S U P P L E M E N T // G A L A X
5 T H A N N I V E R S A R Y O C L A B C E L E B R AT I O N
successive GPU generations.
As this was vendor event, I
expected a level of stiffness about
the whole event, but I should have
known better, Afterall this is GALAX
and fewer vendors are as casual
and simultaneously sincere about
such events. Light on formalities
and heavy on the overclocking, it
was truly a gathering of friends and
like-minded individuals. In talking to
some GALAX representatives, it also
became very apparent that GALAX
is comprised of a team which has a
layered understanding of overclocking;
with substantive insight into its
strengths, challenges and history.
Product and Marketing director,
Edward Chow - whom I had an
opportunity to interview (Pg.14) is
a great example of this nuanced
appreciation and insight into
overclocking. Candid and honest
about the business side of it and of
course the activity itself and what
it means to all involved. There’s a
certain sober conviction not only in the
products made, but also in GALAX’s
position within the DIY space.
For instance, there are many more
products that GALAX provides outside
of graphics adapters and DRAM. The
number one reason you may not be
aware of these (outside of just not
being available in your particular
region) is that some products were
simply not up to the standard GALAX
insisted upon. This is particularly true
for all products which are to fly under
the HOF name. Others however, don’t
show up to market simply because
they would dilute the HOF branding.
One such product for example being
the HOF mechanical gaming keyboard.
Few things are an instant must
have, but this was one such item.
Imagine that even within the space
comprised of RTX GPUs and highly
binned DRAM memory modules, this
keyboard stood out as one of the most
pleasing gaming peripherals ever
constructed. Despite this undeniable
aesthetic appeal, I learned that it
would not see the light of day under
the HOF family, but would possibly
show up under a gaming line instead.
It’s apparent then, that the HOF
products are single minded, highly
focused parts, tailored for operational
reliability and optimum performance
at the edge. A point to remember, when
you consider the journey that was
undertaken to bring the RTX 2080Ti
HOF OC Lab Edition to market which
included several PCB versions and
12 The OverClocker Issue 46 | 2019
time-consuming tuning. Even with
the tremendous time constraints,
the team responsible pulled it off.
As with all such overclocking
events though, there will be
hardware casualties, including one
fine sample with a 2600MHz + core
which succumbed to a cracked
and broken core. That said, this
GPU did not come to its demise
when it was overclocked but rather
suffered this fate when it wasn’t even
powered or installed in a system.
When such an incident happens, it
can dampen the mood and result in
some conservative overclocking from
everyone, but none of that was to be
seen. Virtually everyone concerned
battled through various overclocking
related challenges from swapping out
boards to trying a number of DRAM
sticks and PSUs or drives. At one point
for the sole purpose of maximizing
a 3DMark03 run, a brand-new ROG
144Hz monitor was purchased. Given