The MSI Master Overclocking Arena 2010: Fighting for the Ultimate Title

Back to July 22 2010 in Jakarta, we witnessed the preliminary round of MSI Master Overclocking Arena (MOA) 2010 at Planet Hollywood, Jakarta. The champion from that competition was given the chance to prove his mettle in this international competition in Taipei, alongside some other overclockers from Indonesia who also earned the same privilege. JagatReview.com accompanies them in their journey to Taiwan. At September 11 2010, 9am local time, we witnessed the opening ceremony that marks the beginning of one of the largest overclocking competitions in the world!

The MSI MOA 2010 opening ceremony took place at the National Taiwan University Stadium, a very large venue which provides more than enough space to fit all the people involved in the competition quite comfortably. As much as 20 teams from 16 different countries participated in this competition. We were surprised to find two female overclockers, each from the Sweden and Poland team. This is not exactly very common in overclocking contests, as it involves a specific field which usually fails to attract attention from the ladies. Their presence, however, proves that overclocking is not something that is exclusively reserved for men only.

The contestants would be struggling to score as much point as possible using their overclocked rigs. An NT$ 100,000 worth of money –that’s over 28 million in our currency- would be given to the champion.

Shortly after the hardwares were assigned to each contestant through a draw, the competition was officially started. The Star Wars theme of this MOA 2010 could be seen throughout the venue, from the Millennium Falcon decoration on the stage, to the lightsaber-like lighting around it. According to plans, there would also be a “Princess Leia” contest at the end of the competition, involving two female models dressed just like Princess Leia from the movie. These two models would also support the contestants during the competition.

Of course, a Star Wars theme would be incomplete without the presence of Darth Vader and his equally-sinister associates, the Storm Troopers. That’s why they would also march in to the arena and attempt to persuade people to join the dark side while the contestants are busy using their every bit of “force” to get ahead of one another.

All of the above added some nice touches to the contest, cheering up the atmosphere and lifting up the tension between competing teams a bit as they employ their best effort to claim the ultimate prize. What was it like to be inside the arena? Stay tuned to JagatReview.com for more updates, right from stage of MSI MOA 2010 in Taipei!