Q6600 overclock unstable?

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ok so i got one of the overclocked system from overclockers uk, the spec is
q6600 overclocked to 3.2GHz
Abit ip35 Pro mobo
Corsair TX650 PSU
xfx 8800GT
4x1GB OCZ PC2-8500C5 SLI-Ready Dual Channel DDR2
Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro CPU cooler
Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound

now the problem is, i was looking into overclocking it further, and so ran a torture test using Prime95. About 30 seconds into the stress test, the system rebooted.

im quite new to this, so i will give all the information i know:

FSB: 356MHz
Multiplier: 9x
Core Speed: 3205MHz
Core Voltage: 1.420v
FSB:DRAM : 4:5
DRAM Frequency : 445MHz

i would post temperatures but the temps given by the uGuru on Abit mobos seems a really bad reading, its showing around 20degrees which doesnt sound right at all.

Im not 100% sure but from what i have read it may be that my core voltage isnt high enough, if someone could help me out that would be great, or would it be better for me to contact overclockers as i only got the system on tuesday and it was them who overclocked it?

also i have a slight discrepency with my CPU altogether. In my item description of my invoice it says Intel Core 2 Quad Pro Q6600, but in my cpu-z readout it says core stepping is GO, not PRO.

Is this going to be making a difference? should i follow this up or just ignore it?

thanks guys
 
you should contact overclockers,the system was supplied to you overclocked and should have been stress tested to ensure complete stability.

Don't worry about the cpu-z description of your cpu,G0 is correct,it is the later,lower TDP stepping of the Q6600.

If you want a more accurate temp reading try Intel 'TAT' or Core Temp.
 
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Please uninstall Uguru - it alone can cause system stability issues. If you're still having issues, raise your Vcore to 1.4500v, but no higher.
 
ok before we start raising vcore which looks plenty for that clock can you run prime95 small ffts, keep an eye on the temps, use coretemp to monitor these, anything over 75c or so and its getting to hot

if you were running a blend or large fft's and the system restarts then i expect its a RAM issue... raise your northbridge voltage by a notch or two, make sure that the RAM is running at the correct voltage as per manufactures instructions
 
so you guys reckon i should tamper with it? or just leave it to the guys at overclockers?

i dont have a problem with altering things myself, but i dont want to change anything and end up with them saying its customer error or anything like that.

the thing that i cant understand is that my vcore is WAY high enough for the FSB im using, so i cant really see how how this could be fsb/vcore related.

to be honest i think im going to give them a ring, they are by far the most helpful and customer caring company i have dealt with, even after a few problems already with my build, im still not put off so ill give them a call, if it turns out the OC isnt garunteed or stress tested for stability then i'll have to sort it out myself.

thanks for all the help guys, ill get coretemp and uninstall uGuru anyway

edit - just got coretemp and uninstalled uguru, ran a small FFT and one core failed after about 10 seconds, the max temps were 56degrees at 100% load and at 0% load the temps are between 28 and 33degrees
 
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ok 20 minutes of a small FFT, still have 2 working cores which are at 51,52degrees after opening my bedroom windows there is a nice breeze, what i dont understand is that the one core failed after 10 seconds or less, the other failed after just over 2 minutes.

what is this pointing to? My temperatures seem fine from what i know and even so i cant think what would cause it to last such a small amount of time!
 
More volts.

Worth a try but 1.42v is a fair amount already. If it’s failing prime after 10 seconds I doubt 1.5v, which is the most you should really do on air, would get it properly prime stable. His CPU might just not be capable of 3.2Ghz+, which may well be the case with the latest batch of Q6600s.
 
Sorry to hijack the thread but I have some questions along the lines of the OP. I have a Q6600, temps are similar to the OP's but I'm at stock - 30s at idle and 50ish at load. Its a G0 but with a VID of 1.3250, so not great. I'm just wondering is it a good idea to try overclocking this chip? What are safe voltages and temperatures?
 
im thinking its a power problem because once the first 2 cores have failed, the other two keep going well over an hour at the same temps

perhaps i should drop to 3ghz and get that stable with all 4?
 
Up to about 1.5v and at most 70c under load for day to day use. Even if it's not a great Q6600 it'll still overclock a fair bit. Aim for 3Ghz, anything over that is a bonus.
 
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From my own experience, and what others have been saying on here, a lot of the latest batch struggle to even do 3Ghz.
 
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so what sort of voltage/FSB should i use for 3GHz? i hear what you are saying and so i would much rather have a stable 3GHz then an unstable 3.2GHz

im still unsure about whether to contact OCuk about it because obviously it was them who overclocked it, but they said something about the 4gb of RAM meaning it wont go to 3.3GHz, which is why mine is at 3.2GHz?
 
so what sort of voltage/FSB should i use for 3GHz? i hear what you are saying and so i would much rather have a stable 3GHz then an unstable 3.2GHz

im still unsure about whether to contact OCuk about it because obviously it was them who overclocked it, but they said something about the 4gb of RAM meaning it wont go to 3.3GHz, which is why mine is at 3.2GHz?

Yea but I guess if they are selling you it as advertised with an overclock to 3.2ghz I assume that it should be stable at that.

GBB, thanks for your insight I think I am in the same boat as you and have heard that these latest batches are not in line with the G0s that have gained so much credibility as good clockers, but anyway I'm going to give it a shot and see where it takes me :?
 
They have 3.3ghz+ systems but if you get 4GB of RAM with it they drop it to 3.2 I believe for stability, though if its still not stable you should get in touch with them..
 
the advertised system that i got was removed and then changed, on my invoice it says 3.3GHz+ but i was told that its dropped to 3.2GHz.

im going to give them a ring and see what can be done about it
 
right, phoned OCuk, they got me to change a few things in the BIOS but still nothing so theyre taking it back and theyre gonna get it to a stable overclock hopefully
 
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