OverClocking Intel's Core 2 Duo
6/12/06
AMD is trying to catch up with Intel, and has just released their first Quad Core Processor - Quad Core Opteron - code named Barcelona. AMD is actually a bit ahead of Intel since their Quad Core is not just two dual cores stuck together like Intel's Quad Core but a native Quad Core - i.e. four cores on a single die. AMD has also announced that they are starting to switch over to 65nm fabrication process. More on that later.
One of Intel Core 2 Duo outstanding features is its overclocking abilities. Tests have shown that all the Core 2 Duo model, and even the Core 2 Duo E6300 can be overclocked to a good speed and stay stable.
What we didn't know previously however was how far we could overclock retail E6300/E6400 CPUs, and furthermore we had no idea what a highly overclocked 2MB Core 2 Duo CPU would perform like. Armed with two B1 stepping Core 2 Duo CPUs, one E6300 and one E6400, we went to task on overclocking them. Our goal wasn't to reach the absolute highest overclocks using high end cooling, but rather the maximum stable overclocks easily attainable with a stock Intel heatsink/fan. Undoubtedly we could have reached higher frequencies with more elaborate cooling, but we were more interested in the bare minimum of what was attainable - and we weren't disappointed.
Our E6300 was able to reach 2.592GHz using a 370MHz FSB at 1.400V (up from 1.320V stock)
Our E6400 was a bit more successful, reaching 2.88GHz using a 360MHz FSB at 1.350V (up from 1.300V stock)
Both CPUs were totally stable when overclocked and were able to complete our multiple days of benchmarking without behaving any less stable than when clocked at their default frequencies....
The E6300 and E6400 can easily overclock to E6700 and Core 2 Extreme X6800 levels, though the smaller cache does limit performance a bit. That being said, our overclocked E6300 was able to equal and in all cases but one outperform AMD's Athlon 64 FX-62. In fact, in quite a few benchmarks, the overclocked E6300 is essentially out of reach of anything AMD can offer with their current K8 designs. At $183, the value here is tremendous, and if you're willing to overclock the benefits don't get any clearer than that.
The Core 2 Duo E6700 also does very well in the overclocking scene.
We the overclocked the Core 2 Duo E6700 and re-ran the tests. Clocked normally at 2.26GHz, it scored 335 in Sysmark.
I was feeling lucky, so I increased the standard external bus from 266MHz to 300MHz. The Core 2 Duo started fine, and clocked at 3GHz it scored 353 in Sysmark. I then edged the bus speed up 10MHz at a time.
With a bus of 310MHz, the CPU was running at 3.1GHz and scored 362. Then to 320MHz where it was clocked at 3.2GHz and scored 369.
Next up, 330MHz, a clock of 3.3GHz and a score of 379, then 340MHz with a clock of 3.4GHz and score of 387. I was wondering when it would refuse to go any further, but got my answer at 350MHz where the system booted at 3.5GHz, but refused to run any benchmarks reliably.
This is still a great result: my Core 2 Duo E6700 managed to overclock from 2.66GHz to 3.4GHz without complaint, nor any need for additional voltage or liquid cooling.
Clearly even the fastest Core 2 Duo has plenty of headroom for overclocking. To get the most from it though, you'll need other components that can keep up. In that respect, the Crucial Ballistix memory and Asus P5W DH Deluxe motherboard come highly recommended.
So it seems that Intel's Core 2 Duo family really does out do everything else out there. It out performs and also allows for good and easy overclocking.
Now new motherboards are coming out which make overclocking simple and offer better performance (NVIDIA 680i Chipset)
The problem is that for most of the average user, 'overclocking' is a word that only the computer geeks know understand and are willing to try. The truth is that with today's motherboards and software, overclocking is pretty simple and doesn't necessarily mean more hardware for cooling. And the chances of you turning your CPU in to melted plastic are slim as long as you're careful. For all those wiling to try to get more out of their processor read this great guide for overclocking
Sources: http://www.itweek.co.uk/personal-computer-world/features/2168652/hands-power-two?page=2 http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/showdoc.aspx?i=2802&p=12
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