cooler needed for q6600 g0 step

[frostbite.]

hey guys i was thinking of over clocking my q6600 g0 step to something like 3.8 or 4.0ghz (i'm feeling that its bottle necking my gpu)

i'm currently running the stock Intel hsf and some cheap *** thermal paste. what kinda cooling do u think i'd need to get high clock speeds, i was dead in love with my old cm v8 but i don't wanna get the same cooler again, need something along its lines, awesome performance, stylish and SILENT!!!
my preferences were xigmatech thors hammer, cm v6gt. more leaning towards v6, how does it perform against the v8 and how abt its sound levels?? other suggestions are welcome....

btw my pc specs are

q6600 G0 step processor
asus p5b-mx/wifi-ap mobo
2.5gb ddr2 ram (800mhz)
Wd green 1.5tb hdd
amd radeon 6950 gpu (flashed with 6970 bios)
corsair tx 750 psu
cm690 II advanced chasis

thanks in advance

 

[EarthDog]

Two problems with that goal...

1. Your motherboard will likely limit you (mATX boards usually cant get high FSB).
2. Air cooling wont get there.

A common overclock for that CPU on air is 3.2-3.5Ghz or so.

Noctua NH-D14 is a beast. Better than all you listed.

 

[frostbite.]

hmmm yea i really scrimped on the mobo....
actually i'm guessing 3.8 might be possible on air.... i had my previous e5200 up to 3.7Ghz with the v8 n that also i didnt even try to push it any further....

Nh-d14 eh?? yea i've herd alot abt it... but is it silent?? also are the fans that come with it decent or will they need to be swapped out???

 

[EarthDog]

If your board can handle it, you would need some GREAT aircooling. For 99% of those chips, thats not a 24/7 clockspeed.

Thats a low powered dual core. Quads put more stress on the FSB so you wont reach as high with a dual.

Check out the review of it on the front page of this site. It can be quiet.

 

[frostbite.]

okay there's a slight problem.... the nh-d14 is a little bit out of budget for me :/ i can get closed loop water cooling at that price... any other suggestions?? along the price range of the 2 coolers i mentioned??

 

[EarthDog]

Closed loop water cools worse than that.

Along that price range, you wont get a good enough cooler to keep that quad cool at those speeds, if your board will even let you get there.

 

[frostbite.]

i see.... so i guess i'll have to sacrifice on the oc a bit then?? around what speed do u think i'll get the max out of my his 6970?? the only games i'm facing problems in are fable 3 and witcher 2... other than them i wouldnt mind crysis 2 (with hi res texture pack) to run a bit smoother... i've noticed that oc ing my gpu doesnt make a difference, hence i fear a bottle neck....

 

[EarthDog]

The 6970 can play any game around. Get that quad to 3.2Ghz+ and the 6970 will sing. Also the higher the res you are on, the more of the load is shouldered by the GPU.

 

[frostbite.]

i'm currently running at 2.8ghz with the stock cooling... its decent but i want lagless performance....
my res is 1080p....