Hi everyone,
I am new to overclocking, so would like some advice. I have a Core 2 Duo e6600 2.40 ghz and would like to know how far i can push this without having to think about additional cooling. My current system is a Dell XPS 710 - which has a mamouth fan sitting above the CPU at the moment - and this i beleove is to allow for overclocking... my CPU runs at 27c when playing Crysis for 20 mins - 22c when system is running idle.

Rig Specs as follows:
XPS 710
Core 2 Duo E6600
4 gig RAM at 667 Mhz
Nvidia 8800 GTX
500 gig Raid 0
750W PSU - standard Dell PSU
Nvidia 590 SLI Mobo

IF you look around here on Tom's you can find articles on overclocking,,and there is one that includes the Q6600,which would make a good place to start/guide..:> )

Your Rams going to limit you to around a 3ghz overclock ie. 333FSB. Cooling should handle that aswell, use Real Temp and Orthos small FFt tests to check your temps.

i thought my ram would cause issues at some point. 3ghz i would be really happy with actually if i could get it running with current cooling.

so where would be the best place to do this... from the bios? is there software which allows me to simply select how much i want to overclock by? i am a complete noob to the overclocking scene.

Bios is the best place to start. It's best not to do a 'quickie' overclock read through this: http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/foru [...] uals-guide then if you have questions ask .

thanks mate, i will have a read now during my lunch break.

9 X 333 = 3Ghz ... that's plenty and you won't need to overvolt it much or at all if lucky.

They can be pushed heaps more if you have decent cooling ... good luck with that but I have found diminishing returns (heat / stability) a pain when you just want to turn it on and use it.

Surely 3Ghz is enough unless your planning to stick another graphics card in next to the GTX?

well this is the interesting thing - i actually bought a 9800gx2.. and expereinced huge problems when playing Crysis.. it would start off by giving me 35 fps on very high settings 1920 resolution on my 24" screen... then after 3 or 4 mins the fps would drop to 10-15 fps! this is on Relic.. third level... all my other games ran perfectly 9800gx2 (COD 4, GEARS, GRAW 2) but the 9800gx2 did'nt like Crysis and thats the only reason i boguht it. So i have sent the 9800 back and reinstalled my 8800 gtx which gives 25 fps on high. I thought overclocking my CPU may have been what i should have done to run the 9800gx2 better.

i also increased the fan speed of the 9800gx2 to 100% and no issues... the cards were running at 58c during Crysis... so it was not a heat issue at all... i think my CPU was holding it back... what do yout hink?

One problem is you have a Dell. They have very limited bios features to keep you from causing them warrenty issues.

Don't think you'll be able to do much at all honestly.

i have heard many people say the same thing - however i do recall with the XPS systems they gave a little leway with regarsd to OC'ing, the CPU has for example a MAMOUTH Fan sitting on it... i guess this has been pre installed purely on the basis that someone may actually OC their CPU... no?

It's really not mammoth at all. Goggle Thermalright and look at the size of their best CPU cooler. Yours is pretty big, and should handle an OC okay. It's not as good as aftermarket, but should be okay.

http://www.thermalright.com/new_a_ [...] u120ex.htm

http://xbitlabs.com/articles/coole [...] 20a_4.html

And your temps your stating sound suspect. 22C idle? Thats cooler than your room I'm sure, and thats impossible. What program are you using to measure temps? Try realtemp or coretemp. And use orthos as the load program to see what the temps really are. Also the ambient temp of your room, in C, not F (for comparison) matters a lot too.

You got a nice system there, and the case has plenty of room.

http://direct2dell.com/one2one/arc [...] /3026.aspx
Dell OC vid.