Orca Revival

Conclusion – Even after seven years, Orca stands tall

Seeing Orca rebuilt is an emotional experience, and this is coming from a writer who didn’t work with OC3D during its initial construction or assisted directly in the system’s revitalisation. Now the system stands will fresh coolant, clean tubing a thorough dusting, ready to re-enter the world of video production should the need arise. Orca may be retired, but she still stands strong. 

Most longtime fans of OC3D will have fond memories of this system, seeing Tom move ever closer to the project conclusion with every new video and forum post, while also seeing him struggle with getting every minor detail right. Even today I remember seeing this system for the first time in person, inspecting all of the small details that made Orca more than just a standard PC. Later, the true emotions behind the system rang home as I heard Tom turn on the PC with the words “Morning Mum”, personifying a PC in a way that I haven’t seen before or since.     
  
So why are we writing about Orca today? The simple answer is that now that it’s appropriate. ASUS has asked the world to help celebrate their “30 Years Together” by sharing our ASUS stories; and with ASUS hardware sitting at the core of Orca, it seemed right that this system story was retold.

Orca was and is a reliable system, and while its components aren’t cutting edge by today’s standards we remain impressed by how long this system has maintained a bleeding-edge Sandy Bridge overclock, a testament to the quality of the Rampage IV Extreme at the core of this PC. The components may be old, and the BIOS may be antiquated, but Orca remains a rock-solid system, even in 2019. 

There are two ways of taking part in ASUS’ 30 Years Together promotion, and stand a chance of winning some hardware goodies. For starters, you can share your ASUS product story and second you can take part in “The Ultimate PC DIY Quiz”. More information about this promotion is available here.    

  

So what does the future hold for Orca? No, there are no plans to replace the PC with X299 or Ryzen components. Orca, as it was originally envisioned, was designed to be a memorial, and that’s how the system will live out the remainder of its days. After five years of solid work, this old girl deserves a rest. 

More information about ASUS’ “30 years Together” campaign and competition is available here. You can also see some original pictures from Orca’s build log via the TinyTomLogan Facebook page. 

You can join the discussion about Orca’s Revival on the OC3D Forums. 

Video