So i been reading around, and for the most part, im reading that people are saying that the XFX 680i LT SLI mobo and the Q6600 dont go well together for overclocking. So i want to know forsure what is a good motherboard that does well for overclocking the Q6600 to roughly 3.0 ghz (2.8 is good too) and isnt too expensive? or is the 680i good enough if you use the G0 stepping of the Q6600
you should be able to get it to over 3ghz with this board and a nice after market cooler. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128059 cooler http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835118019
Do you already have these parts? If you don't, do you have to use SLI? I generally advise people to go with Intel chipset boards (typically gigabyte) for overclocking, since they are guaranteed to get good performance out of CPUs, and the Q6600 G0 is one of the better examples. You can get over 3.5Ghz with a sensible voltage using a board like a GA-EP35-DS3R.
so i should go for intel chipsets? and no, dont particularly need sli, just want the option open for dual videocard should i feel that i can afford it later on, so i can really go either sli or crossfire, its just the 680i lt sli + q6600 is in a combo and a reduced price, but i was wondering if it was truly worth it
Boards like the GA-X38-DS4 are far better than the XFX 680i LT, and offer dual video support (Crossfire) on a decent chipset with lots of additional features.
while they are better, they are generally more expensive, so i need one thats about in the 100-150$ range CAD, and if ur using newegg as reference, add 10$ on that and thats my price
For that sort of money you're not going to find anything half-decent that supports dual graphics. On that limit, go with this board: http://www.shopsharksystems.com/bro...bber&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=pricegrabber If you're willing to spend a bit more to have dual graphics capability, go with this: http://www.shopsharksystems.com/bro...bber&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=pricegrabber or better yet, this one: http://www.shopsharksystems.com/browse/currency-CAD/product/GA-X38-DS4
well looking at those prices, and seeing some more, what about asus motherboards? are they good too? not to mention also cheaper
The trouble with Asus boards is that some are good, and some aren't. The ones that aren't are typically the cheap ones. The Gigabyte ones I've posted are proven to be reliable, so go with those.
ok, i decided to get the EP35 DS3R from my local store, but i got a question about cases, i know im gonna need an ATX supported case, but is there like some cases that cool better than others? and if so, what brand should i look for? also need to be cheapish (no more than 100$ for case + psu (450+))
You're not gonna get much in that price range. Just so you feel better though I have that board and I'm doing 3.4Ghz on the Q660 on air Where in Canada are you? Check your local craigslist for Corsair PSUs and a Antec 900 or a Thermaltake Armor. As far as cooling goes, they do an excellent job.
Get this PSU: http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=25472&vpn=CMPSU-450VX&manufacture=CORSAIR and a case like this: http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=20935&vpn=RC-330-KKN1&manufacture=COOLERMASTER That makes about $130, you should not be looking to go cheap on your power supply, not for a quad core CPU. Bear in mind that this PSU will also only be good for one graphics card. If you want to go dual graphics in the future, you should be spending more than $100 on the PSU alone.
actually giving some more consideration, what are some potential good asus motherboards that are good for overclocking the q6600? i read that something like the P5K-E is good, but what are some more? doesnt need dual gpu capability
If you are looking to get ASUS then you will have to spend a lot more than the Gigabyte to get the same performance. Don't get me wrong, ASUS makes good boards, but only the high end ones are worth it.
To get a reliable solid overclocking board from Asus will cost you an absolute fortune (the P5K-E doesn't seem that reliable, and that's not cheap). Realistically, go with the gigabyte.
