Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600
Drops into a supported LGA 775 board as it is; check the board's CPU list. How to check.
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600: 4-core, 2.4 GHz, Kentsfield, LGA 775, 1066 MT/s FSB, 8 MB (2 x 4 MB) L2, 105 W TDP.
Kentsfield puts two dual-core dies in one package; the Q6600 is the slower of the two Core 2 Quads built that way, next to the Q6700. Four 65 nm cores run at 2.4 GHz on a 1066 MT/s bus, with 8 MB of L2 split as 2 x 4 MB; it launched in Q1 2007. Intel's Q6000 datasheet rates the B3 stepping (SL9UM, CPUID 6F7) at 105 W and the later G0 (SLACR, CPUID 6FB) at 95 W, and ARK gives a Tcase of 62.2 °C for B3 against 71 °C for G0. The table shows ARK's 105 W and the lower Tcase. Tcase is the limit at the center of the heat spreader, not a core reading. Given the choice, G0 is easier to cool. The LGA 775 Xeon X3220 matches its clock, bus, cache and TDP.
| Family | Core 2 Quad |
|---|---|
| Codename | Kentsfield |
| Socket | LGA 775 |
| Cores / threads | 4 / 4 |
| Base clock | 2.4 GHz |
| Front-side bus | 1066 MT/s (267 MHz base clock) |
| Multiplier | 9x |
| L2 cache | 8 MB (2 x 4 MB) |
| TDP | 105 W |
| Process | 65 nm |
| Launch | Q1 2007 |
| Dual-socket capable | No |
| VT-x | Yes |
| SSE4.1 | No |
| Enhanced SpeedStep | Yes |
| Max case temperature | 62.2 °C |
| Voltage range (VID) | 0.85 V to 1.5 V |
Steppings and microcode IDs
| Stepping | CPUID | sSpec |
|---|---|---|
| B3 | 6F7 | SL9UM |
| G0 | 6FB | SLACR |
A BIOS needs a microcode update matching the CPUID (and, for Xeons, the LGA 771 platform ID). See LGA 771 Xeon microcode and how to read your stepping.
Mod notes
Nothing to cut or stick: find the Q6600 on the board maker's CPU support list, matched to your stepping, B3 or G0, and note the first BIOS version that lists it. A board built before quad cores existed may never list it, and the 105 W B3 chip needs board power delivery that is up to the job.