~ Early Web Links ~

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.

Digital-Daily is the English-language edition of the popular Russian tech site 3DNews, offering in-depth hardware reviews covering motherboards, CPUs, memory, video cards, and cooling solutions. Enthusiast-focused content includes benchmarks and overclocking analysis for components from NVIDIA, Intel, AMD, ASUS, ECS, and other major vendors.

iXBT Labs is a detailed computer hardware review site, and this page covers the Pioneer DVD-116 optical drive with thorough technical specifications, benchmark results, and quality testing by reviewer Roman Shelepov. The site is a comprehensive resource for enthusiasts comparing DVD-ROM drive performance, covering transfer rates, access times, format compatibility, and real-world test data.

A rare behind-the-scenes photo tour of the GeoCities server cage inside Exodus Communications' Wyatt data center, captured in May 1999. The photos document rows of Sun Ultra 2 servers, MTI JBOD storage arrays, cabling infrastructure, raised floors, and earthquake-proofing measures across roughly 120 clusters and 12TB of storage.

Hans de Vries runs this deep-dive technical site analyzing the microarchitecture of Intel and AMD processors, covering everything from pipeline stages and cache efficiency to die photos and CPU benchmarks. Articles dating back to 2003 dissect chips like the Prescott, Athlon 64, Opteron, and beyond, making it a treasure trove for anyone serious about understanding how CPUs actually work under the hood.

Maintained by John D. McCalpin (aka 'Dr. Bandwidth'), this site hosts the definitive STREAM benchmark results measuring sustainable memory bandwidth across a wide variety of computer systems. It includes performance tables, source code, raw data files, FAQ, and commentary spanning decades of high-performance computing hardware.

Paul Hsieh's in-depth technical comparison of 6th generation x86 processors covers the Intel Pentium II, AMD K6, and Cyrix 6x86MX in meticulous detail, assuming readers have at least basic 32-bit x86 assembly knowledge. A fascinating snapshot of the late-1990s CPU wars, it digs into micro-architecture specifics like out-of-order execution, pipelines, and instruction throughput with references to official processor data sheets.

4RV3's personal tech blog covers self-hosting, 3D printing, and homelab projects, including a notably hosted setup running on a Raspberry Pi cluster. The site also features a free-form 'Hyde Park' section and links to the creator's 3D model uploads on MakerWorld.

Sprite_tm's personal hacking lab documents deep-dive hardware modifications and firmware exploits across a wild variety of devices, from hard disk JTAG hacking to converting dumb switches to managed ones. Each project is a multi-page technical walkthrough with real code, PCB analysis, and hands-on experimentation that makes it a goldmine for hardware hackers and embedded engineers.

A sharp-tongued critique of budget consumer PCs from manufacturers like eMachines and Compaq, coining the term 'craputer' to describe bloatware-laden, corner-cutting machines that frustrate users with pre-loaded junk and missing OS discs. The site documents specific grievances including desktop sponsor icons, mystery startup programs, and the infamous 'Recovery Diskette' trap that undoes all your cleanup work.