Any thoughts on step-thermodynamics?

[ScottB]

I am going to build a new T-bird system and was wondering if any of you had any thoughts on www.step-thermodynamics.com. For those of you that don’t know who or what they do, they provide CPU’s with their own “special cooling systems” and guarantee them past there original clock speeds. When I first read about them 2 years ago, they used a special bonding process with a peltier and the only way to get their cooling systems was with the purchase of the CPU. It looks like now they are just using their own special heatsinks and some sort of fan regulator card called ThrottleBody™ Accelerator Card. What this card allows you to do is set the speed of the fan from quiet mode for normal CPU setting all the way up to 46CFM with absolutely no fear of damaging your CPU! They guarantee all of their products for life they also sell memory, motherboards at their cost and soon power supplies. I could only find one review of them http://bxboards.com/fairbank.shtml bxboards seemed to like them back in the day. BTW bxboards is shutting down.

Ok here is my question sorry for this being so long. I want a 1gig T-bird $173 from pricewatch, either a Swiftech MC370-0A or Alpha 66 around $40 and some good thermal grease $10. That’s $223 for $255 you can get a T-bird 1gig @ 1.2gig from STEP guaranteed. What do you guys think? Thanks in advance.

 

[Hoot]

In overclocking, there are plenty of opportunities to ask why. You see people spending more to overclock their 600 Mhz CPU to 1000 Mhz than a 1000 Mhz chip costs. What you don't see is the satisfaction that a lot of non-technical people get from "pullin off" a technical accomplishment. It's like spending $20.00 per pound to go fishing, when you can buy the fish for $5.00 per pound at the market. A lot of the fun is getting there. If you don't want to have to monkey around getting your CPU up to where you want it to be, then of course, the solution is to pay someone else for doing it. Some people get a "stiffie" collecting little souvenir spoons from places they have visited.

I'm a recent arrival to this group, but an Electronics professional for over 30 years and it simply warms my heart to read the posts.

Hoot

 

[rugby]

I agree, it's the act of doing it yourself that's the fun part. There's nothing quite like getting a few more mhz out of my comp and having it work. This whole overclocking started with me toasting my old mb and ram by not seating the ram properly. I got lucky and there was a computer show at the junior college by my apartment and so I ventured over one sunday morning. I picked up a Duron 650, Abit kt7 mb, and 128mb of ram. I got lucky because the kt7 was actually a kt7-raid in the wrong box, and my Duron is running at 1041 with stock cooling! Not too bad. I should get my alpha today and a 120mm Sunon fan to help cool it more and hopefully hit the 1.1ghz mark.
I know I'm rambling here, but my point is this. I had never even taken my computer apart (after putting it together) until I realized I had gotten some good equipment and could do more with it. Now it's become my hobby (thank God it's not my wife's computer) and it's fun. Yeah, I could have bought a 1 ghz t-bird, but at the time I only had 300 bucks to spend for everything and I got lucky and I love tinkering.