I'm getting a new rig with an e8400 and was wondering what speed I could get it too realistically. I'm getting -

Aplus CS-188AF ATX (Case)
Xigmatek HDT-S1283 (H.D.T.) (Cooler)
Asus P5Q (Mobo)
120mm Xclio 16 Blade Fan (Extra Fan)
650W Xclio Greatpower (PSU)
4GB (2x2GB) Corsair TwinX DDR2 XMS2 Dominator, PC2-8500(1066)

i would say 3.7. its just how lucky you get on your processor. some people only get 3.6 and some get over 4.0.

Well mathematically speaking, with DDR2-1066 memory you can reach 4.8Ghz.. But I would say 3.6 to 4.0 is the general range to shoot for, and like Cal said, every chip is going to be different.

You'll just have to work your way up in small increments and see where things become unstable!

Happy hunting!

first off run it at stock for a few weeks to 'bed' in and let everything settle , then you should get 3.6ghz at stock voltage or a small increase of vcore. (mines at 3.6 @ stock but my mobo has intelligent voltage modulation afaik) let that run for a while and stress test it , then go for the small increases. im happy with mine at 3.6 atm , might push for 4 later on.

mine went 4.2 on h20

Mine is at 3.6 but my mobo limits it cause i down clocked my cpu to 3ghz and overclock my mobo and i had problems.

youll probably get at least 3.8 if you mobo doesnt prohibit you. The yield ratio is really good on these chips so if you buy a e8400 its like buying a e8700 (if there was such a thing).

Well I've got mine at 4.00Ghz on air easily using a x8 multiplier and 500 FSB. Good luck