QX6850 Extreme Restoration Blog

[hat]

Thanks for the offer, but I don't have much use for it now... that was many years ago, lol

 

[AlwaysHope]

I had an E8600 back then, it was one of the best OC chips I ever played with, but sold it.
Surprisingly a new Adata 128GB SSD into my P5Q Pro & it picked it up like any other HDD back in its day.
Always puts a smile on my face when tech nearly a decade on like that SSD drive can be recognised by decade old tech like that mobo. SataII bus more than saturated...lol..

 

[agent_x007]

That's why I use M.2 on my LGA 775 rigs (SATA isn't cool enough)

 

[storm-chaser]

I had an E8600 back then, it was one of the best OC chips I ever played with, but sold it.
Surprisingly a new Adata 128GB SSD into my P5Q Pro & it picked it up like any other HDD back in its day.
Always puts a smile on my face when tech nearly a decade on like that SSD drive can be recognized by decade old tech like that mobo. SataII bus more than saturated...lol..

Definitely a good feeling when that happens, for sure. So does this mean my Asus P5Q supports m.2 SSD drives? I guess I might just have to wait until it shows up to find out, but that would be a really good thing. I'm really chomping at the bit here, hope to start this build within the week. For now, here are some detailed plans as to the components I will be using with this build.

-I have an Intel DC 3500 Series 80GB SSD drive to run as my base OS drive and a 650GB mechanical drive for programs and data.

-I have a LightScribe DVD burner to throw at it

-The memory kit I will be running will be a Corsair XMS3 8GB kit (2x4GB) at XMP timings of 7-8-7-20 and voltage of 1.6V

-Power Supply is an X-Power 585Watt. I have some cool red LEDs that I will install within the power supply to give it some character.

-The case I will be running is either going to be an NZXT Gamma Classic or something similar. I am contemplating this decision. I might want to save that case for an upcoming water-cooling project, as the Gamma has provisioning for water-cooling. So that case might remain empty for now until I get my new 960T processor. Not sure what to do in that regard.

-On the video card front, I have a Radeon HD 5770 that should do fine (bench only, wont be gaming with this one). The only problem is the video card fan is stuck on full speed, after I washed the fan/heatsink in the sink I think I shorted out the temp sensor. So my plan is to bypass the plug and go directly to power supplied from the power supply, using a Molex connector. I am hoping this resolves the issue because it's super annoying right now when it's throttled all the way up to full speed.

-Going to be running the Hyper 212+ cooler and possibly the TRUE cooler as well. I have both the stock coolermaster fan or the EVO fan I can throw at it. I'm interested to see what difference, if any, the fan will make in regards to CPU temps.

-I have a 3.5" SD card reader with two USB ports on the front, for easy access to camera cards, etc.

-I will be running a D-Link wireless N card so I don't have to route ethernet cables up to my room.

-I have one extra 120MM to throw in the mix as well.

 

[agent_x007]

PGA 478 can support NVMe :

Not sure why LGA 775 wouldn't

Catch is to have USB boot (or IDE ports for CF adapter).
The rest is done via Clover or DUET EFI booting software.

 

[AlwaysHope]

Not trying to hijack this thread but thought I might share. Picked up Q9400 for A$21, bargain I said, at least as a plaything if anything else...lol..
Testing now with p95 but only 2x2GB DDR2, (other 4GB kit on its way)
Very surprised how far this chip clocks up with low Vcore (1.25v set bios) on full load in p95...
Early days though...

Definitely a good feeling when that happens, for sure. So does this mean my Asus P5Q supports m.2 SSD drives? I guess I might just have to wait until it shows up to find out, but that would be a really good thing. I'm really chomping at the bit here, hope to start this build within the week. For now, here are some detailed plans as to the components I will be using with this build.

-I have an Intel DC 3500 Series 80GB SSD drive to run as my base OS drive and a 650GB mechanical drive for programs and data.

-I have a LightScribe DVD burner to throw at it

-The memory kit I will be running will be a Corsair XMS3 8GB kit (2x4GB) at XMP timings of 7-8-7-20 and voltage of 1.6V

-Power Supply is an X-Power 585Watt. I have some cool red LEDs that I will install within the power supply to give it some character.

-The case I will be running is either going to be an NZXT Gamma Classic or something similar. I am contemplating this decision. I might want to save that case for an upcoming water-cooling project, as the Gamma has provisioning for water-cooling. So that case might remain empty for now until I get my new 960T processor. Not sure what to do in that regard.

-On the video card front, I have a Radeon HD 5770 that should do fine (bench only, wont be gaming with this one). The only problem is the video card fan is stuck on full speed, after I washed the fan/heatsink in the sink I think I shorted out the temp sensor. So my plan is to bypass the plug and go directly to power supplied from the power supply, using a Molex connector. I am hoping this resolves the issue because it's super annoying right now when it's throttled all the way up to full speed.

-Going to be running the Hyper 212+ cooler and possibly the TRUE cooler as well. I have both the stock coolermaster fan or the EVO fan I can throw at it. I'm interested to see what difference, if any, the fan will make in regards to CPU temps.

-I have a 3.5" SD card reader with two USB ports on the front, for easy access to camera cards, etc.

-I will be running a D-Link wireless N card so I don't have to route ethernet cables up to my room.

-I have one extra 120MM to throw in the mix as well.

This whole concept is an interesting experiment with how far desktop tech has come in last decade. At least with minimum quad core setups. What OS are planning on for this build?
HD 5770 have gone into legacy support mode, so afaik cat 15.7.1 was last AMD release. It's in the same club as my HD 7470! I use in my Q9400 testing.

PGA 478 can support NVMe :

Not sure why LGA 775 wouldn't

Catch is to have USB boot (or IDE ports for CF adapter).

Well, there's some interesting mix of old & new tech right there! but single core HT cpu have limits in today's world I think.
The rest is done via Clover or DUET EFI booting software.

 

[storm-chaser]

Not trying to hijack this thread but thought I might share. Picked up Q9400 for A$21, bargain I said, at least as a plaything if anything else...lol..
Testing now with p95 but only 2x2GB DDR2, (other 4GB kit on its way)
Very surprised how far this chip clocks up with low Vcore (1.25v set bios) on full load in p95...
Early days though...

This whole concept is an interesting experiment with how far desktop tech has come in last decade. At least with minimum quad core setups. What OS are planning on for this build?
HD 5770 have gone into legacy support mode, so afaik cat 15.7.1 was last AMD release. It's in the same club as my HD 7470! I use in my Q9400 testing.

Yes, this one is going to be quite a trip. As to what I'm going to do with it, well, at first it's gonna be my daily driver because there's nothing like measuring an overclock by the seat of your pants in day to day operations. We will also run some HTBOT submissions to better understand how well these CPUs overclock by comparing results to other, similar rigs. I think Intel's extreme chips have better binning and I hope this chip lives up to it's name and more importantly it's reputation.

Regarding OS, I will be running Windows 10 pro x64. I've toyed with the notion of adding a second SSD for a raid0 was well. And this rig will be my daily driver as I assembled water cooling parts for my AMD 960T hexacore project. I also have an NZXT Gamma Classic case that has provisions for water cooling for that. But for now, I am super excited with this project and I will be posting updates periodically as the build progresses.

 

[AlwaysHope]

Yes, this one is going to be quite a trip. As to what I'm going to do with it, well, at first it's gonna be my daily driver because there's nothing like measuring an overclock by the seat of your pants in day to day operations. We will also run some HTBOT submissions to better understand how well these CPUs overclock by comparing results to other, similar rigs. I think Intel's extreme chips have better binning and I hope this chip lives up to it's name and more importantly it's reputation.

Regarding OS, I will be running Windows 10 pro x64. I've toyed with the notion of adding a second SSD for a raid0 was well. And this rig will be my daily driver as I assembled water cooling parts for my AMD 960T hexacore project. I also have an NZXT Gamma Classic case that has provisions for water cooling for that. But for now, I am super excited with this project and I will be posting updates periodically as the build progresses.

I think it's interesting to see how Win10 can run on old hardware too. Agree with you that an OC can't be truly tested except with day to day operation of it. Benchmarks are 1 thing but.....
For most general kind of use like web browsing, office apps etc, which by and large most desktop usage is.. to see if constantly updated versions of win10 run well on old hardware. If this is the case, it throws light on the tricks of this I.T industry for consumers to be in practically endless hardware upgrading cycles.
I recall the days when WIn Vista hit the shelves & the uproar from consumers & OEM's about hardware upgrading! there were some conspiracy theories circulating then.

Adding a 2nd SSD for raid purposes. I presume that's with expansion card & not native sata ports?

Nice to have bits n' pieces of hardware laying around one can throw at projects like this. Lucky you!

 

[hat]

RAID0 SSDs are next to useless. You won't see any gain from it outside of benchmarks, unless you enjoy moving obscenely huge files around your 10Gb ethernet all the time.

 

[AlwaysHope]

RAID0 SSDs are next to useless. You won't see any gain from it outside of benchmarks, unless you enjoy moving obscenely huge files around your 10Gb ethernet all the time.

Good point, M.2 on card in relevant PCIe slot would do imo.

And this rig will be my daily driver as I assembled water cooling parts for my AMD 960T hexacore project.

With your 960T project, was that on DDR2 or DDR3 board?. From what I understand some those mobos from that era could boot with either RAM tech & that chip. Getting off topic a little I know.

 

[storm-chaser]

Good point, M.2 on card in relevant PCIe slot would do imo.



With your 960T project, was that on DDR2 or DDR3 board?. From what I understand some those mobos from that era could boot with either RAM tech & that chip. Getting off topic a little I know.

This is on a DDR3 board (Biostar A880GZ). I will run DDR3 1600Mhz with timings 7-8-7-20 at 1.6 volts. I also overclock the IMC to 3.0Ghz for better memory throughput. The HT link stays around 2200Mhz and the core clock should be around 4.0Ghz (x6).

As for hard drives yes I have a controller but I think for what I'm doing, as Hat mentioned, I wont really see much difference in real world speeds. So for now, I will just stick with one SSD.

As for Vista conspiracy theories, yes there were quite a few back in the day. I remembered at that time I worked for HP support and we were flooded with hardware and software problems created from running Vista. What a pain in the neck. But actually, in hindsight, Vista has a pretty good UI and I definitely like the look, I've even done a couple Pentium III retro builds running Vista just for fun.

As for the QX6850, well, I think it will run Windows 10 just fine. I will be measuring boot time and measuring speed in many other aspects of OS use. So that should be fun and we will see how it stacks up compared to my 45NM AMD Quad-Cores.

 

[agent_x007]

I tested QX6700 (OC'ed) 1.5 year ago, and it was fine in Windows 10 : LINK.

 

[AlwaysHope]

This is on a DDR3 board (Biostar A880GZ). I will run DDR3 1600Mhz with timings 7-8-7-20 at 1.6 volts. I also overclock the IMC to 3.0Ghz for better memory throughput. The HT link stays around 2200Mhz and the core clock should be around 4.0Ghz (x6).

As for hard drives yes I have a controller but I think for what I'm doing, as Hat mentioned, I wont really see much difference in real world speeds. So for now, I will just stick with one SSD.

As for Vista conspiracy theories, yes there were quite a few back in the day. I remembered at that time I worked for HP support and we were flooded with hardware and software problems created from running Vista. What a pain in the neck. But actually, in hindsight, Vista has a pretty good UI and I definitely like the look, I've even done a couple Pentium III retro builds running Vista just for fun.

As for the QX6850, well, I think it will run Windows 10 just fine. I will be measuring boot time and measuring speed in many other aspects of OS use. So that should be fun and we will see how it stacks up compared to my 45NM AMD Quad-Cores.

Thanks, i was only asking about the 960T as I was looking at getting one for experimental purposes & too add life to these DDR2 sticks I still have. But that's another subject altogether.
I liked Vista UI too, it was markedly better than XP & more secure back in its' day.
I'm going to run win 10 on my LGA775 platform too, run benchies & check comparison with more modern hardware, at least for general daily use.

I tested QX6700 (OC'ed) 1.5 year ago, and it was fine in Windows 10 : LINK.

Nice to know, I saw a comment on CPU world where someone claimed & had screenie to prove win 10 runs on socket 939 setup, albeit with dual core. How retro can we go?

 

[agent_x007]

Windows 10 x64 requires "stuff" Socket 939 doesn't have.
Windows 10 x86 is fine on Prescott with XD-bit support.
The only way to have Windows 10 x64 on Socket 939 motherboard is... to install AM2 CPU on it
Example :

 

[storm-chaser]

Thanks, i was only asking about the 960T as I was looking at getting one for experimental purposes & too add life to these DDR2 sticks I still have. But that's another subject altogether.
I liked Vista UI too, it was markedly better than XP & more secure back in its' day.
I'm going to run win 10 on my LGA775 platform too, run benchies & check comparison with more modern hardware, at least for general daily use.




Nice to know, I saw a comment on CPU world where someone claimed & had screenie to prove win 10 runs on socket 939 setup, albeit with dual core. How retro can we go?

The 960T is definitely the one of the best bang for your buck processors right now. Especially if you get one that can unlock to all six cores. They only run about $35-$40 on eBay.

And I would always run DDR3 with everything in sight since it has far more throughput when compared to that of DDR2. That's why when I upgrade to a new motherboard I always get DDR3 to maximize efficiency.

I was going to see about running Windows 10 32 bit on my Athlon XP 3000+ barton core, 2.1Ghz. This is going to be my next retro build. I have an IDE to SATA converter so I am planning to run SSD and 512mb PC-3200 RAM. It should fly despite being an antique in computer terms.

EDIT: Looks like the package with my new motherboard arrived TODAY! I'm so excited! I should have time this evening to start the build and get some pictures posted! Stay tuned for best results!

 

[agent_x007]

You can't run Windows 10 on Barton.
No NX-bit support = no Win 10 (or 8[.1] for that matter).

 

[newtekie1]

I tested QX6700 (OC'ed) 1.5 year ago, and it was fine in Windows 10 : LINK.

If it'll run on a Pentium D, it'll run on a Core 2 Quad.

I actually run it on a machine that gets used almost daily with a X3220 in it(Q6600), not even overclocked. It actually runs pretty smoothly.

 

[storm-chaser]

MUHAHAHA! CPU is awesome. I love LGA 775. Gonna have lots of fun overclocking this over the next few days. This build means a lot to me because it's full circle from the LGA 771 conversion I did a few years ago. That motherboard and processor actually got stolen so this build has sorta "healed' those old wounds.

Many pictures and posts to follow.

 

[agent_x007]

View attachment 103409

If it'll run on a Pentium D, it'll run on a Core 2 Quad.

I know : LINK
Good luck in OC : LINK.
Try to use Throttlestop, to make Multiplier/Vcore adjustments in Windows.

 

[storm-chaser]

Try to use Throttlestop, to make Multiplier/Vcore adjustments in Windows.

I used ThrottleStop to get 3.666Ghz on my new QX6850.

However, the weather here is not ideal for overclocking. Im in the attic with this thing and it's about 102*F here. My greatest fear while building the actual PC was the sweat from my face dripping onto the board as I put everything together. Luckily, that wasn't a problem. But further overclocking will have to wait until it cools down to reasonable temps.

For now, this will have to do.

 

[newtekie1]

I know : LINK
Good luck in OC : LINK.
Try to use Throttlestop, to make Multiplier/Vcore adjustments in Windows.

Nice, I actually wish I would have had more time to play with the Pentium D rig, but life happened and I had to get rid of it.

 

[Johan45]

I used ThrottleStop to get 3.666Ghz on my new QX6850.

However, the weather here is not ideal for overclocking. Im in the attic with this thing and it's about 102*F here. My greatest fear while building the actual PC was the sweat from my face dripping onto the board as I put everything together. Luckily, that wasn't a problem. But further overclocking will have to wait until it cools down to reasonable temps.

For now, this will have to do.

View attachment 103413

At least I know it works

 

[hat]

@storm-chaser hope you have fun with your project now that it's coming together. As for stacking up against your AMD quads, I believe Phenom II was comparable to the C2Ds clock for clock. Remember the weak point with these Intel chips was the FSB. FSB is slooooow, even compared to AMD's HT Link at the time. The problem (for AMD) was that Intel CPUs were still so much stronger, even though they were stuck on an inferior bus...

So, for best results, try to run the FSB as high as you can. FSB of 400 should be doable and decent, but not the best... this is a project rig after all, so once you get solid ground at 400FSB and you're happy with that, save the profile and experiment with the FSB.

 

[AlwaysHope]

Windows 10 x64 requires "stuff" Socket 939 doesn't have.
Windows 10 x86 is fine on Prescott with XD-bit support.
The only way to have Windows 10 x64 on Socket 939 motherboard is... to install AM2 CPU on it
Example :

Thanks, I'm no AMD expert but I saw that screenshot on s939 & win 10. Unless I've been fooled by "fake news".... apparently it's a disease on the internet.
There was a heated discussion about lack of some kind of instruction set in AMD's implementation of x64 capability back in the day being absent so as to enable win10 x64.

I used ThrottleStop to get 3.666Ghz on my new QX6850.

However, the weather here is not ideal for overclocking. Im in the attic with this thing and it's about 102*F here. My greatest fear while building the actual PC was the sweat from my face dripping onto the board as I put everything together. Luckily, that wasn't a problem. But further overclocking will have to wait until it cools down to reasonable temps.

For now, this will have to do.

View attachment 103413

You lot in the northern hemisphere got your summer going huh? lol... it's the opposite down here in Australia. But where I am it can get sub 0 C temps some mornings... great for massive OC & benchmark runs...

 

[storm-chaser]

At least I know it works

Big thanks to Johan for making this possible. I was a little worried because of the L2N history and the board kinda smelled burnt when I opened the package, but it's working just fine. I had to replace the CMOS battery, but short of that, it's been plug and play. So, I am happy and now it's just a matter of getting the memory dialed in. I have it stable at a 1600Mhz FSB @ 3.6Ghz so we are good to go in the CPU department. I am having trouble with the memory as my 8GB kit isn't stable at anything over 1066Mhz. I will try for the 4GB kit next and see how that performs. Pretty sure that's just memory settings and has nothing to do with the board. Board seems rock solid and heart touching (lol). I just have to be patient and work through all the fine details. It's also 98* here today so that's not helping anything. Johan and I did a trade so he gets one of my spare 960Ts and I got the P5Q3. Definitely let me know how that CPU works out for ya, bud!

The Hyper 212 seems to do a good job keeping it cool although I can tell this processor is voltage hungry. Definitely a candidate for water cooling or chilling. That would be fun and I'd imagine with the right cooling I could easily hit 4.0Ghz with this processor.

Here is my 3.6Ghz BIOS overclock @ 1600Mhz FSB:

Package has arrived!

Grizzly Long Cut Wintergreen and DDR3 XMS3 memory 7-8-7-20. Two essential components to any PC build.

Sapphire Radeon HD5670 with Custom 120MM fan:

Asus P5Q3 Motherboard (Rock solid, heart touching):

I like unboxing cool components:

Unboxing Continued:

Johan included everything with the motherboard including the original manual and SATA cables:

QX6850 Installed in the P5Q3!!!!

El Cheapo heatsink compound (actually works pretty well) & Hyper 212 mounting bolts:

Continued....

Thermal Grease procedure.

Cleaned Hyper 212+:

Tower of POWER:

Better view of the memory:

Completing Installation of the Hyper 212+ (its starting to look like a real computer!):

Better view of the Video Card (HD 5670):

First POST and we're into the BIOS!

System running for the first time (with RED LEDs I'm going to mount in the PSU):

Time for popcorn and overclocking!

Reading TechPowerUp while eating my popcorn!

Continued....