Protect your technology investment with Cryo Boost™

What is Optimisation and Overclocking?

The Optimisation and Overclock are techniques we use to 'tune up' your PC and get the maximum processing power out of it.  As standard all PC's are configured and tuned quite sub optimally.  In the same way that many mainstream car manufacturers produce suboptimal performance cars in order to cope with the variety of conditions, fuel quality and locations in the world in which the car might be sold.  With some careful changes to ignition timing, exhaust, engine management systems, changing a few key components, use of good quality fuel you can turn an average saloon into a rally car.

Overclocking is the process of running the internal clocks of your system at a higher speed than the manufacturer intended.  Using the analogy above the clocks in your PC are like the RPM of your car, the higher they go the faster you go, but the hotter and more stressed things get.  For example we would take a standard Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 processor designed to run at 2.66GHz, and configure it so its more than happy at 3.7GHz or more.  Well we do a lot more than that.  We don't just boost the CPU speed we examine and boost every clock, reduce every delay timer, turn up every bus and eliminate all bottlenecks that might be caused by other subsystems like your storage (disks), memory or graphics (GPU).  Going back to the car analogy once again there's no point in just turning up the engine if your not able to supply it with more fuel, it just wont go any faster without the fuel to burn.  Without our careful component selection it simply wouldn't be possible to push the systems this hard, something would give or just fail to perform.  Without our knowledgebase of tried and tested components it would be very hit and miss process.  We also have a few closely guarded secrets to throw into the mix that boost it still further.  What you might call an Extreme Overclock!

Price and performance promise - we are so confident that you will not get a PC that performs as fast or as well as ours from any other manufacturer we stake our reputation on it.  We publish benchmarks for all our PC's to demonstrate just how far ahead of the pack they really are.  Virtually no other manufacturer does the same, I wonder why...

How can you achieve this when others can't?

• Process - user requirement driven design, we get real needs from real gamers and professionals in media, design and graphics; you only pay for components and features that add value and give benefit.  In the past there have been some big new ideas we have chosen not to include in our builds because we didn't believe they provided any benefit
   
• Technology - reference to a huge knowledgebase of component experience; we have built-up a knowledgebase of literally thousands of component combinations and tested and benchmarked their performance.  for example; which motherboards, with which BIOS rev with which CPU work well, and just as importantly which don't
   
• People - experienced industry professionals with the full range of skills in the consumer and business space ranging from micro electronics to thermodynamics, and HVAC engineers to believe it or not fluid and aerodynamics
   
• Quality - one of the reasons we have a longer build cycle than most is that we are very disciplined about thorough testing and verification.  We don't want you to become our field test force
   
• Fulfilment - our model of just-in-time building and fulfilment means we can offer you the widest array of options and the best prices as we have no other agenda to clear specific stock lines, and little exposure to end of line products and currency fluctuations
   
• Partners - our technology and delivery partners are vital to our success and they have been as fussy about select us as we have been about them.  We enter into no exclusive or preferential partnership agreements we believe partners should thrive on their own merits
• Community - in the new era of Web 2.0, blogs, forums and the personalised web we contribute to and gain a lot from other industry enthusiasts and professionals alike.

What this all means for you is a number of keys benefits:

• Performance - typically 30-50% better performance over any mainstream manufacturer (typical quad core processors currently run at clock speeds between 2.4GHz and 3GHz, ours run between 3.6GHz and 4.5GHz!) .  On average computer performance increases roughly 20% in real terms year-on-year, by purchasing a machine already ahead you gain an additional 2-3 years of useful life, and, because of its standardised component based design its highly upgradable
   
• Extended lifetime - of 30% or more, effectively reducing the cost over the whole lifecycle
• Reduced obsolesce - by building in future technology now and leaving lots of room for upgrades and component changes that don't require a wholesale swap
• Advanced building techniques and optimisations - using over-engineered key components such as cooling, overclocking and power
• Personal and individual service and customisation to your requirements (photographic, 3D graphics, games, simulations, multimedia, mathematical modelling)

The fact is that over the years in the highly competitive field of PC manufacture and support the industry has succeeded by focussing more and more on simplification and standardisation.  This has brought a 'standard' affordable PC to the mass market very effectively.  Unfortunately this very process while now delivering a usable PC for reduced initial outlay has also delivered us:

• underperforming products - sub-optimised to do all things for all users to a mediocre standard,
• using already obsolete technology - to take out the manufacturing risk and development costs of using new technology,
• and with poor support for modern software demands (i.e. Windows Vista and 3D graphics) - how many times have you installed new and upgraded software only to find your PC grinds to a halt!
• detuned processing power - manufacturers and designers have to factor in the least common denominator when specifying processing speed limits for system builders (rather like allowing for the fact some users might run their Ferraris on watered down petrol!).  Considerably more is available with better designs!