Back in October, we were invited to the Master Overclocking Arena 2013 Finals. Started in 2009, the MSI contest is now one of the biggest overclocking events in the world.
The online qualifiers started few months ago, where participants from all parts of the world showed their skills in getting as much performance as possible from their components using extreme cooling. Naturally, the liquid nitrogen flowed like water.
The online qualifiers ran in two stages. The first was divided into a pair of categories. There was Category A, where you could run any hardware available at the time, except for Intel's Haswell architecture, Nvidia's GeForce GTX Titan, or a server-oriented processor. And there was Category B, which focused on mid-range components like Intel's Core i5-3570K and AMD's FX-8350. It also included any GeForce GTX 650 Ti Boost or AMD Radeon HD 7790 and down.
In that first round, the benchmarks used included the old-school SuperPI 32M, Futuremark's newer 3DMark Fire Strike, and Cinebench R11.5. The second stage utilized the same benchmarks, but with a hardware change for Category A. Haswell-based CPUs and GeForce GTX Titans were allowed.
At the end of both stages, 16 of the best overclockers in the world won tickets to the finals in Taipei, Taiwan on October 19 and October 20, 2013. We tagged along to document the event, so feel free to follow as we walk through two days of MSI's Master Overclocking Arena 2013.
First, we'll meet those 16 talented individuals who earned the right to attend.
There's Rbuass, from Brazil.
Then, T0slty from the Ukraine.
Meet Cyclone, also from the Ukraine.
Vivi represents South Africa.
Lucky_nOOb hails from Indonesia.
Gyrock is from Japan.
Mikecdm represented the U.S.
Gnidaol hails from Brazil.
Smoke flew in from Russia.
FtW represented Canada.
Giorgioprimo made the trip from Italy.
JJJC traveled from Australia.
SniperOZ also came from Australia.
Zzolia hailed from Denmark.
Xtreme_Addict represented Poland.
OC_Windforce flew in from Korea.
Here's the crew with master judge and main voice of the event, der8auer, next to master judge, Hanna.
Continue on for the event's action!
As the event's sponsor, MSI had its Z87-based motherboards on display.
MSI's newest graphics cards feature the same color scheme as the company's Z87 Mpower Max motherboard.
Both components are running in a color-matched configuration.
These components match as well; this time they're in black and red.
This open test bench is a true tweaker's setup. The SSD sitting loose reminds us of our own lab.
This thermos is so cold that it's already covered in frozen condensation!
Presenting the co-sponsors with plaques for their support.
Anyone for some free hardware? Quick, while nobody's looking!
The master judge, der8auer, speaks.
The rules are made clear before the competition starts to avoid confusion later on.
And so begins the complex art of extreme overclocking.
Rbuass from Brazil makes preparations to his graphics card.
Branded containers of the cool stuff.
If you want bench-tested hardware to last, you need to protect it against condensation, first and foremost.
Yum. QEH6 Core i7-4770K CPUs. You know you're serious when you start hand-picking Q-specs.
A simple, yet elegant, cooling setup.
Impressively clean work for a bench setup.
Volt-modding a GeForce GTX 780 helps facilitate higher voltage settings than would otherwise be possible from a stock card.
A high-end configuration gets tuned for maximum performance under an LN2-cooled block.
The contest is well underway, and the overclockers are dialing in their settings in preparation for their benchmark runs.
When it comes to precision overclocking, you need accurate voltage and temperature readings.
Check out the leader board.
Yes, that is a McDonald's cup being used to catch the LN2.
Too frosty? Needs a blankie.
Yes, that's a GeForce GTX 780 and it still works.
The trophies, all lined up.
Xtreme_Addict took home the third-place trophy and $1000.
Lucky_n00b finished in second place.
T0slty, from the Ukraine, captures first place in the finals. Congratulations!
And here are the winners of MOA 2013!