Reflecting on my journey with high-performance computing, I fondly recall the robust setup I built in 2013. At its core was the Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550 processor, a powerhouse of its time. Originally clocked at 2.83 GHz, this CPU was renowned for its overclocking potential, and I couldn't resist pushing its boundaries. By adjusting the front-side bus (FSB) and increasing the Vcore, I achieved a stable overclock at 4.2 GHz. Under load, temperatures reached 80°C, while idling settled around 36°C—figures that were acceptable given the performance gains.

