Competitive overclocking hub HWBOT has announced the start of Cheapaz Chips 2020, featuring the AMD Athlon 3000G processor. The competition will run through to the end of May 2020 and features CPU and iGPU benchmarks. For retro fans, there’s also a parallel Cheapaz Chips competition featuring the ten-year-old HD 5770. Both feature prize money, with up to $200 up for grabs for first place. Second place in each competition will net $100, with third getting $50. Now, competitive OC has never been a profitable hobby, but this certainly provides some extra motivation to go hard.
The Cheapaz Chips competitions have traditionally been positioned as a low-risk way to do competitive overclocking. If the hardware in use is cheap, then there’s much less concern about absolutely thrashing it to get the best possible benchmark scores. There’s also a tradition of encouraging modding. Many cheap B450 motherboards that you might normally pair with a 3000G limit memory voltage to a sane level like 1.5V. With mods you can push this far above what’s sane.
Cheapaz Chips 2020: The AMD Athlon 3000G Competition
The AMD Athlon 3000G version of Cheapaz Chips 2020 features four stages. Two focus on the CPU section of the 3000G, and two on the “Vega 3” integrated graphics. The stages are;
- Cinebench R15
- SuperPi 32M
- 3DMark Vantage – Performance preset
- 3DMark Sky Diver
Points are allocated for ranking in each stage, most points wins.
On a personal note from the author, I’ll be taking a crack at this competition in the coming weeks. Play3r have a proud history of competitive overclocking and it’s one I hope to be a part of. Look out for more articles coming on the topic in the near future.
Cheapaz Chips 2020: The AMD HD 5770 Competition
The HD 5770 version only has to contend with GPU benchmarks, so there are just three stages. The stages are;
- 3DMark11 – Performance preset (graphics score)
- 3DMark Fire Strike (graphics score)
- Unigine Heaven – Xtreme preset
Again, points are allocated for ranking in each stage and most points wins.
How To Enter
Cheapaz Chips 2020 is being run by HWBOT, and you can enter through the HWBOT website directly or through their OC eSports page.
The Cinebench and SuperPi 3000G rounds require the Benchmate verification tool, unless you manage to get Windows 7 or older running on a chip that’s officially Windows 10 only. 3DMark rounds need a validation link. The Unigine Heaven stage for the 5770 requires Windows 7, unless a Skylake or newer Intel processor is used. You also need to follow all the usual HWBOT verification rules, include a CPU-Z motherboard tab, and use the cheapaz chips 2020 desktop background made by 3D artist DaQuteness.
Entrants have until the 30th of May to get their scores in. Some people choose to “sandbag” scores until the last minute, but most competitive overclockers like the back and forth and post their scores right away. Ultimately sandbagging doesn’t make your score any higher.
See you in the rankings!
