W
ith Computex behind
us, it dawned on me
just how misunderstood
overclocking is. It’s
amazing that after all these years,
it is still mischaracterised and
somewhat delegitimized even at this
point.
Part of that has everything to do
with media (us included) and how it
is either talked about in passing or
simply disregarded as some fringe
hobby or pass time that those with
nothing to do partake in.
The truth is, however, that
overclocking - much like any
competitive aspect of any
enterprise - is what drives
development for the most part.
In the world of track athletics, the
technology that has allowed a man
to run the 100 metre dash in less
than 9.7 seconds is derived from
years of accumulated knowledge
and training regiments. From the
apparel, the running spikes, the
tracks, the diets and the training
- all of it has evolved to this point,
12 The OverClocker Issue 41 | 2017
where the culmination of it all is one
individual sprinting faster than any
man in recorded history. This is at
the pinnacle of the sport, where
only the best compete. They do
nothing else and dedicate their lives
to this endeavour and excel at it.
We celebrate them for it and once
every two or four years we wait
with baited breath for 10 seconds.
Hundreds of hours are spent on
training, research, exercise, tweaks
across all relevant aspects of
sprinting. It all comes down to split
seconds. Here we are at the edge,
where it all counts.
The same could be said in the
automotive industry. At the pinnacle
of motor manufacturing technology,
there is a single discipline, F1. At
any given point there are only 22
drivers who have the capability of
piloting these machines (barring
test drivers and those in the various
racing academies which feed F1).
It’s here, where forces of up to 5Gs
are exerted on the body, where we
watch to see who will come out
ahead. It is here where a power unit
that can propel a car to 357Kph
instead of 349Kph is going to
make a difference. It is the shaving
of 0.075s off a lap time which
makes the difference between a
championship and second or third
place. Everything at this level is of
the highest quality and engineered
to the most stringent standards
available. The entire sport is
another avenue for us as humans
to show our competitive spirit. It
is what we do and because of that
we are better for it. That which
is developed in the automotive
world ends up in the car that
you eventually drive to the mall.
The same rubber compound that
Michelin was providing for the F1
teams eventually ends up in your
car. Better yet, it ends up in the
truck that delivers your goods, it
ends up in the truck that perhaps
didn’t see you coming up the hill and
now needs to brake for dear life to
avoid hitting you.
The spoiler that one takes for