Intel Core 2 Q6600 G0 Stepping: Cheap Quad Core Just Got Better

Overclocking: A Speedy SLACR?

When we previewed Intel's Core 2 Duo E6750 we were quite impressed by how well the new G0 stepping was able to overclock at stock voltage settings. We managed 3.68GHz out of the 2.66GHz processor without even increasing the core voltage, but would the same hold true about the quad-core Q6600?

With more transistors to worry about, we already knew that we wouldn't be able to overclock as high as the dual-core E6750. But would G0 prove to be a tremendous improvement over the B3 stepping chips?

Our B3 Core 2 Quad Q6600 was able to run at 3.33GHz with a 1480MHz FSB and a 9.0x multiplier at 1.312V, we couldn't get the system stable at anything faster.

Our G0 Q6600, surprisingly enough, couldn't really get much higher. While the same 3.33GHz overclock was possible at a lower voltage, our max was 3.51GHz (390 x 9.0) without resorting to improved cooling. Even at our max, the system wasn't always 100% stable, we suspect that our G0 chip would end up somewhere around 3.4GHz and fully stable in the long run.

It's clear that the G0 Q6600 was able to get a slightly better overclock, as our B3 sample wouldn't post at 3.51GHz, but the improvement isn't earth shattering. We have heard of much better overclocks with G0 cores, so your mileage may vary of course.