Core 2 Quad G0-stepping overclocking - Q6700 retail. How high will it go?

[HEXUS]

All around the web, everyone wants to know how well retail G0-stepping Core 2 Quad CPUs overclock.

With G0-stepping Q6600s hard to find, we picked up a Core 2 Quad Q6700, strapped on a large lump of copper and let rip!

Read more.

[RoGuE|SaBeR]

Definitely thought that the award graphic said "Sextreme"...

[DeSean]

Silverstone TJ-09 fitted with a single 120mm fan in the front and two 80mm fans in the back.

I think that might be a mistake. The TJ-09 has a single 120mm exhaust usually?

Nice review. My B3 (which I bought just before the G0 hype) is at a nice 3ghz. Gets toasty under stress test load, even with the Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme and tons of air cooling (TJ-09!), but it is powerful enough that not a single program I own actually pushes it hard.

[James Thorburn]

I think that might be a mistake. The TJ-09 has a single 120mm exhaust usually?

You are absolutely correct, the case used was a TJ-03, not an 09. Mix up caused because I use the 09 for my other system

[shaithis]

I've just ordered a WC setup to house my quad core in, the choice between high temperatures or loudness wasn't cutting it with me......So went with the solution I always said I wouldn't use.

Mine is currently 24/7 stable but reporting temps up to 80c =S

[Kiro-San]

I really don't understand why you wouldn't use a Thermalright Ultra 120-Extreme. Those extra degrees make a big difference at the top end.

Mine is currently 24/7 stable but reporting temps up to 80c =S

What cooler are you using at the moment? My QX6700 won't peak above 75c (on a hot day in an enclosed space), and that's running 4 instances of Prime 95.

[hibby]

I know the graphs are in line with the rest of the Hexus reviews, but is it possible to label the stock speed as the 100% score so that the rest display a percentage increase in performance?

[kalniel]

Agreed - would be an easier way of looking at things.

[Clunk]

James, would it be possible to do a quick/rough test to see if a B3 and a G0 run at the same vcore and Mhz result in very similar temps?

Ta

[James Thorburn]

James, would it be possible to do a quick/rough test to see if a B3 and a G0 run at the same vcore and Mhz result in very similar temps?

Ta

Unfortunately I don't have a B3 stepping chip anymore. I did have a B3 Q6600, but I sold it before the price cuts

Will try and borrow a friends QX6700 to do a comparison, but no guarentees unfortunately.

[Clunk]

No worries mate, I'm just interested to see if the lower heat output only applies at stock, or if it is lower all the way up the voltage scale.

I may grab one myself if they ever arrive

[chuckskull]

Nicely done, just wanted to add;

Stop tempting me you evil evil men

[Bob Crabtree]

James,

My new main home-office work PC centres on a Core Duo 6600 and an Intel S975XBX2 motherboard.

Cooler is a Thermaltake V1.

If I don't overclock, how much real-world difference do you think I'd see by moving over to the G0 quad variant - which is priced at just over UKP176 at Scan, which strikes me as staggering value considering that it's only about UKP40 more than the dual-core?

And, if you reckon I should consider overclocking, I'd like to know how much overclocking potential there is with this Intel motherboard and whether or not I'd need better cooling.

Currently, with the fan set about mid way, and under idle, the CPU temperature is about 42 deg C and the system is very quiet - though not silent - and I'd like to keep the noise down to this same sort of level.

For the record, I've VERY happy with my new system and have been blown away by the speed especially the speed at which the Parallels Workstation virtualisation software runs a version of Win XP Pro - which I use for testing software such as anti-virus and anti-trojan apps.

Cheers

Bob

[James Thorburn]

Bob,

The G0 stepping core doesn't actually affect performance compared to the B3 when running at stock speed. It reduces the TDP on the quad-core parts, and lowers the idle power usage for the dual-cores.

Generally you'll see little improvement at all moving from a dual to quad-core at the same clockspeed unless you are heavily multi-tasking (or using multi-threaded software).

If you are running more than one virtual machine at a time that in itself could be enough justification.

If you are finding temperatures are around 42c at medium fan speed then you should be able to drop to low speed just fine and get a little further towards silence.

[Bob Crabtree]

James,

Thanks very much for the speedy response!

I'll definitely experiment with the fan speed but maybe I'll wait until the weekend when the weather gets a bit hotter (hopefully) - cos the ambient temperature right now is actually rather cold.

:-(

For the record, 100% CPU utilisation - at the present ambient temperature - gives a reading of around 51-52 deg C.

Cheers

Bob