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FX @ 8 GHz+: Behind the scenes at a world record

On 8th September 2011, AMD called the UK's top technology press to a secret location in London and began what seemed to be a standard presentation on its up-coming technology. After a short coffee break, things changed. Very quickly. Before you quite knew what was happening, these same seasoned hacks were laughing and breaking into spontaneous applause. Here are the images from the day history was made.

Former world number one overclocker, Macci, began pouring the LN2 into his specialist set up as the press drew near
Moisture in the air around the cooler doesn't stand a chance
Hitting minus 100 was a simple milestone on the way down to Macci's true destination
AMD's Sasa Marinkovic looks on like a proud father, while PCTV captures the moment of truth
This immensely strong container might look like a nuclear device, but actually carries LN2
Close to the moment of truth, PCTV's Eli decides to stick his fingers into the LN2 while Maryann folds her arms in disbelief
Finally convinced she won't lose any fingers (if done correctly!), PCTVs Maryann sticks one of her digits in too
Macci's overclocking skills put everything into stark black and white – the bloke rocks!
Close up of the screen near the moment of truth
Applause and relief as Macci storms past 8GHz on 8th September
Bringing the kit's temperature back down to earth takes some serious heat.   Still -121 even with the blowgun at full force!
It's enough to make paint blister, but still the guage reads -105 degrees
Macci's tip might be glowing red hot, but the processor still hasn't thawed sufficiently for removal
After several minutes with his special tool, Macci was finally able to get his nuts off

Normally, we would have run a lot earlier with this unique ‘look behind the scenes', but the NDA prevented early disclosure. We hope none of you decide to follow Maryann's example and decide to dip your digits into the dangerously cold gas!


KitGuru says:Probably the most impressive demonstration on the day was not Macci sailing past the 8GHz mark – it was actually the fact that he was able to boot at 7.6GHz. AMD has some seriously overclockable technology here, no doubt. While the reception at stock or moderate overclocks has been mixed, there is no doubting the headroom here. Macci has since passed the 8.4GHz mark and there could be more to follow.

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