice

Hey every1,

so, I have this 6600 for like 3 years now and it rly shows its age. I want to get the best out of it, so I purchased a rather cheap 3rd party cooler, the apache 2, just for the sake of "upgrading" the stock, dirty, aged intel cooler. I set my memory to 1:1(some supertalent value memory), and my c2d conroe is now clocked @ 3.0G, 334 FSB, and memory @ 668, 4-4-4-15. I run orthos for a couple of hours(I know I need more to value stability) and it was good. The thing is, core temp and speedfan counted up to 69C and 70C respectively. I know that some might consider this hot and others normal, maybe on the higher side. I know that I used the cheap packaged thermal paste, and that my application of it was bad, but the cooler is seated well, because i tried pushing it firmly to place when orthos loaded the CPU, and the temperatures didnt fluctuate a bit. So that part should be OK.


Some1 asked me about the vcore settings, and I told him that I didnt touch the vcore, however, I did set it to auto. He informed me that my mobo must have adjusted the vcore after the oc, so I checked SPEEDFAN and CPUZ, both show vcore @ 1,415. After googleing about my cpu it looks like the vcore was idd adjusted by the auto setting, as most C2D default below 1.35... So my question is whether I should lower my vcore to another fixed number. Higher temps because of the OC are normal, but vcore being auto adjusted at a higher point would really explain the temperatures im getting. I have to note that when gaming it never surpassed 65C, but I know orthos stress is the real deal.

specs

C2D 6600, 65nm, Conroe
supertalent value memory @ 668mhz, 4-4-4-15
asus commando mobo

 

Good Day , i will try to help you out , but first i really need to know your hardware configuration completely .

Uh Oh , i just saw at newegg what kind of cpu cooler you bought and its no better than the stock Intel heatsink/fan :/ ,

This = A no go: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233061 .
Im afraid that until you get a propper Heatsink made for overclocking i cannot help you out any further , its a waste of time really , trying to overclock a c2d E6600 on that tiny cpu Heatsink. Good Luck.

 

yeah I know what I bought, i didnt want to invest any more in a cooler right now, but I didnt want to stay with the old cooler either.

I m also aware that mildly overclocking the specific line of cpus is really easy, even on stock cooling. ofc you are soon limited by temperatures, but till then i would like to give it a go. I really cannot understand ur reply... I asked a couple of specific things but you seem more interested in the safety of my 4 year old cpu than I am :3eyes: If u can help me i really look forward to a proper response

 

Overclocking done CORRECTLY, wont put a toll on the cpus lifespan to any dicernable degree. keep temp and voltages in check, and you're fine.

I suggest a freezer 7 Pro heatsink. it took my Core 2 duo E7500 to 3.8GHZ at only 54C max load.

 

ty m8 , right now I wont invest in another cooler. maybe in summer, if im really into OCing by then. if u could help me with the vcore/temps/memory timings questions id be grateful

 

My core 2 duo, isn't good as a reference, as it was HORRID at overclocking, it needed 1.38V to substain 3.8GHZ on a asus P5Q pro turbo.

so 1.38Vcore, 38C idle, 54C load. for ram i was using 4GB G.skill DDR2 1066MHZ @ 2.1V

 

you have an opinion on my vcore ? i set it to auto and speedfan/cpuz read it at 1,415 @3,0G. u think the auto setting increased it after i changed my fsb?(thus increasing the temps?)Should I set it in a fixed rating, like 1,35 by myself?

 

1.4+ is suicide///

 

I had a C2D E6550 that wouldn't reach 3.02GHz (430MHz) stable if the voltage isn't set at 1.415V.
You might also want to set the option in BIOS that improves VDroop; IIRC it's the LLC (Load Line Calibration) option.
Of course, you could also try adjusting the voltage down manually and test its stability yourself.
FSBRAM ration is 1:1, and my 4x1GB Corsair could handle 860MHz just fine @1.9V.

In any case, OC-ing is a trial & error thing; there's no silver bullet even for the same system setup.


@jellysheep
No, it's not; had mine running 3+ years just fine with 1.415V.
Wolfdale (E7500) has a smaller voltage range compared to Conroe (E6550, E6600).
But with that kind of cooler, it might be.

 

it is? I been running a qx9650 at 4ghz for years at 1.45v. its in my backup rig right now

 

The max vcore for the conroe is 1.5V. OP, a stable oc at the lowest vcore is what you should aim for.

 

I ran my Q9650 at 1.6v for years without ill effects, just needed very loud cooling

 

I would like to remind you that the vcore was set to 1,4 by the "auto" setting in the bios. so its not like the cpu wanted to kill itself

well whatever, I changed the vcore to 1,325 or 1,35 , but the speedfan and cpuz both say its 1,33 which drops to 1,3 because of the vdrool effect, or whatever u call it. The pc seems stable and running for now, I will test it with orthos for a couple of hours(first stage test for just now, not long term stability test). The good thing is that the temperatures dropped a lot, they will probably max out to around 60C, which is a lot better than 70C . The vcore really put a lot of strain to that cheap cooler. Happy to know though it looks stable up to at least 1,4vcore, that means I got some a lot of possibilities left I guess.