OCZ Cluster
Posted 48 months ago

Update: OK, I know you have all been waiting to hear who will move on to round 2, so here we go. The 5 finalists are (in no particular order):
Deux
Slugbug
Jarrodthome
Odoyle721
SuperCharge

I'll be emailing you all directly using your registered email address.

Welcome to the AMD – Gigabyte – OCZ “Liquid Nitrogen Not Required” Overclocking contest. Unlike traditional Overclocking contests where liquid nitrogen rules, this one requires a broader set of skills, intelligence and know-how. Our goal is to open up the contest to everyone with technical abilities instead of just those ultra-nerds who live for -321 degrees Fahrenheit. To that end, the majority of the scoring for this contest is based on your ability to communicate your knowledge to the rest of the hardcore gaming community through a series of informative and fun media blogs.

Details:

Prizes:
The top five contestants from phase 1 of the competition will each receive:
1 AMD X3 720 Phenom II processor
http://www.amd.com/us-en/Processors/ProductInformation/0,,30_118_15331_15917,00.html
1 Gigabyte GA-MA790FXT-UD5P Motherboard
http://www.gigabyte.us/Products/Motherboard/Products_Overview.aspx?ProductID=3007
1 OCZ 2X2GB DDR3 PC3-12800 Platinum AMD Edition memory
http://www.ocztechnology.com/products/memory/ocz_ddr3_pc3_12800_platinum_amd_edition

These top 5 winners will then overclock these components to compete for US$2,500.
First place: US$1,500
Second place: US$700
Third place: US$300

Phase 1 (Three Rounds)
Round 1: May 20th – June 15th 2009
Written essay, posted as a media blog in the AMD cluster in the FiringSquad Matrix, “How to Overclock Guide.” No plagiarism allowed on this one. Pictures, diagrams, videos, all score extra points.

Round 2: May 20th – June 19th, 2009
Written essay, posted as a media blog in the Gigabyte cluster in the FiringSquad Matrix, “What is so cool about Gigabyte’s Ultra-Durable 3 technology.” Plagiarism here is OK since you’ll find out most of this information from around the web. Again, pictures, diagrams and videos all score extra points.
http://www.firingsquad.com/matrix/cluster.asp/82

Round 3: May 20th – June 24th, 2009
Media blog in the OCZ cluster in the FiringSquad Matrix, “funniest damn thing you can think of doing with the OCZ name.” Just bring your imagination for this one.
http://www.firingsquad.com/matrix/cluster.asp/90

Phase 1 will be scored entirely by FiringSquad staff. User feedback and comments will impact our scoring, so make sure you comment on the entries. The top 5 contestants from Phase 1 will then receive CPU’s, motherboards, and memory. They will then will be given about 10 days to build and tweak their systems.

Phase 2 – Overclocking. June 24 - July 15th, 2009
The top 5 competitors from Phase 1 will now compete for $2,500 in cash. Using the techniques they described in their Overclocking articles, the users will now put those skills to the test in the real world. Their Overclocking scores will be added to their existing scores from Phase 1 to determine their over all ranking.
Competitors are required to post a final media blog in the AMD cluster, with pictures of the following:
1) Screenshots showing Super Pi Mod 8M score (seconds) & CPU-Z CPU frequency (MHz)
2) Official CPU-Z Validation Web page link
3) CPU, motherboard and memory pictures.


Rules and Regulations
1. You must be 16 years or older to participate.
2. You must be a resident of the planet earth and have a valid mailing address that does not require hand courier delivery.
3. No posting of old results. All CPU-Z verification links must have a date on or after May 19, 2009.
4. Participants are required to post pictures of their motherboard and CPU throughout the competition along with benchmark results screenshots and validation link to CPU-Z database: (http://valid.x86-secret.com/).
5. The competition winners will be picked from all eligible entries that arrive by midnight of the closing day of each round.
6. Winners of all rounds will be chosen by FiringSquad and FiringSquad only. This is not a democracy, and if you lose or are disqualified because we don’t like the way you spell, then tough beans.
7. All means of CPU cooling are permitted. But you have to prove your capable of writing before you get to the cooling rounds.
8. Only one entry is permitted per person. Only one registered FiringSquad user per person.
9. FiringSquad, AMD, Gigabyte, and OCZ will do everything in their power to ensure a speedy delivery of all of the prizes. Winners are not allowed to complain if it takes more than 30 days to process.
10. The top 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners will be awarded US$1,500, US$700 and US$300 or equivalent in their local currency respectively. Winners must have a valid paypal account in order to receive their cash prizes.
11. FiringSquad reserves the right to refuse entry into the competition, and any entrant found falsifying results, plagiarizing, or generally following un-sportsmanlike behavior will be instantly disqualified.
12. You enter this competition is at your own risk. FiringSquad, AMD, Gigabyte, nor OCZ do not accept any responsibility or issue guarantee on parts used for the overclocking competition.
13. No responsibility will be taken for lost entries.
14. In the event of any dispute, the judges decision is final.
15. These rules may change at any time and you must accept these changes.
16. By submitting your first entry, you have confirmed your acceptance of the terms and conditions.
17. All terms and conditions of the FiringSquad Matrix apply. http://www.firingsquad.com/matrix/terms.asp