Originally posted by: vaylon
I just did the hd benchmark test and the first test went fine. Scores in the mid 60's FPS. But then it went thru a second set and the highest score was 24 fps and as low as 9.
Ran CPUID and it showed temps in the high 90"s c for all 4 cores. and a voltage of 1.47 for the core.
Yep, these chips will downclock when they overheat - to the 6X multiplier normally used for power saving. Mine did the same when I improperly mounted the heatsink one day.
Semi-OT:
My Q9300 became unstable but I'm working on it again - lower speed, and much lower voltages across the board, and it seems to be happy.
Was: 3400 mhz @1.35v and all kinds of crazy NB/VTT/GTL settings
Stable: 3000 mhz @ 1.21v, stock NB/VTT/GTL (67%)
Testing: 3180 mhz @ 1.29v, stock? NB/VTT, 65% GTL
Now that retail prices have stabilized, the 9450 is probably a better bang for your buck for an overclocker, but the Q9300 isn't so bad.