When it comes to the world of computers, there are enthusiasts and then there are enthusiasts. What separates the two is about 1GHz of extra, raw processing power and benchmark results very few computer users will ever experience. Overclockers are at the heart of the the most extreme enthusiasts. They methodically and sometimes, compulsively looking for the highest frequencies they can squeeze from their computer systems.
That’s basically the stage set here at the 2009 GIGABYTE Open Overclocking Championship (GOOC) here in Los Angeles. This event is the North American regional finals which sets the stage for an even greater showdown in June at the World Finals in Taipei, Taiwan. They’ve amassed 13 of the best overclockers here at the Pacific Palms Resort to see which of them is simply the best of the best. They’re all familiar with each other and many of them good friends. But, in the end, they are all competing for the title of “Champion”.
The Thirteen Overclocking Jedi
Some of the faces you may recognize if you’ve followed other overclocking contests. Many of them can be found in various forums like Xtremesystems.org leaving posts and blogs of their overclocking conquests. What separates these particular enthusiasts from many other overclockers is that they like to use LN2 (liquid nitrogen) for cooling the CPU due to the extreme amounts of heat produced as they push the processors to their extreme limits and beyond.
Each of these competitors come from different walks of life, professions, and cultures. While many are scattered about here in the States, there are a few from Japan, Toronto, and other parts of the world, hoping to get one final chance to challenge for the world heavyweight title. Even though they’re thousands of miles apart, they all still manage stay in touch and keep pushing each other to go faster and farther.
The Overclocking Arena
This may look like your regular run of the mill conference room, but today, it is an Arena of Overclocking Godliness and has been converted into a laboratory of sorts. Here, you’ll find everything that each participant needs including brand new hardware and a large pair of LN2 tanks. Of course, also included are their hopes of winning the competition and the chance to a set a new world record: the holy grail of any overclocking quest.
Overclockers Take Everyday Things and Make them Godly
Every competitor starts on more or less a common playing field. These include the basics like CPUs, motherboards, video cards, power supplies, RAM, Solid State Drive, and USB pen drives for flashing those BIOS. Here’s a more specific rundown below:
- Processor: Intel I7 965 (C0 Stepping)
- Motherboard: GIGABYTE EX58-UD4P Ultra Durable 3
- Video Card: GIGABYTE Geforce GTX 260 Overclock Edition
- Memory: Kingston HyperX 2000 MHz 3GB Triple Channel
- Power Supply: Enermax Revolution 85+ 1050 Watts
- Storage: Intel X25-M SATA Solid State Drive
No cases are used as most of the CPU cooling hardware will not fit in any conventional case. Not even an Antec Skeleton or a HighSpeed PC Tech Station. Those toys are for mere mortals and you’ll see why as we bring you some photos of the competition in progress.
A Sneak Peek at Homebrewed Overclocking Contraptions
Aside from the common supplies that each competitor receives, there are many innovations that make their way to the competition. It’s big, bad, and ugly and also a three phase, phase change cooling system belonging to Fugger, one of the better known North American competitors. This contraption can produce temps in excess of -75 Celsius. This kind of cooling allows him to force feed a CPU large amounts of voltage in order to maintain super high frequencies.
Chances are that this cooling system will out perform the computer hardware underneath it. However, in the end, the task is simply to see just how far you can get before catastrophic failure. We fully expect to see a few components break.
More Overclocking Madness to Follow!
Stay tuned as we bring you some more insight in to the world of overclocking. We’re sure many of you want to know why these people do what they do and most importantly how they do it. The answers will surprise you. Now, where did they put the room key for the hardware room? =)
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GIGABYTE GOOC 2009 North American Regional Finals – The Pre-Show Report – Photo Gallery
