I already know how to overclock Q6600, can anyone suggest a good aftermarket cooler? My current video card is ati HD 3650 and im thinking of upgrading it...any good suggestions? Im also thinkin of updating from xp 32 bit to 64 bit, if i choose the upgrade option, will it delete everything on my harddrive? MOBO: GA-EP45-DS3L CPU: Q6600 @ 2.4 RAM: G Skill 4 GB DDR2 1066
Well with the video card suggestion, i reackon you should upgrade to a Radeon 4850, there cheap as these days and will blow that radeon 3650 away. With the xp 32bit and 64bit, you cant upgrade from 32 to 64 it has to be a clean install sadly, but you could do a dual boot.
I use a Tuniq Tower and overclocked my Q6600 to 3.24GHz. I was able to lower the voltage and temps are still very cool and the PC is stable. I even run the fan at lowest RPM (it gets loud on High). I read that the Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme is the best aftermarket cooler for the c2q. They usually do not come with fans, so you may want a fan if you are planning to push the overclock very high. Both the coolers I mentioned are tower coolers meaning they are HUGE! Make sure they are compatible with the case you are using. For example, mine, I had to do a tiny modification to fit the Tuniq in my case. I have an HD 4850 and it works very well for me. With prices as they are now, you can consider the more powerful HD 4870. It is something like $20 more expensive. For the Windows, you can do a dual boot as suggested. What I do, is I set up many partitions on my HDD. C: 64GB (for OS and programs) D: 234 (for Data) E: 64GB (reserved for Dual Booting) F: 209GB (For Data) G: 24GB (for random stuff) You should consider something like this setup if starting fresh. It makes things much simpler. If I want to add an OS, I use E: If I want to start over on my current install, I format C: and do a clean install. Programs installed on C: are lost since I format, but I don't care. I can just reinstall whatever I need. No data is lost in any other drive though, so it is good. As for XP64, before installing it, make sure you have 64bit drivers for your hardware or at least enough to be able to access the internet.
