Conversation With OPC
Spring 2005
We spent some time with Mario Cifaldi, Chief Technical Officer at Overdrive PC™ discussing high-end computer systems, Overdrive PC™ and what to consider when purchasing a new computer. This is a first in a series of on-going columns.
Who is Overdrive PC™?
Overdrive PC™ is a U.S. based manufacturer of highly specialized gaming and multi-media platforms built to standards and specifications equal to or exceeding anything available from other computer manufacturers.
Who is the Overdrive PC™ customer?
Overdrive PC™ provides custom, high performance solutions for the ever-growing multi-media world, not only for the general gamer, but also for the demanding professional business environment.
Why buy an Overdrive PC™ system?
Game enthusiasts want to play the newest, latest and greatest games. These games push technology and current hardware to the point where the user immediately feels the need to upgrade from an off-the-shelf system because it's reached its peak and has nothing else to offer. For example, to maximize high frame rates—a must for the serious gamer—they end up playing with low quality, low-resolution settings. They soon discover the off-the-shelf system is not really for serious gaming. When you jack up all the extras, the frames go away. That's the give and take.
Now they've reached the point where they're looking for a new system so that they can have the best of both worlds—high frame rates, maximum settings and blazing speed. An Overdrive PC™ gaming system delivers just that.
So, they talk to friends, read reviews and then finally research custom computer companies to see what their options are.
On the professional side, we deliver more bang-for-the-buck. It's as simple as that. You spend less money on an Overdrive PC™ computer and get 10 times the system.
Either way, whether you're a gamer or a professional user, we deliver a better built—HyperClocked™, better wired, better cooled and quieter—unit for considerably less money.
What is HyperClocking™?
HyperClocking™ is our custom method of raising the default clock speeds of system components to higher than stated values. HyperClocking allows us to provide the fastest solutions in the industry at greatly reduced price levels by exploiting safe new power levels from far less expensive components. Users either enjoy greater processor, video and gaming speeds than current technology provides, or greatly reduced system cost by HyperClocking far less expensive components to achieve comparable speeds and results. The bottom line is free power!
Every manufacturer builds their version of a gaming box. But, if it's about speed and you came to buy a custom box to gain speed, you get the faster unit with Overdrive PC™ every time because we push the technology further than any other company and we back it. Other companies don't specialize in HyperClocking. They offer it as a conditional bonus.
How can you do that?
We push more because we're willing to. That's our specialty, hence the name Overdrive. And, HyperClocking is fully guaranteed and supported in each and every Overdrive PC™ gaming or professional level workstation regardless of the manufacturer warranty.
What are some other reasons to buy an Overdrive PC™ system?
Every Overdrive PC™ system is built from the ground up. Every system is different and every system is custom. Nothing is shelf-stocked. That's why it takes 30 days from the day you place an order to receive your new computer.
We take the time to do it right. For example, all the wiring in the box is custom, hand-tailored wiring. We make intentional manufacturing changes to our cases to accommodate this and other internal components. We know how important airflow is so we use less cable, rounded cables instead of ribbon cables and cut away any excess wire. This also allows for easier access to the inside of the machine for system upgrades or access in general to get to cards, memory, processors, etc.
Are Overdrive PC™ computers quiet?
Each Overdrive PC™ system incorporates our SureCool System™, a carefully engineered twin-fan cooling system that quietly manages critical heat points in an Overdrive PC™. The resulting effects of the SureCool System are greatly increased system stability and extremely quiet design and operation.
The SureCool System insures maximum processor and video performance with minimal sound levels making for years of error-free operation and pure multi-media satisfaction.
What general purchasing tips can you offer?
One of the most important things to consider is whether or not the company you're talking to is taking into account your true needs and budget. Do they opt to sell you as little as possible? Are they trying to up-sell you or do they appear to be practical with what you need without overspending your budget? Do they ask and seem concerned about your specific needs and then build from there? Is your sales rep. truly knowledgeable about every aspect of the technologies or are they trying to put you into a simple package? That's just a starting point.
Do the manufacturers take time to explain the various technologies?
We always spend the time to fully explain the differences in processors, video cards, SLI technology, hard drives, RAID and memory speeds for example. Another big consideration is do they provide and support free power similar to HyperClocking?
Do they take into account how to best protect your data and arrange your software? We recommend a drive arrangement to best suit your needs, including safety and back-up.
A highly customized and optimized Windows Operating System is installed in every system we ship—no tweaking or clean-up is required once you receive the computer. Drivers, patches, service packs and updates are all pre-installed when the system ships as well. The system is as current as possible. We also include a self-booting hard-drive recovery disk and an emergency driver suite in case you are without an Internet connection and need a driver to get you up and running.
We also record several industry standard benchmarks on every system so that the customer can reference their speed at any time to make sure their system is running up-to-par.
What about service and support after the sale?
We completely document, photograph and archive every box before it's shipped. That way, if you encounter a problem, we can see what's inside your exact system and trouble-shoot from there. We have all the technical data we need to solve most problems over the phone.
If you have any questions or concerns you would like Mario to address, let us know. He'll answer them in a future column. E-mail us: info@overdrivepc.com.
