Tom's Hardware Celebrates 30th Anniversary with Retrospective Series on PC Hardware

Three Decades of Hardware Coverage

Tom's Hardware is commemorating its 30th anniversary, reflecting on three decades since its inception by founder Dr. Thomas Pabst. The publication, which began as Tom's Roadrunner Page in 1996 before evolving into Tom's Hardware Guide later that same year, has consistently focused on providing unbiased, fact-based reporting supported by comprehensive testing.

Pabst, a practicing doctor and surgeon at the time, started testing hardware during the early desktop PC revolution. His initial work involved testing motherboards and CPUs, later expanding to graphics cards with early models like the Nvidia Riva 128 and 3Dfx Voodoo. He also developed a custom benchmark, which was billed as the world’s first real-world benchmark.

Retrospective Series on PC Hardware Evolution

To mark its 30th anniversary, Tom's Hardware is launching a series of articles that will examine the evolution of PC hardware and peripherals over the past 30 years. The inaugural article in this series focuses on the development of CPUs.

This CPU retrospective covers significant shifts in the market, including the rivalry between AMD and Intel, and technological advancements from the Pentium II to current Ryzen processors. The series will explore various eras of CPU development, from the introduction of Dual Data Rate memory to dual 3D V-Cache CPUs.

Commitment to Unbiased Testing

Throughout its history, Tom's Hardware has maintained a commitment to unbiased testing and reporting. This approach has been a defining characteristic since its early days, including notable conflicts with companies like Intel.

The publication has compiled thousands of data points over the years to create its CPU benchmark hierarchy and has consistently reviewed new releases to maintain a comprehensive list of the best CPUs for gaming.