OC records broken at ASUS Absolute Zero Pwoer User Gathering

As part of the ASUS ROG commitment to the world’s leading PC performance hardware and features as well as direct involvement in the overclocking community, the Absolute Zero Power User Gathering hosted leading pro-overclockers at ASUS headquarters June 25-29. They worked with ROG team members, utilizing new ROG Maximus V Extreme boards, the ROG MATRIX 7970, and ASUS GeForce® GTX 680 DirectCU II TOP graphics cards. The event resulted in new SuperPi, PiFast, and 4-way SLI® 3DMark 11 world records, plus an even stronger belief in the importance of brand-community synergy.

Overclocking marathon commences
ROG team members, engineers, and notable overclockers Andre Yang, Shamino, Bing, and Raja partook in proceedings and helped organize the event, with several high-profile overclockers from around the world invited by ROG and hosted for the duration of the gathering. Packed with exclusive ROG and ASUS hardware, including new Maximus V Extreme and Rampage IV Extreme motherboards, the Absolute Zero arena provided a flow of liquid nitrogen and the first use of liquid helium on Intel-based boards to empower radical system tuning and performance modification towards new records, with a focus on the demanding SuperPi, PiFast, and multiple-preset 4-way SLI® 3DMark 11 benchmarks.

United in the name of performance
The Absolute Zero event highlighted the strong community ties ASUS and ROG maintain with enthusiasts worldwide. Special invitations were sent to high-profile overclockers Fredyama-san, Viss (Bart Peters), Hazzan, Splav (Allen Golibersuch), and rsannino (Roberto Sannino). Each brought their experience to bear, working together in pushing hardware to its limits, with free-flow liquid cooling and a seemingly endless supply of overclocking staples such as energy drinks, pizza, and potato chips. The chemistry between guest overclockers and host ROG team members created more than camaraderie – it generated a sense of accomplishment as SuperPi, PiFast, and 4-way SLI® 3DMark 11 performance, entry, and extreme preset performance records were surpassed and set. The Absolute Zero Power User Gathering shows that beyond providing the finest performance hardware for enthusiasts, the ROG advantage rests with community outreach, integration, and open communication. The purpose of the event was a personal experience with what pro-overclockers want, as much as it was about new overclocking and benchmarking highs.

Great effort bears fruit
After a week of intense performance tuning, radical experimentation, and very little sleep, the Absolute Zero Power User Gathering concluded with remarkable achievements. Leveraging ASUS ROG motherboards and graphics cards, high-end Intel® processors, memory from G.SKILL, and Corsair PSUs and keyboards, the combined ROG and overclocker crew made their mark by attaining new SuperPi, PiFast, and 4-way SLI® 3DMark 11 world performance records, the latter in performance, entry, and extreme presets:

Full list of world performance records attained during the gathering:

- SuperPi by Andre Yang, 5 seconds 140ms with Intel® Core™ i7-3770K on ROG Maximus V Extreme at 7023MHz: http://www.hwbot.org/submission/2295911_

- PiFast by Andre Yang, 10.27 seconds with Intel® Core™ i7 3770K on ROG Maximus V Extreme at 6976MHz: http://www.hwbot.org/submission/2295910_

- 3DMark 11 extreme preset by Hazzan, 16806 marks with ROG Rampage IV Extreme and 4-way SLI® ASUS GeForce® GTX 680 DirectCU II TOP: http://www.3dmark.com/hall-of-fame/3dmark-11-top-extreme-preset/

- 3DMark 11 performance preset by Hazzan, 33190 marks with ROG Rampage IV Extreme and 4-way SLI® ASUS GeForce® GTX 680 DirectCU II TOP: http://www.3dmark.com/hall-of-fame/3dmark-11-top-performance-preset/

- 3DMark 11 entry preset by Hazzan, 34458 marks with ROG Rampage IV Extreme and 4-way SLI® ASUS GeForce® GTX 680 DirectCU II TOP: http://www.3dmark.com/hall-of-fame/3dmark-11-top-entry-preset/

Event success shows path to future improvement
ROG team members and guest overclockers all had a wonderful and productive time. The event proves that superior hardware and features arise from engineering just as they do from keeping the community closely involved in product conception and development. As a result of the event’s success, ASUS and ROG team members are already considering the next special occasion, with further details to be announced as plans emerge. Until then, ROG will continue to deliver enthusiasts the best hardware and overclocking features, ensuring the ideal platform for new world records and system tuning.