~ Early Web Links ~

Written by Dean Kent in 1997, this Real World Tech article chronicles the early days of CPU overclocking, tracing the community's evolution from Usenet skepticism to increasingly bold experiments pushing Pentium processors far beyond their rated speeds. It offers a fascinating firsthand perspective on how overclocking culture developed, complete with cautionary tales about destroyed processors and the gradual spread of technical knowledge.

The Heatsink Guide is a comprehensive reference covering all aspects of PC cooling, including CPU heatsinks, fans, graphics card coolers, peltier elements, and thermal compounds. Independent reviews and in-depth technical information make it an essential stop for overclockers and PC builders seeking cooling solutions.

A preserved 1997 Cyrix Corporation product brief covering the 486DX2/DX4 processor line, detailing technical specifications for both desktop and portable variants. This archival datasheet covers clock speeds, power management features, on-chip cache, and floating point unit performance for these legacy x86 CPUs.

Sandpile.org, maintained by Christian Ludloff since 1996, is the definitive technical reference for x86 processor architecture, covering everything from opcode encodings and register layouts to paging structures and CPU exception tables. Assembly programmers, hardware engineers, and low-level developers rely on its exhaustive documentation of opcodes, mod R/M bytes, descriptor tables, and processor-specific extensions like SSE5A, XOP, and Intel VMX.

Vendell's personal tech-enthusiast page features a homelab section, a photography gallery, and an active project archiving old electronics magazines. The site also hosts its own IRC server and status page, reflecting a hands-on approach to self-hosted internet infrastructure.

TULARC's PC section is a sprawling reference archive covering virtually every aspect of personal computer hardware, from CPU and BIOS info centers to detailed specs for motherboards, network cards, hard drives, modems, and optical drives. Assembled by StasoSphere.com, it compiles FAQs, jumper settings, pinouts, and configuration guides that were invaluable for DIY builders and technicians of the era.

CPU Scorecard is a comprehensive reference database ranking personal computer processors by benchmark performance, covering AMD, Intel, Transmeta, and VIA chips with comparative scores, pricing, and reviews. Visitors can compare CPU speeds and features side-by-side, browse historical processor data, and shop for new or used computers, making it a one-stop resource for anyone evaluating PC processor performance.

Dan's Data, run by Daniel Rutter, is a long-running Australian tech site packed with PC hardware and gadget reviews, opinion columns, tutorials, and reader letters dating back to 1998. Covering everything from USB peripherals and storage devices to big-picture tech commentary, it combines hands-on testing with an opinionated, entertaining writing style.

StorageSearch.com is a comprehensive reference and news hub dedicated to solid state drives (SSDs) and the broader data storage industry, tracking market changes, manufacturers, and technical architectures since 1998. Visitors will find deep coverage of SSD controllers, military-grade storage, PCIe and M.2 form factors, market reports, and a directory of top SSD companies spanning decades of industry history.

Chipmunk International's DRAM chip number decoder walks visitors through identifying RAM chips by manufacturer, covering dozens of brands from Micron and Samsung to Toshiba and Texas Instruments. The guide includes chip scans for visual identification and letter code lookups, making it an invaluable reference for anyone diagnosing or sourcing old memory modules.