HARDWARE, RECORDS
and THINGS!
2.3GHZ GPU CLOCK REACHED
Steponz reaches a milestone by achieving the first
2.3GHz on a high end GPU (or possibly any GPU for that
matter). It’s no secret that the GTX 980 is an incredible
overclocker with virtually all GPUs clocking above the
2GHz mark. However, it gets much harder after that
finding the right sample and having the correct
supporting hardware and skill level to pull it off. Well,
we finally have it with a cracking FS Extreme score of
10,459. This done on the EVGA GTX 980 Classified,
proving once again that it is the definitive GTX 980 for
the highest frequencies.
There’s the K|NGP|N Edition that was recently
announced which should in theory be even better, but
it’s hard to see how this can be topped. Joe’s Classified
may be a very unique sample, but even so, the new
ultimate edition of the GTX 980 will have its work cut
out for it. The good thing about it though is that if it does
manage to pull through it will bring GPU overclocking
closer to the next milestone which could be 2,400MHz!
Whatever happens, one thing is for sure and that is
the challenge has been set for both overclockers and
vendors alike. Will it be MSI, ASUS, GIGABYTE or GALAX
to rise to the challenge?
HARDWARE & RESULT
RELIABILITY
We still have not been able to
verify some claims made by entities (vendor,
teams, individuals or a combination) on hardware
that technically isn’t what is on the shelves.
Understand that that we are not talking about
E/G-Power boards and the like. Those may not
be something that can be purchased readily at
stores, but they are accessible to the vast majority
of competitive overclockers who would be able to
use such hardware. What we are talking about for
example is a vendor claiming a world record using
specific memory that isn’t remotely close to what
one may find online or at regular stores. That is,
flashing a 2133MHz SPD on a set of memory that
is a 3200MHz kit, then proceeding to hit 4GHz on
the same set for example. Note that this isn’t a
specific example (pray tell we’ve not given this
ill-conceived idea to one nefarious individual) but
an illustration of what may be happening. Another
instance is to claim a world record using a socket
that isn’t on a retail product. We all know about the
overclocking sockets that are in existence for X99
boards. These are likely to show up in all future
motherboards as well, even in the lesser
platforms. The problem here is that a single entity
may claim a record using a regular retail board,
but one fitted with one of these special sockets.
In such a situation, there’s no way for the buying
public to know that the achievement was not done
with a retail board. This isn’t a firmware update or
some software. This is a socket that short of having
some really expensive equipment is impossible to
install on an end user board, meaning the record is
invalid. That nobody can verify it, doesn’t mean it’s
not happening. As such, vigilance by overclockers,
and in particular media that reviews such products
shall need to be exercised.
16 The OverClocker Issue 33 | 2015