Top 15 Geek Sites

There are those of us at ExtremeTech whose homes you cannot walk through without passing four or five Internet-connected PCs.

Geeks like us spend a ridiculous amount of time browsing the Web. We get our nerd news online, we converse with like-minded individuals online, we get ideas online, we learn about new products online, and so on. We live and breathe the mighty cloud.

While we try to keep you informed and enticed about all things technical, we realize we cannot be the only Web site in your life. To feed your surfing habits, ExtremeTech presents a list of 25 of our own favorite sites.

Geek News
Blue's News

The quintessential PC gaming news site, Blue's News has been blogging away since before the word blog was even coined. Visit it for all the latest on demo releases, patches, product announcements, and much more; proprietor "Blue" even bends a bit from the PC gaming focus to present daily (and sometimes twice daily) updates on tech bits and console news (the latter named "Consolidation"). One visit to this linktastic site will keep you surfing for hours.

The Inquirer

Our ET analyst Jason Cross calls this tech industry gossip site "a guilty pleasure." The title of the site couldn't be more appropriate; it's the closest thing to The National Enquirer the tech world has. The rotating blurb above the title is always entertaining (on our last visit, it read "THE INQUIRER—Not listening to readers for years") and the writing is often blisteringly sarcastic, almost to the point of bitterness. Take what you read here with a big grain of salt, but enjoy the rumors while they last.

BetaNews

In Jason's words: "A decent news blog isn't the main attraction here. It's the frequent news about version updates for all kinds of software and utilities that PC enthusiasts find indispensible." BetaNews indeed lives up to its title, with piles of prerelease software to try out complete with changelogs and user ratings.

Ars Technica

Though it's full of spot-on reviews, the best feature of ars technica is the daily technology news blog. Ars blends up-to-the-minute reporting with its own unique, informed blend of analysis. As far as tech news goes, Ars covers the entire spectrum; tabs along the top direct you to business IT, gaming, hardware, a new security section, and more.

OSNews

The ultimate source for operating system information, OSNews features links to tech and OS information all across the Web as well as its own OSNews Originals. The latter includes commentary, product reviews, and all manner of indispensible technology chatter.

Beyond3D

A site for those really into the graphics scene, the technical level of discussion is extremely high. But through its articles and forums, you can learn a lot about why different GPUs work the way they do. Beyond3D is for serious geeks who either are, or want to become, well-informed about the nuts and bolts of 3D graphics.

[H]ard|OCP

Founded by the charismatic and famously, furiously opinionated Kyle Bennett, [H]ard|OCP (often simply referred to as [H]) is essentially a PC technology news blog, with frequent and incredibly in-depth reviews. Negative reviews here are possibly the most entertaining tech copy you can read anywhere; the [H] guys know how to slam a product—but they always give credit where due.

The Tech Report

With a Web full of hardware review sites, many of which seem to be half-assed blogs there to justify the owners getting free stuff from unassuming vendors, sites like The Tech Report are refreshing. With its amazingly thorough review process, you can be positive about how a product praised or dinged here will behave in the real world. The feature articles are entertaining and informative.

AnandTech

Do we really need to explain this one? Anand Shimpi is simply one of the smartest, most observant, and most painstaking hardware gurus in the industry. To apply an appropriate cliché, he's forgotten more about technology than most of us will ever know. His entire staff presents some of the most accurate tech reviews on the Internet.

MVKTech.net

ET analyst Loyd Case referenced this site in his Graphics Card Hacking piece, and the rest of us have had it bookmarked ever since. When the time comes that you're ready to get into some serious graphics card tweaking, come here for BIOS flashing utilities and BIOS files. As a bonus, MKVTech.net includes a decent array of tutorials, plus reviews on tools and hardware.

SilentPCReview.com

One downside of building big, high-performance systems is the noise they generate, especially when running a resource-hungry game or application at full bore. SilentPCReview.com (aka SPCR) features articles on reducing noise in systems, plus reviews of components based on power usage and noise levels. Sections include a blog by site guru "Silent Mike", systems designed by SPCR, and a healthy set of forums.

The Guru of 3D

This 3D supersite contains all manner of tech news and coverage, but the reason we placed it in the DIY (Do It Yourself) section is due to the fact that it has the single most exhaustive collection of leaked graphics card drivers anywhere. Hit the download section to check it out. While you're there, stop by the forums for intelligent discussion concerning 3D cards, hardware, and other tech stuff.

Hack n Mod

When it comes to mods, hacking, and other off-the-beaten-path hardware wrangling, the Web is full of destinations. Possibly one of the finest is Hack n Mod, which is packed with tutorials and articles. The content isn't just limited to computers; a glance at the sections reveals hacks about free energy, lasers, robots, and most of the current game consoles. This is where to go for everything from LED mods to building a pneumatic pirate cannon.






Found at http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1697,2281122,00.asp