Well, ive had my P5Q for about 3 weeks now, and had absolutely ZERO luck getting decent overclocks with decent temps. On my MSI P35 I was at 3.0ghz and around 60c full load with a crappy ASUS V-60 cooler. Now, with this ASUS P5Q and a Xigmatek S1283 w/OCZ Freeze, the stock idle/load temps are trash (39-44c idle, 55c load), and the OC temps are just pathetic, (68c with prime95 running set for max temp/usage, 55c idle). What gives here? Obviously this is way to high for a Q6600.

Ive reseated the cooler 4 times now, twice with both configurations (back and top). Ive made sure the paste is on perfectly, checked for contact marks, the cracks are filled in the Zigma, im not using too much paste, the cooler is seated with proper preasure. The chip is a G0 stepping and its VID is 1.3, dropping the voltage will cause the OC to fail, period.

Ive had this chip for almost a year now, its always ran hot eventhough its a G0. Ive tried 4 different coolers on this POS on 4 different motherboards and ive never been able to get the temps that some of these other people are getting, ive always been 5c-20c higher. Cores 0 and 1 have always been 4-6c higher than 2 and 3, ive checked the IHS and its not bent, deformed, concaved, or anything like that. Im about ready to sell this piece of crap and get a E8400.

I was getting 3.6ghz on my MSI P35 easily with lower temps using the ASUS V-60. I know the Zigmatek isnt overraited and its not the issue here, im putting the blame at 75% motherboard 25% CPU.

lol. get a E4400 and either a P5Q Deluxe or (im gonna get in serious spit for this....) a evga 750i FTW which i seen reviews time and time again....and even one a 10 second Q6600 overclock to 3.6GHz with one voltage increase and 100% stable and cool. ill edit this with the URL of that particular site i was looking at last night.... seriously guys what's wrong with the 750i? i think its a perfectly good board once you update the bios and drivers... simple and powerful overclocks...

Intel/AMD chipsets are the way to go. Nvidia chipsets are for clowns....or that is what you will become after juggling issue after issue.

Wow how about making sure you CPU is not concave or convex lapping mite be needed .

Did you update the bios? That might help with temp errors although I seriously doubt it and what are you using to check temps? Coretemp, realtemp?

Sure Intel chip set are the best at OC the highest and are the most stable.
Wait ! this just in Intel 790i just ended world hunger and brought about world piece.

Im using Coretemp and HWMonitor, both are reporting the same exact temps across all 4 cores. Ive checked for BIOS updates already, and there is one but ASUS says it just fixes a compatability issue with a particular memory.

Also @ HoustonSerenity, I stated in my OP that the CPU is not concave or misformed in anyway so ive ruled that out.

I had the same problems with that cooler. Its the Push pins, and it has to be seated in just the right manner. The middle heat pipe MUST be directed down the length of the cores.

You can say you have it seated right, tested junk, etc. But so did I.

After I trashed the push pins in favor of small bolts and screws, I get great temps. We made another thread that showed the direction the middle heat pipe has to go on a q6x00 series chip.

Another thing as well, just take your thermal paste and literally draw a line down each heat pipe only. Just a nice lil even line down the middle of the copper heat pipe. All three of them.

I mean, I had near the exact temps. 40c idle, and like 70c loaded. I was shocked that people said this rivals the TRUE.

After making the adjustments mentioned, and making sure that middle heat pipe runs right along the length of your cores, leaving the other two to get residual heat, I get (like now, since I am on that comp.) 32/32/ 34/34 idle on my q6600 at 3510 Mhz, and 58 c max.

Before said adjustments, very hot, like yours.

You have an excellent board, and cooler, though a High VID processor. But still. Your 3.6 loaded temps near 1.45 volts should be at about 63c.

Good luck!

--Lupi

Here is the thing Lup, I have the Crossbow backplate, and I also applied the paste in a line across. I got it from the guide posted up here. Tomorrow ill redo the paste again, after that if nothing changes then I give up.

The chip wont work. Just try it like I said? On all other heat sinks I had, I applied it to the processor, and all works well.

Not so, the Xiggy.

The spacers between the pipes contact the IHS first. Having the goo on the chip will make a good contact with the spacers, but poor contact with the heat pipes.

Clean them off. Draw a line down each heat pipe, and re apply with the proper direction for that middle pipe.

Lemme try and find the proper alignment thingie...

--Lupi

Hmmm.....ok. I applied the paste in a line across the chips on the CPU, NOT on the HS itself. Tired and old argument here, and im not calling you a liar by far, but im just having a hard time believing/understanding that the placement of the paste will make a 10-20c difference. PC is completly idle right now, stock vcore of 1.3, 1.5 CPU PLL (lowest, I took it off auto to see if it was over volting, nadda), and the ASUS EPU Six-Engine in maxium power savings mode and my temps are 43/42/38/40.

I know. No worries. It worked for me.

I bitched and bitched, then broke it down and re set the thing 10 times in a row, and wow. After paying attention to what was happening, it worked!

Can't hurt to try, right?

Still looking for that burried thread.

The cores go only one direction. if your three heat pipes are running over them, you'll have like 25% actual contact in the location that the CORES are really under.

The other way, one heat pipe goes DIRECTLY over the entire length of the cores. Leaving the other two to collect the left over heat.

The spacers are a fraction of a hairs breadth longer than the pipes. Placing the goo on the pipes themselves, will cause ALL the excess thermal paste to gather under the pipes, and NONE under the already to long spacers. Get it?

--Lupi

Hmm, alright. Right now I have the cooler on top/bottom, as in the fan blowing up towards the PSU. I had it mounted with the fan blowing towards the back and temps were exactly the same, so which way is the proper mounting to where the heatpipes can do their job?

Also, if you have one of those cases with a CPU exhaust fan, making you always direct the heat sink left to right, as opposed to up and down, to align the CPU fan with the exhaust fan, you may have never even accidentally tried the correct direction!

--Lupi

I am looking!!!

--lupi

Here!!

Note the indent and lil arrow location locater!

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/ [...] decomp.jpg

--Lupi

Lol, that is the same pic I used to determine how I should put the paste on my chip. So now I need to remove the cooler and turn it back around facing towards the back so that middle pipe can run down that line, WITH paste on the pipes instead of the cpu this time.

I noticed when I took the cooler off there was.....no paste on the cooler or the CPU at all, except the tiny little spot where I had put the one line on the chip. So basically im just getting a little bit of cooling from 1 pipe, as opposed to 3 pipes and all the alluminum fins that go with it.

That could hurt. Its the spacers!

Place it on the pipes, a nice lil line down all 3 almost the whole length, and re seat it like it needs to be!!

Hopefully it helps.

I knew the spacer part happens.

I am just lazy and dont like to type so many things out, since I am one of the On Duty guys that is here alot.

Hehe, hear alot of the same things, and have to type the same junk.. And man, I am fing lazy!

Let me know how it works!

--Lupi