In Pictures: MSI's Master Overclocking Arena 2013 Finals

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MSI held its Master Overclocking Arena Finals event in Taiwan, and the Tom's Hardware community was there to catch all the action. Follow along as we introduce some of the world's best overclockers and follow their efforts to break some records.

Welcome To The Master Overclocking Arena

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.

Setting The Rules

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.

The Top 16 Overclockers Compete In The Finals

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.

Rbuass From Brazil

There's Rbuass, from Brazil.

T0slty From The Ukraine

Then, T0slty from the Ukraine.

Cyclone, Also From The Ukraine

Meet Cyclone, also from the Ukraine.

Vivi From South Africa

Vivi represents South Africa.

Lucky_nOOb From Indonesia

Lucky_nOOb hails from Indonesia.

Gyrock From Japan

Gyrock is from Japan.

Mikecdm From The U.S.

Mikecdm represented the U.S.

Gnidaol From Brazil

Gnidaol hails from Brazil.

German Lopez