Divisions

I’ve noticed here and there, well, really, here, overclocking databases are being used as a means of competition.

Since I can’t say anything about it I couldn’t pretty much also say about golf, I guess it’s a sport.

But if we’re going to have a sport, or at least competition, might I make a friendly suggestion?

In most sports, players of differing abilities and/or different rules have different leagues, and groups of people compete more or less on an even playing field.

That’s not what is happening here. What’s happening is that the people using LN2 are flattening the competition like B-52s in a bad mood. Talk about freezing out the competition.

Let’s face it. Liquid nitrogen is not a household item. Your mom or wife never asks you to pick up some from the store. You don’t use it for picnics in the backyard. I bet some of you can even go a whole day without even using the words “liquid nitrogen” in a sentence.

This is not at all to knock those who are competing on this level. That would be like knocking the NFL for the gear they use to play.

But when the neighbors challenge you and your buddies to a neighborhood touch football game, you don’t bring the New England Patriots along in full gear. There isn’t even a point to playing the game.

It’s much better to have the NFL play with the NFL and your neighbors play with your neighbors.

There are basically three distinct levels of competition in overclocking, with little to no overlap.

You have the LN2 Lot.

You have the Peltier People.

Finally, the Fan Folks.

(I’ll mention water later.)

For all practical purposes, these are separate leagues; it just hasn’t been recognized yet. It’s extremely difficult for someone even vaguely competent at the task to lose to someone in a lower division. It’s extraordinarily difficult for anyone, no matter how good, short of getting The Most Blessed CPU of All Time, is ever going to beat anyone vaguely competent in a higher division.

Putting these three naturally separate groups together doesn’t increase competition; it lessens it. If you’re thinking about getting into this, you look at the top scores and the CPU temps, and you begin to wonder if Uranus has gotten ‘Net access.

That’s pretty bad news for somebody on Earth with a fan who realizes he doesn’t stand a chance. The only thing worse (at least for some equipment) is somebody on Earth with a fan who doesn’t realize it.

If you look at the top scores, you see a range where outside of one person who used red-hot dry ice with a blessed chip; it’s all LN2. Then you see Peltier-type activity. Then it’s air, with a little water providing some lubrication between the latter two groups.

Since the groupings are sorting themselves out naturally, why not do so officially?

You put the LN2 guys in the top league: the CryoLeague. That will be the top league because it will have the top scores. They really shouldn’t feel deprived because they won’t be leading everyone. Comparatively, all they’re doing to those in the lower divisions is beating up on cripples, which is hardly sporting. What good is a game you can’t lose?

You put the Vapochill and Peltier folks in the FrigLeague.

Although water is a little different in that there is more overlap between it and the categories above and below, there’s enough of a difference to justify an AquaLeague.

Finally, for the rest, there’s the AirLeague.

It’s the folks at VR-Zone I mainly had in mind while writing this, but I suspect this could be made to work with other benchmarks.

If this seem to be a good idea to you, it also seems only sporting to let the originators get the first chance to implement it. So if this strikes you as being a good idea, contact the people at your competitive benchmark of choice, and ask them to consider it.

Ed