The Ultimate Core 2 Duo Guide: Chipsets, Guides, Links, and more!
Intel P35 Chipset
- Great overclocker. 500-600MHz FSB easy on a good board w/Dual, mid-high 400's with quad. I think I saw one 500FSB shot on a quad with a DFI board a while back.
- Supports Crossfire
- PCI-E 1.1
- Clocks RAM well if you have the high FSB to back it up.
- Runs warm!
- Generally a prime choice for any CPU/RAM/GPU combo. Great bang for buck performance.
- Get P35 over X38 if you don't plan on going Crossfire.
- Has extremely fast Matrix RAID
- Supports DDR3
- Good performance clock-for-clock - close to X38, better than 680/780i
- The best boards to get now are the Foxconn Mars, DFI P35 Lanparty series, Abit IP35 series, MSI P35 Neo2-FR or Platinum.
Intel X38/48 Chipset
- Great Overclocker: 500-600FSB usually, on dual core. Expect 400-480 on quad, maybe a bit more if you got a really good board/CPU.
- Ability to run Crossfire w/full bandwidth slots.
- PCI-E 2.0
- Runs very warm, TDP is high.
- Best for benching with Crossfire, Pi, etc.
- Best clock-for-clock performance.
- Has extremely fast Matrix RAID
- The two boards to get on this chipset are the Intel BadAxe2 (XBX2) and the Abit AW9D-Max. They both do the highest FSB out of all of them, out of the box and usually provide the most stable computing environment with the best OC.
- Supports DDR3.
- Best boards seem to be the ASUS Maximus Formula, Abit X38 QuadGT
NVIDIA 780/790i Chipset
- Good overclocker, seen 550+ MHz FSB out of it so far on a dual. Seems to top around mid-high 400's for quads still. Not much info as of yet.
- Runs very warm. (Hottest out of these four chipsets)
- Good for all chips generally.
- Your only choice for NVIDIA SLI.
- PCI-E 2.0
- Supports 3x SLI aka Tri-SLI.
- [Slow RAID.
- Ability to run memory @ any speed you want.
- Takes a considerable amount of tweaking for it to be even be considered usable for competitive benchmarking (CPU wise)
- Supports DDR3 (790i)
- Not much info on these boards yet, but more will be added. As of now though, they do seem pretty buggy from what I've read. More so than 680i in most cases.
Temp Threads: Threads that contain useful info that pertains to the "now," and will be outdated quickly (such as a batch of new BIOS' or something.)For more information, these threads may be of assistance..
- *Official Retail G0 Q6600 Overclocking Thread* - 80+ pages of Q6600 G0 oc's. Go post/compare yours!
- **Official e8400/e8500 Retail OC Thread - Wolfdale OC's here, go slobber now.
- The Conroe Overclock Database - Great place to find what people have done with their CPU's, boards, chipsets, RAM, etc. The ultimate thread for finding results that are Orthos Stable!
- "The Official" Core 2 Duo Overclocking Thread - Basic thread with users posting in an unspecific format their overclocks and rig specs. Another good spot for info on results. Still is relatively active post wise, but the creator hasn't updated the "database" part in a while.
- A Beginners Guide to Intel Overclocking - Your one stop shop on how to learn the basics, troubleshooting, etc. Very well thought out and explained, A+!
- Basic Conroe FAQ's - Older thread, still provides some useful info pertaining to modern Core 2 Duo rig's.
- The 4GHz Retail Conroe Database - The database of retail chips that hit 4GHz.
- 1333FSB Pin Mod - Learn how to change your chip into a 1333FSB chip with a simple pin mod. Great for users who's boards lack overclocking/FSB options.
- Core Temp -> MBM5 Plugin - FCG's guide on how to do this easily for those of you who still love MBM5!
- Lapped Core 2 Duo IHS Pictures - A little gallery of peoples' lapped Core 2's. Has some neat tips/tricks in it.
- P5W64 WS Pro, P5B Deluxe, P5N32-E SLI, RD600 - Complete comparison. Great for comparing chipsets, as it includes all of them. 975X, 965P, 680i, RD600, a straight up comparison.
Motherboard Specific Threads
....ASUS Threads
- ASUS Maximus Formula SE - The online handbook basically. 219 pages of Maximus Formula SE overclocks, results, BIOS', tweaks, tips, misc.
- Asus Maximus Formula *Part 2* *Help / Overclocking / Guide* - Apparently another Maximus thread. Not quite as long, 55 pages, but has lots of info in the first post.
- Official ASUS X38 Boards: P5E, P5E3 - Info/BIOS Thread - Pictures, info, overclocks & help on ASUS Midrange X38 Lineup
- Official Thread ASUS P5E3 DELUXE.WiFi-AP Problems, Workarounds, BIOS info - Info on the X38 based DDR3 board. Lots of BIOS' listed, "tricks & tips," etc.
- ASUS P5K Bearlake (vanilla) chipset motherboard - Not too big of a thread, but lots of valuable info about the P5K Vanilla.
- Asus P5K Deluxe - Intel P35 Bearlake + E6600 B1 / Q6600 B3 - Pretty much the official guide / problems & fixes thread for the ASUS P5K series, specifically the deluxe. Lots of info, 39 pages and growing, go get educated!
- P5B Deluxe: BIOS Screens for Maximum Overclock Success - Good guide. The voltages can be a bit high for most users, but they're spot on for over 500FSB. It's a basic starting point. Once you've got a stable setting with those I recommend trying to lower them. Remember, if you can lower voltages while remaining completely stable, this is a GOOD thing. Lowers/reduces stress on components, drops heat dump & power consumption.
- P5B Deluxe: Problems & Fixes - Simply the best thread ever. Over 130 pages of useful information, tips, tricks, etc. If you have a problem/question/inquiry and your a P5B Deluxe user, be sure to stop here FIRST. Try searching the thread for your issue first though. If you can't find it, whip up a post.
- Commando Results, Info & Testing - Lots of stuff here about the Commando. Good testing by Tony, Andre & More.
- P5W DH: Problems & Fixes - Just as good as the P5B Deluxe thread. Same basic concept. Tons of tips, tricks, etc. Be sure to search the thread for your specific problem/question/inquiry before posting though!
- ASUS 680i Results - Has some good information, has enough info to be listed here.
- P5W64 WS Pro Guide - Ample information. Has links to BIOS', etc
....Giga-Byte Threads
- Official GIGABYTE X38-DQ6/X38T-DQ6 Info/BIOS Thread - 68+ pages of info on Giga-Byte's X38 boards.
- Official GIGA P35-S3/DS3/DS3R/DS3P/DS4/DQ6 bios/info thread - Just like the threads below, tons of info on Giga-Byte's new motherboards based off the new Intel chipsets (P35, etc). A must read for users of these motherboards.
- A quick 1st look: GA-G33M-DS2R, mATX P35 mobo - Info & help, pix, etc on Giga-Byte's new champion MATX Core 2 Duo motherboard, which overclocks like a freak!
- Huge Misc. Thread on the DS Series - Another thread chock full of info. Info about BIOS', problems, etc. Take a look here if you own a DSX board. (DS3, DS4, etc.)
- DS3/DS4/DQ6 Memory Thread - All about memory overclocking, tweaking, what's compatible/works, etc. Not very large yet, but could grow. Contribute!
....Abit Threads
- **Official ABIT IP-35 Pro Review/Overclock/Guide Thread** - The thread for the ABIT IP35 series basically. There's some IP35 Vanilla, IP35-E info scattered about too. Has all the vmods for the Pro, BIOS', fixes, etc.
- **Official ABIT IX38 QuadGT Review/Overclock/Guide Thread** - Same as above but for the X38 ABIT board. TONS of info too.
- The AW9D-MAX Thread - Tons of info 'bout this popular 975x motherboard. Look here if you're a user, or potential buyer!
- Abit QuadGT 965P - Info, pix, results about this board. Info about bugs, BIOS', etc.
- Abit IN9 32X-MAX Thread - Very similar to the AW9D-MAX thread, info wise. Lots of pages, lots of info.. good results.
....DFI Threads- Challenge the limitation of Quad-core CPU-DFI LANParty DK P35 First Look - Thread all about it, BIOS', OC info, etc. Relatively small compared to other threads, though.
- Official DFI LanParty UT X38-T2R(and LT) Discussion/Review/Overclock/Guide Thread - You name it, it's there in the thread (which is apparent by the title). 74+ pages of goodness.
- DFI P35 Value Motherboard, Infinity INF P35-T2RL BLOOD-IRON - Awesome budget board, great overclocker, sleek looking. Here's the thread on it.
- **Official DFI LanParty UT P35-T2R Review/Overclock/Guide Thread** - Also an awesome midrange P35 board from DFI. Manual, drivers, BIOS', reviews, etc here. 151 PAGES LONG.
....680i Threads
....780i Threads
....MSI Board Threads
....Misc Board Threads
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I hope you all like this little guide, feel free to post input to add for the chipsets! I'm open to it! I'll try and edit+add daily.