Selecting a motherboard for boosting the Q6600's performance
Selecting a motherboard for boosting the Q6600's performance
Hello bois.
I constructed a PC for my brother using mostly spare components, so he can enjoy games such as Overwatch, Witcher 3 and CS GO.
The Q6600 chip is quite old and doesn’t perform well in these titles. I was able to push its speed to an extremely high 2.8Ghz, but it remains unstable at any higher frequency. Since it’s a G0 chip, I’m confident it could handle significantly more. In the worst case, I might extract it and install it on my own machine to test its capabilities on my P5Q Deluxe—thank you for extending my PC’s lifespan, 771 xeons!
The motherboard currently in use is a Gigabyte GA-73VM-S2, which runs the Nforce 610i platform.
I also have another compatible board, the Gigabyte GA-946GMX-S2, based on the 946GZ chipset.
I’m aware both boards struggle with overclocking, but I’m curious which one performs better in that regard.
As a Greek and someone on a tight budget, I can’t afford to spend much on upgrades.
Looking forward to your reply!
Ps: Here are the system details you mentioned:
- Q6600 G0 2.8Ghz (cooler model not specified)
- 4GB Kingston RAM at 800Mhz
- GTX650TI, currently experiencing severe bottlenecks
- Thermaltake TR2 550W
To the best of my understanding, all s775 CPUs come with locked multipliers. I suspect you weren't around when they were released. We typically only overclocked by boosting the FSB speed. My concern is that I'm unsure which motherboard would support the higher FSB rate. Probably few people have attempted to overclock these chipsets before. I'll need to test it myself.
As far as I understand, all s775 CPUs have locked multipliers. I think you weren’t around when they were released. We used to only overclock by boosting the FSB speed. 😛
My issue is that I’m unsure which motherboard supports the higher FSB frequency. Probably not many people have actually attempted to overclock those chipsets. I’ll have to test it myself.
Not exactly, the extreme series like QX6700 are multiplier unlocked. My first build used an E6700, but it never reached stable speeds above 3.0GHz. That was on an ASRock board.
Well yeah, but they were very overpriced, and very few people had them.
Asrock had very few overclocking friendly mobos back then(atleast i think so), so it does make sense that you had issues.
I used to run an other g0 q6600 at 3.8Ghz on my p5q deluxe(P45 chipset). And i am now running a modded x5460 at 4.3Ghz. As long as you have a motherboard with a decent chipset, overclocking chips with locked multiplier isnt that much of a deal.
Anyway, this is getting offtopic. I'll just try out the 946gz mobo when i have enough spare time.
Thanks
Driftingcris :
Yep, but those were pretty expensive and most folks didn’t own them. Asrock had limited overclocking options back then (at least I thought so), which explains why you ran into problems. I used to run another G0 Q6600 at 3.8Ghz on my P5q deluxe (P45 chipset). Now I’m using a modded X5460 at 4.3Ghz. As long as your board has a solid chipset, tweaking chips with locked multipliers isn’t too tough.
Anyway, this is moving off the main topic. I’ll give it a shot with the 946gz mobo when I have some free time.
Thanks
That’s all you can really do—most info is old now. Good luck!
The Gigabyte supports 1333fsb when configured in BIOS, and adjusting the voltage slightly can reach around 3GHz. Raising the voltage further might allow higher fsb speeds, with 400V corresponding to about 3.6GHz—ideal with proper cooling. If BIOS doesn't support it, Throttlestop software can manage voltage control, and a BSEL 266 to 333 tape modulator will achieve similar results. A Q6700 would also reach 3.3GHz if available.
It indicates support for 1333fsb, which suggests you're likely referring to the Nforce model. I attempted it, but stability drops above 2.8ghz (310fsb). With solid experience in core overclocking, I believe the motherboard is limiting the CPU performance. I might consider using a tape modulator, though I doubt the chip can sustain 3ghz at stock voltage.
A few Nvidia chipsets encountered issues with the stock 1333 bus. The QX6700 was a B3 stepping, while the regular Q6700 was the newer G0 stepping. The QX6800 SLACP offers the best unlocked performance. If the 1333 bus functions, QX6850 or QX9650 could be viable options. Since you mentioned the Q6600, I assumed you were looking for something more affordable.
as i mentioned, i don't have a budget and i assembled the entire system using spare parts. if i could afford one, i would choose a 771 xeon, just like i did with my personal computer.