Wow, guys. rAge is so close that I’ve already been looking at which bag I need to pack, and how much I need to leave out, to fit all the swag and freebies I’ll have collected by the time the weekend is over. This year NAG is doing something super-special for those of you who want to break into the overclocking scene. If you do a little leg work during this next week and stop by stand #80, you might be able to play with some great kit and win some shiny new hardware. Interested? Of course you are!

NAG, in collaboration with MSI, will be hosting an Overclocking Workshop at rAge. Three of our country’s most prominent overclockers will be running the workshop – Andrew “dRweEZ” Roberts, Goddy “ViVi” Roodt, and Neo “ShockG” Sibeko. Throughout the weekend amateur and novice overclockers will be shown the ropes and will compete against each other for a chance at winning prizes to the value of R15,000.

Here’s a summary of what’s going to go down during the rAge weekend:

For the first time in South Africa, novice and amateur enthusiasts will get a chance to learn from some of the best overclockers in the world and compete for the latest hardware prizes. Throughout the weekend competitors will not only learn about Intel’s latest Z170 platform, but overclocking using the latest components from MSI, Corsair, G.Skill and Intel.

There will be three sessions per day, with competitors selected from a pool of online entries. There will be three sessions on Friday and the winner of each of those sessions is entered into the final on Sunday. On Saturday the winners for each session again make it to the final on Sunday afternoon. On Sunday morning, a final session will determine the last two competitors for the weekend, who have to finish in 1st and 2nd place. On Sunday afternoon, there will be a total of 8 competitors for the final.

Sounds exciting, right? Entry into the OC Workshop is free and all of the hardware will be provided for you to take a crack at winning some cool prizes. Here’s what you have to do:

Send us a link to any validated 3DMark score that you’ve run and submitted in the last 12 months to ocworkshop@nag.co.za

Include your name and surname, your online nickname or handle, and your age

Answer the following question: Do you have any previous experience with overclocking computer hardware? (Yes/No)

Once you have submitted a score you will be eligible for the live sessions held at rAge at Stand 80. All hardware for the benching rigs will be identical and will be supplied at the NAG OC Workshop, making this a battle of skill. The benchmarks run at the event will be 3DMark Firestrike and Intel XTU, so start honing your skills now.

Good luck, and may the odds ever be in your favour. For anyone not competing, make a stop at the stand and cheer these guys on to a win!