Low overclock

Hi Guys,

I got a quad 6600 with stage 3 cooling (extreme case).  Before I ordered customer service said I'd get around a 3.0 Ghz OC out of that, but it looks like mine only came in at 2.8, which must be way at the low end.  My question is if you got a unit that was unstable at 3 Ghz, why not use that in a non-OC system and give the people that pay for the OC the chips that you can wring the higher OC from? 

Originally posted by pinebot Hi Guys, I got a quad 6600 with stage 3 cooling (extreme case).  Before I ordered customer service said I'd get around a 3.0 Ghz OC out of that, but it looks like mine only came in at 2.8, which must be way at the low end.  My question is if you got a unit that was unstable at 3 Ghz, why not use that in a non-OC system and give the people that pay for the OC the chips that you can wring the higher OC from?

I guess, like the delivery delays, this is another case of over-promising and under delivering.   The point isn't what is "guaranteed", it's that someone represented to me pre-purchase that they can get 3.0 out of it.  If, instead, at that time I was told what you just wrote, my expectations would have been met and I would have been happy.  I guess my point is be careful what you tell customers because they will expect you to deliver on it.  If the policy is stated clearly upfront I think no one would have a problem with it.

Yeah, Alex is right, there is no any difference between your quad-core running at 2.8GHz and 3.0Ghz. The difference is 0.4GHz+ from your original CPU speed(2.4GHz).

Yeah, you should have a good air cooling heatsink for your CPU before you're going to overclock it, because it will be hot after you overclocked.

Originally posted by sundowner So If I purchased a new heatsink I could push the 2.4 to 2.8 easily then?

The stage 2 fan/heatsink combo can OC your system to 2.8 easily. I was looking at your config in your sig and see that you choose the 680i LT motherboard instead of the A1. With the LT motherboards don't expect too much since it can't be OC as high as the A1 revision motherboard.

A 7% difference is not noticeable at all.

Just as a sidenote (because I've been very impressed with the service DS aims to provide even though I don't have my system yet) - this seems to be less about the noticeable difference between 2.8 and 3.0 GHz and more about managing customer expectations.. everything from shipping times and assembly delays to overclocks.

Among other things, I oversee customer service functions for a large-scale e-commerce business and I know it's very hard to do. Nonetheless, it seems a lot of forum topics point in this direction, so an effort to address it (either with stronger verbiage about how ship times are only an estimate, or an explanation of "the art of overclocking") might be really helpful to you in terms of ultimately satisfying people to a greater degree.

Hopefully my comments don't come across as anything other than an observation

Having said that, I can't wait to get my rig!

Chris


Edited by thecomplex - 28 Sep 2007 at 8:35am

I think everyone needs to try and understand what they're buying and the potential of their hardware.  I do agree it is important that DS defines certain parameters when talking to people about their configuration, however, it is equally important that the consumer research and understand along with DS' consultation the capabilities of that configuration.

It's been talked about many times in these forums that the A-1 revision can achieve 3.0 and beyond easier.  I think that we all can get overly excited about all of this and forget to ask the questions according to our personal specs.  This is why if you have any questions you PM Alex, Kelly or any of the managers about your specific concerns.  Reading everything on these forums and making a decision from this info is not the best way to assure your personal satisfaction.  Your happiness needs to be based on your purchase, not someone that's got a similar build.  It could be that subtle difference in the build that keeps you from hitting the expectation.

ASK... ASK... ASK! 

It's always a good idea to ask, ask, ask. It's an even better idea to research, research, research... before asking. But I think the criticism is pretty constructive. Showing a better explanation in the information tab for cooling options on why every chip is different, and how MoBo choices can impact a final OC result, would help people to come from a more informed position so they feel comfortable asking questions.

Originally posted by donkeypunch Im on my 8th business day now, and was called today to let me know the red round cables are not in stock so I had to go with black. No big deal, but this means its still in the process of being put together, and I imagine it still has to go through the 72 hour burn in. Not complaining at all-was just hoping it would be shippable this week. No big deal.

Edited by Bill the Cat - 03 Oct 2007 at 9:13am

Remember, buddy, there's overclocking, then there's overclocking backed by a three year warranty.

I completely agree with everything you guys are saying. Believe me, I don't want a system that isn't stable. I would much prefer a slower system thats rock solid over a blazing processor that croaks every other reboot! I just thought pushing a Q6600 to 3Ghz wasn't even nearing the outer limits of its capability. Again, hardware, case design, cooling, etc all play a huge part in that, but attaining 3Ghz on air didn't seem too drastic.

I could certainly understand DS scoffing at a 3.4Ghz request as this is getting quite high. Although I've seen plenty of Q6600's pushed that high on air, I myself wouldn't want it. Even if it were stable I wouldn't want to have to invest in fan controllers, more dedicated fans/heatsinks, having to constantly monitor temps, etc. I'm looking for the set it and forget it method which is why i elected to have DS OC for me. Whatever they decide to clock the processor at is where im going to keep it as I just dont want to chance having any warranty issues.

Concerning the performance increases, I agree the performance gain is quite minimal. My point was minimul gains are still noteworthy. For instance, whats the average increase in a DS TwisterBoost Overclock? If its getting a Q6600 to 2.6 your talking a 200mhz increase-a $25 premium. If it just wasn't worth it then why offer it at all? Same as the debate between the G0 and B3 steppings. The performance difference is minimal-but a performance boost nonetheless.

As for the cables, it truly didnt bother me. I mean of course my first choice was red but having black is no big deal. And to be honest, I'm very happy they at least called to let me know. Even though it was a minor issue its still nice to get an update-which many companies wont bother to do. My concern was I thought they just started building it now! Then that would be quite awhile before it begins the 72 hour burn in. And even that is fine. By no means am I trying to rush things, just anxious is all.

I think what makes it worse for me is my original Dell blew up on Aug 30 so I've been stuck using a laptop or my very old spare Dell for over a month and I'm anxious to get a newer rig to get back to gaming/movie watching/downloading gigs of %100 pure unfiltered adult entertainment bliss, etc. I didn't mean for the post to come off as knocking DS-I'm very happy with everything and trust their judgment. I was just surprised that hitting 2.9Ghz was considered the very limit and pushing the envelope.

Oh, and I'm all for the 2-3 year shelf life for my computers. Thats actually about the longest i'll wait on upgrading a whole new system is 3 years-depending on what new comes out. The staggering pace at which technology advances almost calls for this anyway-especially for gaming.


Edited by donkeypunch - 03 Oct 2007 at 3:17pm

LOL, that was a great thread Chris. Gave me a good chuckle! And that is some wiring job, holy cow! Those are some nice specs in your soon to be had Digital Storm rig.  I would think either/both the ram and motherboard would have to be replaced. Always stinks seeing a part go up in smoke.

I went out and bought a new 24" monitor, surround sound speakers, cordless mouse/keyboard, all ready to be hooked up, so that makes the wait feel that much longer as well. Ugggg- the suspense! I also bought Bioshock and Neverwinter Nights to have something to throw in the new computer.

I dont want to throw my old Dell away as im going to use it as a media server of sorts. It still runs good but had to replace the ATI 9800 Pro with a 9600 Pro. The dinky fan died on the 9800, and since I needed it back up and running asap I didnt want to chance buying an aftermarket Zalman fan only to find out the GPU was crispy fried, so I opted to downgrade instead of getting a VGA cooler.

Does Ibuypower have a 3 year warranty? Even if it does your probably like 3 hours past the deadline-always works like that with me lol. In any case, I hope you get some answers and get your computer back up and running.!