Event Report: GIGABYTE Open Overclocking Championship 2008

Conclusion


A handful of years ago, if you had made a prediction that a large computer hardware manufacturer would organize and sponsor a worldwide overclocking competition that would culminate with a championship in the heartland of computer hardware, chances are that most people would have laughed and called you a dreamer.

However, that is precisely what GIGABYTE has flawlessly accomplished with the GIGABYTE Open Overclocking Championship 2008 and the accompanying worldwide qualifying events. Not only was this the first event of such worldwide magnitude, but every overclocker that I had the pleasure to talk to stated that this was the best overclocking event that they had ever attended, period.

Eleven world records were broken during GO OC 2008 and that is testament to both GIGABYTE and the amazing overclockers that achieved those results. Due to the people, the hardware, the meticulous organization and planning, and the truly awesome venue, this is an event that should not and will not soon be forgotten.

By launching the Extreme Series product line and hosting this event, Gigabyte has really pushed itself to the forefront of the overclocking scene, which is remarkable for a company for that has really only been considered overclocking-friendly since 2006 with the release of the 965P-DS3/DS4/DQ6 motherboards. But most importantly, it is their level of enthusiast community involvement that is absolutely unparalleled among every computer hardware manufacturer. By providing motherboard samples to world-class overclockers and hosting overclocking events Gigabyte is receiving priceless feedback that not only helps them fix issues and make better products, but is also helping to bring overclocking out of the darkness and into the spotlight that it deserves.

Everyone that attended deeply hopes that GO OC becomes an annual event, and we will be among the very first sources to tell you if and when it does.

Special thanks go out to Rita, Liliana, Tony, and Angela for choosing Hardware Canucks as one of only two North American media organizations to cover the event.

Specials thanks also go out to Deanzo & Dinos22, Ross & Maxi, SETH & TraX, Elmor & SF3D, FUGGER & Vapor, Josh, TAT, Zolkorn for helping with this article, and everyone else that I had the pleasure of meeting in Taipei.