We talked to the PC hardware enthusiast and a Polish high school teacher about their plans, and here's what we know.
ZSEM OC CUP III To Be Held on April 10, 2026, Where 25 Teams of Students Will Participate in Competing With Each Other to Achieve the Best PC Hardware Overclocking Records
Eight stages and three winners, the upcoming ZSEM OC UP III will be fire when we see dozens of students competing in the latest overclocking tournament held in the ZSEM High School. We recently posted a story about a Polish high school that has its students actively participating in PC hardware overclocking. With the support of their teacher, Tomasz Mąka, the latest tournament will be held on April 10, which will also be livestreamed on their YouTube channel.
We talked to Tomasz to find out their plans and how they usually conduct such overclocking sessions.
Q: Are students competing individually or in teams?
A: Students compete mainly in teams of up to 2 people, although a few participate individually. (this year 25 teams, 2027 we plan international event)
Q: Have any record-level results been achieved (national or world record)?
A: Not yet — but we are getting closer every year. You can follow the live scores here: HWBot
Q: Which companies sponsored the event, and do (hardware) vendors know about the tournaments?
A: The event is supported mostly by local Polish companies. Their logos are included in the event poster attached to the email. We are also gradually increasing visibility among hardware vendors.
Q: Is overclocking part of the official curriculum or an extracurricular activity?
A: Overclocking is currently an extracurricular activity. I personally introduce students to it — my goal is to bring new people into the overclocking scene. For reference, here is my HWBOT profile
Q: Will the next tournament be livestreamed and on what platform?
A: Yes — the next tournament will be livestreamed (10th april 2026 from 9:00AM to 5:PM CET). Primarily on YouTube and possibly also on my Twitch channel
The teacher appears to have some bright plans for his students, and while the upcoming ZSEM OC CUP III will be exclusive to the ZSEM students, we could see them on a bigger platform next year. It's wonderful to see that local Polish companies are sponsoring the events, and the winners do get some good prizes. Last time, they received hardware such as Ryzen 5 9600X, GeForce RTX 4060, AIO, and a PSU. This time, they have console prizes, including a PlayStation 5, an Xbox Series S, and a Nintendo Switch console for the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd positions, respectively.
From Tomasz's HWBot profile, it appears that he is already an OC veteran and ranks #3 in Poland, which is remarkable. It's good to see enthusiastic students being trained by an enthusiastic hardware overclocker who is pretty excited to introduce more students to the hardware overclocking scene. It would be awesome to see if PC hardware vendors support the event and students by offering hardware and prizes, because every student/team will bring its own setup, which is subjected to intense overclocking stress and potential hardware risk.
The event will be livestreamed on both YouTube and Twitch on April 10, and it will largely comprise CPU overclocking with no restrictions on cooling methods.
About the author: Sarfraz Khan is a hardware reporter with a focus on PC components and the builder community. With years of experience writing about PC hardware and laptops, his work has been featured on several reputable technology publications. Sarfraz's hands-on experience is demonstrated through his first-person accounts of using and comparing different hardware configurations, providing practical and relatable insights for everyday users. His technical analysis is respected by peers in the enthusiast community and has been cited by specialized hardware sites such as Germany's Igor's Lab.
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