Intel E8500 Core2 Duo Review :: Setup and Overclocking

The E8500 is as easy to set up as any other Intel LGA-775 processor. Align the notches on the sides of the processor with the socket, insert it in the socket and install the heatsink. The E8500 plays the majority of games and runs applications just like the other Core 2 CPUs we use with a speed increase commensurate with the extra cache and core speed. Dual and Quad core CPUs excel at running multiple tasks at the same time. Multiple core games and applications are rather prevalent with the release of Microsoft's Vista OS fully supporting multiple cores.

The E8500 is very easy to overclock on an ASUS Maximus Formula board based upon the X38 chipset. On this motherboard we were able to overclock the beast to 4.322GHz 100% stably by changing the FSB to 462MHz instead of the 266MHz that it was by default. The temperatures at that clock speed was reported at 29C, meaning that this CPU is a very cool running one. This is a very high overclock for a CPU as it is over 40% above the default clock of 3.16GHz.

The nForce 790i Ultra SLI chipset was just announced yesterday by NVIDIA. I took the opportunity to run the E8500 on this motherboard. The E8500 was able to overclock to 4.2GHz stably, By setting the FSB to 442MHz on a EVGA nForce 790i Ultra board, the 4200MHz clock was achieved. The system was 100% stable at that clock speed, meaning that the NVIDIA chipset is a little worse at overclocking than the X38 board from ASUS. Temperature readings at this clock were 24C with watercooling an impressive clock and temperature ratio.