Solving Dell Optiplex 780 SFF with a Q6600 overclocking guide
Solving Dell Optiplex 780 SFF with a Q6600 overclocking guide
Hello,
I have a query about overclocking. My OptiPlex 780 doesn’t have an overclocking menu in the BIOS, so I can’t do that directly. I’ve heard about BSEL mods but wasn’t sure about their safety. I’m trying to figure out the best way to overclock my Q6600 on this system and thought it might help if you could suggest something. I believe there’s a lot more potential in this machine for gaming if I push it further.
Thanks,
Alfking
That's a great find! Nope, that's probably real. Prices have really crashed on those generations and even the one after. If you got that with the i5, you don't even need a cpu upgrade and you're ready to go!
Getting one of the lga1150 generations opens up the possibility of an i7-4790k, which starts into modern performance numbers. But right now that processor is 2x as expensive as it was the end of last year, so demand is...
You won't be able to OC from your BIOS... it is very limited in terms of options with these optiplex models.
As for the tape mod I'll give you some pointers:
Q6600 Tape Mod OC
Tape mod/BSEL mod intel Q6600
- a thread from this forum
Simplified: what you need to do is cover 2 contact points on the CPU(you'll see which ones in the links above).
Even though you could try doing the mod, I won't recommend it. Why? Here goes:
1.
The motherboard's power delivery doesn't look promising. It's obvious why Dell doesn't have any OCing option in the BIOS.
2
.The CPU Cooler is mediocre at best + airflow in these SFF cases is awful. After the OC I'm expecting your Q6600 to be quite toasty.
3.(!!!this is the main problem!!!)
Your PSU is only a 235W unit, but on the +12V rail you have a max power output of only 204W. Considering that the Q6600 is already a power hungry chip having a TDP of 105W, overclocking it would bring that number dangereously close to your max power output(CPU, GPU,motherboard,storage are fed from the +12V rail). Also the quality of the PSU is dodgy: no efficiency rating + manufacturer is not specified(delta is usually making models for dell which are fine, but there are also some AcBel units which are of garbage quality).
4.
You said something about gaming performance.... I'm guessing you have a dedicated GPU(
if so
what model?
).
If you have a GPU the concern from point 3 is grows even bigger.... definitely don't OC that CPU.
Based on the reasons above I'll advise against OCing your Q6600.
I'm checking out a 1030 gt but currently owning a budget 710 gt, which feels like a waste of money. I don't want to risk damaging my system. What should I do with the CPU and overall gaming performance? Maybe upgrading the PSU is an option if needed. I have 10GB of RAM available. The game I'm focusing on improving is SWBF2. Thanks for your help.
You won't be able to fit any standard PSU in that situation, unfortunately... which means upgrading won't be possible. The 1030 should work because of its low TDP and it can boost gaming performance. There are compatibility problems between Pascal cards and LGA775 boards due to old BIOS support... but good news, your motherboard is compatible with the GT 1030 (others have confirmed this). You can't do much else except switch your GPU.
However, considering the minimum specs for Star Wars Battle Front 2, it's unlikely you'll get a great experience even with the 1030. To truly enjoy the game, a platform change would be necessary.
Instead of pushing the q6600 to higher speeds, I’d consider switching to a q9xxx lineup, with a q9650 being ideal if available. If that’s not feasible, check out the x3370 and x33xx series xeons since the Dell boards support them (I already have a x3360 in my Optiplex 380).
For performance boosts, I’d look into a low-profile 750 Ti or 1050 Ti processor, provided the BIOS allows installation. Also, upgrading to 16GB RAM would enable dual-channel memory usage.
Alright, Thanks! I'll look into what I can upgrade. Would a 1050 ti even work for my optiplex? keep in mind it's a sff 780. And would a q9650 be compatible with my system? one last question... What the difference between q9650 and the Q6600? and 10gb of ram vs 16gb? For battlefront 2 specificly. Also keep in mind my limited PSU. Thanks for your help
,
Alfking
In my experience, the 9000 series core 2 quads perform better than the 6000 series when measured by clock speed. If you manage to fit a 1050ti into the setup, I’d go ahead with it, though that also relies on your power supply. My rig uses a 755sff with a 275w power supply, and I’m not sure about the 780’s. For RAM, I believe my system is powerful enough for games demanding a lot of memory, as I currently have 8gb which never gets saturated.
I have a 235W PSU. I came across this on Amazon. Would it perform similarly to the Q9650?
https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-lis...in...quad+q9650&qid=1582730549&sr=8-4
Thanks Again
The clock speed variation probably won't be significant, and you might be able to get something a bit cheaper on eBay, maybe?