F E A T U R E // G A L A X O V E R C L O C K I N G C A R N I V A L
THE OVERCLOCKER PRESENTS
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O
verclocking is the art of running
a computer above its rated
speed. The speed rating of a
processor, graphics card, or even
memory is not necessarily a number
cast in stone, but rather a speed which
is guaranteed by the manufacturer to
run flawlessly within a given power and
temperature target.
That speed can normally be
increased to higher levels, but the
faster you run a component the hotter
it gets and often requires the use of
higher end air or liquid coolers. Once
you get past that stage you get to
the world of extreme overclocking,
12 The OverClocker Issue 43 | 2018
where hobbyists emp loy dry ice
(-78.5’C), liquid nitrogen (-196’C) or
even liquid helium (-269’C) to further
lower the temperature of these select
components.
Operating components at these low
temperatures has a secondary effect,
which is that you can operate a GPU
for example, at a higher frequency
and employ higher voltages than you
could using a standard air or AIO liquid
cooler. As such, these extreme cooling
measures are key to competitive
overclocking at this level.
While Liquid Nitrogen cooling
does have its disadvantages, it is
certainly not practical for day to day
use, in as much as the power unit of
an F1 car is not suitable for everyday
use. At this level however, liquid
nitrogen makes possible new levels
of performance that is otherwise
unattainable using every day cooling
mechanisms. Competitive overclocking
at GOC and such events however,
isn’t about getting down to the lowest
temperature possible. Care must be
taken to keep temperatures within the
correct range for operation for a stable
system. It is this delicate balance,
monitoring and dealing with frost build
up, and more which the highly skilled