Kings of the Overclockers - a Super Nade interview
Hardware Questions A favourite of Super Nade: the Zippy 600W PSU. Awww, so cute... YG: I will carry around my dead Riva TNT2 card forever, and I have a special place in my heart for my first unlocked Intel Celeron processor. Is there a hardware era or specific piece of hardware that you're nostalgic for? SN: I am nostalgic about every piece of hardware I have owned, but unfortunately, when the pocket pinches, nothing is too precious to let go. If there is anything I would keep from my current system, it would probably be my PC4800 TCCD and my Zippy/EMACS GSM 6600P.
YG: AMD is all but having a fire sale on processors right now, and Intel's recently released some new Core 2 Duo processors which are very competitively priced. As hardware eras go, is this one of the better times to get into overclocking and benchmarking, value-wise? SN: Oh, absolutely! I jumped to the Intel bandwagon from AMD. I did not find it challenging enough at that point. After spending many an hour micro-tweaking a DFI NF4 to hit DDR600 on PC3200 TCCD or to hit 270MHz 2-2-25 on BH5, the Intel side seemed boring. Just plug and play. Now I'm back to one of the newer [AMD] Opterons and boy does it clock sky high or what! I never imagined getting a 55 percent overclock at 30 percent of the initial introductory price [the retail price on the higher-clocked factory models] can get any better!!
YG: On one hand, overclocking has the potential to destroy hardware and create warranty issues for a company. On the other hand, however, supporting the enthusiast market by tacitly/explicitly promoting overclocking is a great way to build a brand from the top down. Are hardware companies, from chip makers to video card manufacturers and re-branders, generally supportive of overclocking? SN: Some are but many play this game of what tacitly amounts to a bait and switch. Anybody who had to deal with the nonsense on the older DFI support forums will attest to this.
 Even PC system vendors are joining in on the overclocking act... YG: Do the results generated by the overclocking and benchmarking community have tangible value to hardware companies? If so, do companies recognize that value and are they appreciative of the community? SN: Things are changing. From a niched group of enthusiasts,now, even Dell is offering overclocked computers! Are they appreciative? I believe so. Companies like ASUS are giving the enthusiasts what they want, be it excellent motherboards or server core PSU's [power supply units] from Ultra and Silverstone. Quality of products that matter to enthusiasts has risen across the board. Now is the best time to get into the mix of things!
YG: With regards to product development, how relevant are the results of the overclocking and benchmarking community to computer hardware in the big picture? In other words, over a period of years, has the community been responsible for or otherwise influenced major shifts in hardware development? SN: Absolutely! Who would need speed binning or PSU's which regulate within 1 percent? Demand and supply, the much abused phrase is quite applicable here!
YG: Some companies seed better-than-average performing hardware to well-known members of the overclocking and benchmarking community prior to retail release. These individuals often post results on forums, creating a demand for a product which may or may not perform at the same level when available at retail. In effect, a group of influential consumers then end up making purchasing decisions on the open market without full information. How do you feel about this practice of seeding? Do you think that influential individuals who report results should be required to disclose the source of any hardware which they received for free or were otherwise compensated or reimbursed for? SN: This is a tricky question. While the use of cherry-picked hardware to showcase stellar results is nothing new, tricking the consumer will only hurt the company and they realize it. The level of awareness has dramatically increased, so an outright con is well neigh impossible. However, this has given rise to a more insidious form of marketing, via proxy referrals and dirty competitor proxy-wars in public forums. We at ocforums have cracked down on several such trolls and shills. Ultimately, it is up to the buyer to sift through the facts and do his/her research. Companies have to survive and so they will spin their products as they see fit.
Wrapping it UpYG: This is a hobby with longevity – as long as there's hardware to overclocking and benchmark, there will be a community to push hardware to its limits. Where do you see benchmarking in the near future? In the long term? SN: I think it will continue to be as exciting as it is today. Each new hardware generation presents new challenges, that challenge is something overclockers are always interested in.
YG: In the name of altruism, do you have any advice for those getting starting with overclocking and/or benchmarking? What are some good resources for the uninitiated? SN: There are a lot of great sites out there, find one you like and the rest will happen by itself if you're really interested.
YG: Finally, any thoughts or comments that you'd like to add which I neglected to cover in my questions? I'd just like to thank everyone from OC Forums & Xtremesystems, I wouldn't be here without all those great guys.
We would like to thank SuperNade for taking time out of his busy life to answer our questions! If you have any comments on this interview or wish to discuss the points raised further, then click right here (registration not required).
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