I'm running my 2600K at 60 C, 4.5 GHZ, 1.33 V in Prime95. It's perfectly stable. I've been running Prime for 12 hours.

Hi Joel,What cooling are you using and is that with HT on or off? You ought to be able to get the voltage even lower than that. Good temps regardless. I made a decision today that most of you will probably dissaprove of... oh well, I like to fidget with things more than others. I ordered a 54mm thick radiator for my h50! Don't worry, though, it's already modded - so it's not like I'm voiding the warranty again...You can see in the above picture that my tubes are looking a little yellow. They've progressed to that color over the period of several months. While it hasn't degraded cooling I decided I will dissasemble the loop, flush it, and install new tubes. I figured while in the process I'd install a better radiator! So I ordered one of these: It should arrive this weekend or early next week at which point I'll get it installed and report back! Meanwhile, I'm tweaking tileproxy. I had it running really well but then changed some things and can't remember the settings I had...

This is an interesting approach. The particularity of the Corsair h50 cooling system is the missing reservoir. Hence refilling might be difficult. Did you ever do that with a Corsair h50? Take care!

Hi Joel,What cooling are you using and is that with HT on or off? You ought to be able to get the voltage even lower than that. Good temps regardless. I made a decision today that most of you will probably dissaprove of... oh well, I like to fidget with things more than others. I ordered a 54mm thick radiator for my h50! Don't worry, though, it's already modded - so it's not like I'm voiding the warranty again...You can see in the above picture that my tubes are looking a little yellow. They've progressed to that color over the period of several months. While it hasn't degraded cooling I decided I will dissasemble the loop, flush it, and install new tubes. I figured while in the process I'd install a better radiator! So I ordered one of these: It should arrive this weekend or early next week at which point I'll get it installed and report back! Meanwhile, I'm tweaking tileproxy. I had it running really well but then changed some things and can't remember the settings I had...

I sure don't disapprove. If you want tlower temperatures that should help. Do you really like your ASUS board?Kind regards,

This is an interesting approach. The particularity of the Corsair h50 cooling system is the missing reservoir. Hence refilling might be difficult. Did you ever do that with a Corsair h50? Take care!

It's actually not terribly difficult to refill it without a reservoir. I had to do it when I modded it with those clear tubes. You just submerse the radiator in a bin of cooling solution while you reassemble the loop. For cooling solution I use distilled water + PT Nuke biocide.

I sure don't disapprove. If you want tlower temperatures that should help. Do you really like your ASUS board?Kind regards,

I'm hoping for 5-10C lower temps - that seems to be the range of improvement other h50 modders have gotten. I like it modded also because the stock tubes Corsair puts on them are too long and I hate that they're ribbed. My board is actually the Gigabyte P67A-UD5. The first day or two was a bit frustrating while working out the quirks, but now I'm in love with the board. It's solid quality and looks stellar.

It's actually not terribly difficult to refill it without a reservoir. I had to do it when I modded it with those clear tubes. You just submerse the radiator in a bin of cooling solution while you reassemble the loop. For cooling solution I use distilled water + PT Nuke biocide.I'm hoping for 5-10C lower temps - that seems to be the range of improvement other h50 modders have gotten. I like it modded also because the stock tubes Corsair puts on them are too long and I hate that they're ribbed. My board is actually the Gigabyte P67A-UD5. The first day or two was a bit frustrating while working out the quirks, but now I'm in love with the board. It's solid quality and looks stellar.

It's a Gigabyte? Of course it is! I must be blind, deaf, dumb and stupid! I have no idea why I thought you had an ASUS. I saw the picture of your board and H50 you posted and read your signature for Pete's sake. It is a good thing I don't fly real airplanes or I would likely be making the evening news.In any case, the board and CPU just arrived and FEDEX says the RAM will be deliverd today, so I guess it is time to get to work.Kind regards,

It's a Gigabyte? Of course it is! I must be blind, deaf, dumb and stupid! I have no idea why I thought you had an ASUS. I saw the picture of your board and H50 you posted and read your signature for Pete's sake. It is a good thing I don't fly real airplanes or I would likely be making the evening news.In any case, the board and CPU just arrived and FEDEX says the RAM will be deliverd today, so I guess it is time to get to work.Kind regards,

Good luck Stephen!! :--)Millions (well, maybe less actually ...) of folks are waiting forward to reading your first review.I'll be one of them.Keep up the good work!

Good luck Stephen!! :--)Millions (well, maybe less actually ...) of folks are waiting forward to reading your first review.I'll be one of them.Keep up the good work!

Hi David,The MSI motherboard would not power up at all or show any signs of life. My power supply might be at fault, but that is a bit unlikely as it worked perfectly a couple of hours before. So after doing everything I could to trouble shoot, I stripped it down again in preparation for shipping the MB back. After I speak with NEWEGG on Monday I will know more about how the RMA process works and how long I will be down. I figured that since I likely have time to wait before I am up and running again I just ordered a new Corsair PSU and a COOLER MASTER HAF X RC-942-KKN1. So much for an upgrade being had for a few hundred dollars...Ha! The Storm Scout is just too tight to work in when it is full of drives, big graphics and sound cards and a huge push-pull air cooler and 7 fans. I could not even get my hand in between the fans and the back of the case to pull the CPU power plug, so a full tower it will be. If I don't like what I hear in regard to the motherboard from MSI or Newegg, I will likely just take the heatsink off, pack it up and send it back for a refund. Asus or Gygabyte are looking pretty good right now. I guess I will have time to start reading my new book on Dietrich Bonhoeffer, finish a few writings I have been putting off and figure out what to do with my spare time! Perhaps I will be flying again a week from now, but maybe not. I am already having the jitters and withdrawal symptoms! Kind regards,

Sorry to hear that Stephen. Hope the replacement doesn't take long and you get your new rig up and running soon

Hi David,The MSI motherboard would not power up at all or show any signs of life. My power supply might be at fault, but that is a bit unlikely as it worked perfectly a couple of hours before. So after doing everything I could to trouble shoot, I stripped it down again in preparation for shipping the MB back. After I speak with NEWEGG on Monday I will know more about how the RMA process works and how long I will be down. I figured that since I likely have time to wait before I am up and running again I just ordered a new Corsair PSU and a COOLER MASTER HAF X RC-942-KKN1. So much for an upgrade being had for a few hundred dollars...Ha! The Storm Scout is just too tight to work in when it is full of drives, big graphics and sound cards and a huge push-pull air cooler and 7 fans. I could not even get my hand in between the fans and the back of the case to pull the CPU power plug, so a full tower it will be. If I don't like what I hear in regard to the motherboard from MSI or Newegg, I will likely just take the heatsink off, pack it up and send it back for a refund. Asus or Gygabyte are looking pretty good right now. I guess I will have time to start reading my new book on Dietrich Bonhoeffer, finish a few writings I have been putting off and figure out what to do with my spare time! Perhaps I will be flying again a week from now, but maybe not. I am already having the jitters and withdrawal symptoms! Kind regards,

Ouch!I am very sorry to hear that Steph.Well, I've recently read some negative comments about the MSI P67 Bios.Maybe is it a good thing to wait a little bit longer and get a better board even though I can understand it's quite annoying, especially for old "SimGeeks" like us... I hope you'll enjoy your book. Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a great man, there is a square in Tel Aviv with his statue and a text recounting his fight against nazism and his death for freedom.An ex-colleague of mine is flying to Singapore this week-end. He should come back on monday with an Asus Maximus IV and a i7-2600k for me :--)I'll keep the same tower, PSU and RAM but also the WD Velociraptors. I would have loved to get some SSDs but they are too expensive for a limited data storage. Anyway, I think I will enjoy the jump. My i965 chip doesn't allow me better OC than 4.0Ghz on air.I plan to reach 4.80 with the Sandy.This review gives an excellent note to the Maximus IV. I think I'll have some fun <_< .Have a peaceful week-end,David

Hi Stephen,Sorry to hear about the DOA motherboard. Don't be discouraged - you will be happily running 4.8GHz soon enough. It simply means we won't get a good review of i7-9xx chip vs sandy bridge for another week. Good luck! Still looking forward to it. I couldn't tell you a thing about the MSI motherboards. I do know ASUS seems to be having their fair share of problems. My Gigabyte isn't completely flawless either, but it does seem as if they're working on things with new bios releases. Anyway, I wouldn't want to judge any of the motherboard manufacturers - it's just how it is with new technology. Regardless, my Gigabyte is serving me very well!Corey

....I will likely just take the heatsink off, pack it up and send it back for a refund. Asus or Gygabyte are looking pretty good right now. ....

Here is a comparison review of ASUS P8P67 Pro and Gigabyte P67A-UD4 at AnandTech: http://www.anandtech.com/show/4130/the-battle-of-the-p67-boards-asus-vs-gigabyte-at-190I'd go for the Asus mobo.

Hi David,The MSI motherboard would not power up at all or show any signs of life. My power supply might be at fault, but that is a bit unlikely as it worked perfectly a couple of hours before. So after doing everything I could to trouble shoot, I stripped it down again in preparation for shipping the MB back. After I speak with NEWEGG on Monday I will know more about how the RMA process works and how long I will be down. I figured that since I likely have time to wait before I am up and running again I just ordered a new Corsair PSU and a COOLER MASTER HAF X RC-942-KKN1. So much for an upgrade being had for a few hundred dollars...Ha! The Storm Scout is just too tight to work in when it is full of drives, big graphics and sound cards and a huge push-pull air cooler and 7 fans. I could not even get my hand in between the fans and the back of the case to pull the CPU power plug, so a full tower it will be. If I don't like what I hear in regard to the motherboard from MSI or Newegg, I will likely just take the heatsink off, pack it up and send it back for a refund. Asus or Gygabyte are looking pretty good right now. I guess I will have time to start reading my new book on Dietrich Bonhoeffer, finish a few writings I have been putting off and figure out what to do with my spare time! Perhaps I will be flying again a week from now, but maybe not. I am already having the jitters and withdrawal symptoms! Kind regards,

Hang in there Stephen. S..t happens. On the positive side you'll be happy with the HAF942, plenty of room and space and you can have a very nice layout in hiding most of the cables. I have the 932. I love the Cooler Master cases. You'll be happy with your new setup. My experience with 2600K has been very positive and if I could sum it all up in few words: "Fluidity and Sharpness" even with FTX NA.Patience is a virtue they say, but that is not something we acquire; that is something we practice every day.Looking forward to hearing from you with your new setup.Pierrecyhu

Here is a comparison review of ASUS P8P67 Pro and Gigabyte P67A-UD4 at AnandTech: http://www.anandtech.com/show/4130/the-battle-of-the-p67-boards-asus-vs-gigabyte-at-190I'd go for the Asus mobo.

Maybe I am not environmentally conscientiousness as I should be but I always chuckle whenever I read a review that references power savings. Don’t spurn me here as you crank the watts up to your CPU.It is not a very objective review otherwise; who cares about the software or my particular favorite; the box.They list three sets of memory being used but the test results do not seem to differentiate between what memory was in play. I would be more interested in learning the use and brands of the components and specific tests and comments about those components. What MOSFETS, controllers, capacitors and standards were used and how do they perform. Not that brand-x includes a DVD version of COD4 or whatever or had a prettier box.The only truly objective review would be one where the reviewer purchased all components off the shelf the same as you and I would have to and then objectively and independently test.However in general terms of how each functioned and how its advertised features performed, I find legitimate.For every review that says brand-x is better in the subjective opinion of the reviewer, there is another that claims brand-b is better.It was a long-long time after the glowing reviews that the reality that my 680i board was a POS sunk in.Rant about reviews finished.

David you like this.5.2Ghz i7 2600K Overclock on ASUS Maximus IV Extreme P67 1155

Thanks David, Corey, Ulf and Cyhu,Don't know what will happen with the MSI board, as to whether or not Newegg will let me return it after installing it. I ordered an ASUS P8P67 Deluxe from NCIX Canada who I have dealt with before, since Newegg is out of stock. I have had ASUS boards for a long time and have never had a moments problem, so that is the way I will go. Worse comes to worse, I will just have to eat the MSI board and chock it up to the perils of buying new technology online. The new CM Haf 942 case and Corsair 850w modular PSU and Asus P8P67 Deluxe motherboard should be here later this week so then I can do Sandy Bridge Act 2, it is hoped! So it looks like I have for sale:Asus P6TD Deluxe X58 MotherboardIntel i7 930 CPU (This is a golden chip that is 100% reliable and a great overclocker!)OCZ 850w PSUCooler Master Storm Scout Case (With lots of pretty LED fans)MSI P67A-GD65 (if Newegg won't take it back)Kind regards,