Shoutbox

First off Ill show you my "beast" (rig/computer). Im also interested in yours. But this is a guide on how to OC (over clock) a Q6600

CPU: Q6600 (default 2.4ghz, Oc'd to 3.6ghz)
MB: P5K-E/Wi-Fi
RAM: (4GB 800mhz) 4xPC2-6400 1GB Timing: 5-5-5-15(Brand: Generic (Heh, yeah I know)
HDD: 2x Seagate Barracuda 320GB Raid0
VGA: 8800GT (OC'd to 698/1700/999)
Case: Generic (yeah i know)
Cooling: Zalman CNPS 9700LED (Blue), Stock 8800GT Cooler
PSU: CoolerMaster RealPower Pro 650w

Image 1(The cooler), Image 2(All the components), Image 3(8800GT Out side of case), Image 4(Craptastic Case).

If you would like to learn how to safely OC a Q6600 to 3.0GHz with stocker cooler, just ask. Its really easy Its even possible with 667mhz Ram. So its not going to strain your RAM or anything.

And if you would like some buying tips for getting hardware for OCing, ask as well, Im happy to help .

First off, what does Over Clock mean?
As defined by Wiki-Pedia "Over clocking is the process of forcing a computer component to run at a higher clock rate than it was designed for or was designated by the manufacturer, usually practiced by personal computer enthusiasts in order to increase the performance of their computers."

There are multiple factors that can effect OCing. As not all processors will OC the same (even if there the same model, from the same batch). This is because during the manufacturing process they make this big cylinder, and in the middle of this cylinder the silicon is really pure. But as the it goes out, it becomes less pure. The less pure the silicon, the harder it is to OC.

I will also teach Y'all how to OC a 8800GT (Same technique can be use to OC any graphics card)

(In Australian Prices)
Hardware Buying Guide:
CPU:
When buying a CPU, you may want to consider the costs of buying it, you may have to buy a new motherboard as well. Which might not support your RAM or your Graphics card. So you have to buy new ones of them.
Its a good idea to try and "Future proof" yourself.

Q6600(2.4ghz)$250
Q9300(2.5ghz) $332

If your wanting to OC, the Q6600 is your best bet, it OC's very very well. Even though its a 65nm (The smaller the better). But, if your not planning to OC, the Q9300 is your better bet, because it has the advantage of having a faster core speed, and being 45nm. Although it does have a smaller L2 cache.

Ram:
Is far to complicated to make a good guide here, but, if you plan to OC buy OCZ (brand) RAM, its good. If you dont, well save yourself some money and get generic DDR2 800mhz ram. Its very cheap (get 1GB stick for $23, get 4 of them and your set....)

Motherboard:
If your wanting to Overclock get a Asus, if you dont want to OC get the cheapest Gigabyte you can find (GA-P35-DS3L).

Asus P5K-E/Wifi: Probably the best valued OCing motherboard. It has 8 phaze power, Crazy Cooling, Heat Pipe Cooling, PCI-E. Everything you need (And it has WiFi!) Its $190.

Gigabyte DS3L(P35): Cheapest motherboard with PCI-E slot i could find.... $100.

HDD:
500GB is currently the best valued HDD right now (it used to be 320GB, well it still is... but its not worth it). I recommend getting a Seagate HDD, there very reliable and quite.... Wester Digital has been .... known.... for running very hot, being very loud, and screwing up. Better paying that little bit extra for more reliabilty...
And only buy Sata HDD's for any new machine now. They are alot faster. And cheaper...

WD 500GB(sata): $100
Seagate 500GB(sata): $115

WD 500GB(ide): $113
Seagate 500GB(ide): $125

WD 320GB(sata): $88
Seagate 320GB(sata): $89