Kings of the Overclockers - a Joe Camel interview
Hardware QuestionsYG: 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? JC: Still have the Pentium 75 and memory sticks that go with it in a box along with a Timex Sinclair 1000 (bought at K-Mart after they went out of production).
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: Haven't been keeping up these days. [I'm] still working on paying off the $14k credit card bill I accumulated in a little over a year of hardware buying.
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? JC: If they were, places like OCF would have contests sponsored by companies.
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? JC: I'd like to think so, but aside from forums, I have never talked to another person who even knew about overclocking or benching. Although being an anti-social hermit doesn't help.
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: Most defiantly! Throwing cherry hardware [cherry refers to "cherry picked", meaning products individual hand-selected due to having specific qualities, such as low temperatures or high speeds - Ed] to a reviewer is one thing I really hated back in my day. In my opinion, reviewers should get off the shelf (or as close as possible) to review and not cherry picked hardware!
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? JC: I'd like to think that much like the hot-rodders of the 50s turned into the tuner's of the 2000's (like automotive hot-rodders and tuners), [PC] benching, modding and overclocking will continue to evolve with the times and draw the tinkerers of us out of the garage and into the basements.
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? JC: Read, read, read any and all OC/HW forums - e.g. OCF Extreme, DFIstreet (do they still exist?), etc. Don’t take one post for the Bible - draw from many many sources and then learn it yourself. Don’t be afraid to start small - sure, you're not going to compete with the big guys, but you wont be killing thousands of dollars worth of stuff in the learning process.
YG: Finally, any thoughts or comments that you'd like to add which I neglected to cover in my questions? Rich was kind enough to list some of his accomplishments in various benchmarks - source. JC: The list of TOP ATI Radeon X1900 CrossFire records is where my pride is : #3 in 3DMark01; #1 in 3DMark03; #2 in 3DMark05; #3 in 3DMark06; #2 in Aquamark.
We would like to thank Rich 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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