Cooling for OC'ed quad?

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MrQ

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I am having a tough time keeping my quad from going critical every time I play a graphically complex game for an extended period of time.

I have the Arctic Cooer 7 Pro w/AS5 but its not cutting it.

The core is a Intel Core2 Quad Q6600 @ 3ghz (.6ghz increase on a non-quad friendly board) with my idle temps at 45c and while processing...up to 68c!!

Guys I need some real help here...
 
Zalman 9500 for me... not cooling a quad, but does keep my dual cool with a mild (2.4--->2.8) OC easily...
 
What cooling paste did you use?

My artic freezer 7 pro works fine on my clock of my dual core from 2.6 to 3.4 without any extra cooling. i have 1 80mm in the back and a small like 35mm in the front. that is it cooling wise, other than my artic freezer pro.
 
Try to lower your cpu vcore in your bios to undervolt it a little. You won't lose the speed just the extra voltage that the cpu doesn't need that gets dissipated via the heatsink/fan cooler. Lower it incrementally and when you get to a setting that crashes your comp put it up one extra notch above that and you'll get great temps without performance loss.
 
Never heard of that. God forbid it breaks...goodbye CPU. Well, it'd probably shut down before frying...

Anyway, I used AS5, MX-2, and Shin Etsu. Shin Etsu was the best, followed very closely by MX-2.

~Gooda~
 
Stay away from any kind of thermal coolers! Get yourself a Tuniq Tower 120 or something similar. I've got my C2D E6600 2.4GHz overclocked at 3.2GHz 1.475v using one and my temps stay in the upper 20's/low 30's idle and hardly ever breaks 50' under load, depending on the temp outside and in room (I live in an old house).
 
Is your 6600 a GO stepping?

If it is, there is no reason you should have your vcore very high with that overclock (high vcore is the most direct link to high temps, assuming you have your heatsink installed correctly). I'm running mine after lots of prime95 and folding at 3.2ghz and 1.29 vcore on a TRUE.

If you're only looking at cooling, there is a copycat TRUE out there that performs better for half the price (I can't remember the name). Roughly the same size, but very little nickel at the heat-transfer interface. Make sure whatever you get fits in your case. IMO artic silver 5 still is the most reliable and effective TIM.
 
water cooling is the best but its got flaws like need to keep the water lvl up and if is leakes your comp is fubar
 
True, water cooling is the best...and I plan on upgrading to it. There are, of course, ways for you prevent anything bad form happening. It's not just a "slap it on" type of thing like most air coolers. You need to bleed any air, keep watch on the flow, keep the water level filled...it can be daunting for beginners.

But the cooling you get makes it all worthwhile imo :D
 
If you do it right, there won't be any failure. You're supposed to keep watch on it in regards to any possible leaks and such. Its not set and forget like most air systems.
 
Josey Wales said:
Is your 6600 a GO stepping?

If it is, there is no reason you should have your vcore very high with that overclock (high vcore is the most direct link to high temps, assuming you have your heatsink installed correctly). I'm running mine after lots of prime95 and folding at 3.2ghz and 1.29 vcore on a TRUE.

If you're only looking at cooling, there is a copycat TRUE out there that performs better for half the price (I can't remember the name). Roughly the same size, but very little nickel at the heat-transfer interface. Make sure whatever you get fits in your case. IMO artic silver 5 still is the most reliable and effective TIM.
Click to expand...

I suffer greatly from VDroop, because of my Antec PSU. I plan on replacing it ASAP. I don't have high temps, so it's no worry at the moment. Yes, I know my VCore is high and I probably could drop it a bit, but I have to have it that way for now. You know, I don't even know what my stepping is. I looked thru my pics of when I built my system and I guess I didn't take a pic of just the CPU upclose, which I usually do. Crap. Here's a screenshot of my CPUZ;

attachment.php
 
My C2D is oc'ed a fair bit (E8400 3.0 to 3.6ghz) and it gets a little toasty, but not anything insane (48idle,58load). I am using a Tuniq Tower 120 myself and I thought it would cool better than it does, but I most likely just didnt put it on right LOL!
 
SLippe said:
I suffer greatly from VDroop, because of my Antec PSU. I plan on replacing it ASAP. I don't have high temps, so it's no worry at the moment. Yes, I know my VCore is high and I probably could drop it a bit, but I have to have it that way for now. You know, I don't even know what my stepping is. I looked thru my pics of when I built my system and I guess I didn't take a pic of just the CPU upclose, which I usually do. Crap. Here's a screenshot of my CPUZ
Click to expand...

Vdroop is caused by your motherboard, not your PSU. If you got a well known board, there's usually a dampening option in your BIOS (ASUS for sure), or a pencil mod that'll effectively eliminate vdroop.

My Q6600 was able to hit 3Ghz stable with LESS than stock volts (1.275v). I'm sure you can lower yours a bit.

~Gooda~
 
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