Overclocking Core 2 Duo E4300

The Core 2 Duo E4300 is a great nominee for overclocking mod since it has a fairly low FSB speed. The processor needs a multiplier of 9X to get the factory clock speed of 1.8GHz. Although it has the same multiplier as the 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo E6600, the latter has a faster FSB that gives higher final clock speed.

There is no guarantee that a specific CPU will overclock. However there is a better chance that a CPU like the Core 2 Duo E4300 will have plenty of headroom. Its performance should be the same as the E6600 by just increasing the FSB to 1066MHz while the rest of the system components are in the same spec. The requirement of every Core 2- compatible motherboard is to run at a 1066MHz FSB. That's why none of the other parts in the system will be overclocked even if we will be increasing the E4300's FSB to 1066MHz. This is also good for those who are on a tight budget because they can get a basic RAM and motherboard with just the basic overclocking options. It is advised, though, to spend some extra on these two components. Good RAM and a quality motherboard are vital to a long lasting and stable system.

The motherboard to be used for this project is the Evga nForce 680i LT SLI. It runs at 1066MHz FSB. The consequential 600MHz core CPU overclock is nothing to sneeze at. However we wanted to check how far it can be pushed with a high-end air cooler. To achieve this, it required a mobo that can accomplish hitting high FSB speeds and gave good control over the processor's voltage. Evga's board sells at $165 and that fits our pocket. We do not desire to get a high-priced, exclusive board.

The Core 2 Duo E4300 is based on the Allendale core. It is almost the same as the Conroe. However it is equipped with just 2MB of L2 cache utilizing an 800MHz FSB frequency.

All of the major components were modded using some of the techniques we have previously used before assembling the system. The CPU's heat spreader was polished and prepared it with a top quality thermal paste. The same was done to the ChillTec cooler's base. The Evga motherboard's northbridge and southbridge coolers were removed and cleaned up. The thermal paste was also applied on both coolers.