SL: Tell us a little bit about yourself (Age, Location, etc.)

Tweak3D: I’m 19 years old and I live in Bakersfield, CA. I’m not quite the typical computer nerd but I admit I’m a big geek deep inside. When I’m not working on the computer I’m either at school, skateboarding, or working on my car (it’s project car. Lots of fun!).

SL: Tell us some history and how you got Tweak3D Started?

Tweak3D: Phew... this is a long, boring story ;). Tweak3D started under the name Dan’s Technology Page back in April 1998. I took a class in computer repair that also happened to teach the students basic HTML. This is where I got the idea to make a web site. The only problem was that I couldn’t figure out what to write about, so it was basically like most of the sites on the web... pointless and lame. I upgraded my PC from a Cyrix 6x86 PR166 to a P2 266 and I bought a Riva 128, the Viper V330. I’m not sure if you remember this chip, but it had several flaws. I was always tweaking the card and finding how to fix bugs with certain games. Eventually I got into discussion boards at RivaZone.com and I was always talking with people about fixes, etc. HTML meets Riva 128... the first guide was written up, the Riva 128 Tweak Guide. Sure it wasn’t anything special, but it did help thousands of people fix their problems and give me tons of support.

After the support started growing and the hits started increasing, I started writing guides about other components. Eventually I found out people were actually getting hardware for FREE and some were making money from this. This was unbelievable to me at the time because I loved doing it for free. Getting paid and getting free hardware sounded unreal. After I started getting loads of hardware and reviewing it, writing more guides, etc., things picked up and it started to earn money. I think I made the first buck off the site back in December, 1998. Since then, things have progressed beyond my dreams. It’s awesome!

SL: How long do you spend working on Tweak 3D a week?

Tweak3D: It’s hard to say right now because I just started a new quarter in college, but when I have the time (like during weekends or breaks), at least 5-8 hours a day. During school I’m usually reduced to about 1-2. When I am busy doing something else, I’m always thinking about what I’ll be doing next on the site, when I’ll get time to update, etc.

SL: How many people do you have working for Tweak3D? Can you tell us a bit about your staff and what they do?

Tweak3D: There are a lot of people on the staff right now. Most of them aren’t even doing anything. I’m just too busy to remove their names from the About page, etc.:-) As far as who updates the most, Chris Burek and Keith McClellan both write tons of reviews/guides. They really work hard and get a lot done. Our HTML guru and hardware editor, David, gets news posted almost every day. Lately he’s been busy though. The majority of the other guys aren’t around a lot anymore, but Nafterclifen still moderates the discussion boards, and Xero and tapped both post news and articles from time to time. I probably missed someone too, but it’s getting late.. sorry guys!

SL: Who designed Tweak3D, and what sort of technologies did they/you use?

Tweak3D: David “Spunk” Grampa did the design. We set it up so everything could be changed using just a couple of files (ya know, via SSI). It makes it extremely easy to do updates, write new articles, or even change the layout of the whole site in a matter of hours instead of weeks. The search engine and news script are CGI based and our discussion board uses Cold Fusion. Soon the whole suite will be Cold Fusion though.

SL: Who are your influences in life and why?

Tweak3D: I don’t have many big influences in “real life” other than my parents, but there are a couple of webmasters out there who I still look up to. Like Billy “Wicked” Wilson of VE. Billy is a damn nice guy, and he probably works harder than almost any webmaster out there. I feel like I owe him something for all he’s done to promote and help Tweak3D. Kyle at HardOCP is also a big influence. I started Tweak3D right around the time HardOCP started and ever since then, Kyle has been an unlimited source of support. He’s got a great style too. There are several other webmasters out there that I feel helped me along, like Felby from RivaZone, who helped me back when I first started. And although I’ve never actually talked with him, Anand is definitely someone I respect. He works really hard and it shows.

SL: Tweak3D is on the 100 hot list, when did you realize your site was a winner?

Tweak3D: Someone told me it was on the 100 hot list not too long ago and I didn’t even know. J I realized the site was a winner when I posted the first tweak guide. Once I posted that first Riva 128 guide, I received so much support that I wanted to do this forever.

SL: Other than computers, what do you like to do in your spare time?

Tweak3D: As I said before, skateboard and work on my car. I have been a skateboarder since my 13th birthday, and I just love it. Here in Bakersfield we have the biggest indoor skateboard park in the United States too, so if I can’t find a place to skate, I just drive down to the park.

My car is fun too, but it’s an expensive hobby. When I’m almost done I’ll post some pics showing how the restoration of this 1984 Mustang 5.0 convertible went. It’s starting to look really sweet.

SL: Do you get a lot more of fan mail, or flame mail?

Tweak3D: We don’t get much flame mail. Usually if someone’s flaming us it’s an isolated incident involving the forum or we’re experiencing server problems. We get loads of fan mail. It feels good to read through the e-mail you get each night and see how many people are really appreciating the work you put into it. It motivates you to wake up early the next day for updates, etc.

SL: Did you fall in love with computers the first time you saw one, or were you influenced by other people?

Tweak3D: I always liked computers but I never even had a PC until I was in 10th grade. My mom scored a 386 25 MHz PC with 4 MB ram. I thought it was cool and I would play on it all the time. I always did my own upgrades, because I could never afford to have anyone else do it for me. I think customizing your own PC is the best way to get hooked.

SL: What kind of advice would you give to people? What if someone wanted to start their own website, what kind of advice would you give them?

Tweak3D: The best way to get a lot of people to read your site is to be unique. If you have the same site as everyone else, nothing separates you from the others. Also, listen to what your readers have to say! Some sites refuse to change things simply because they don’t want to deal with the hassle. If we get enough complaints about something on the site or enough people want a new feature, we’ll always make an extra effort to make them happy.

SL: What’s the favorite part of your job?

Tweak3D: Well there are a couple really cool things. I’d say either getting a bunch of hardware for free to play with, or getting e-mail from happy readers that tweaked their PCs with excellent results.

SL: What’s the worst part of your job?

Tweak3D: The worst part is probably server problems or when I don’t have time to update. Everyone gets bummed out but it’s usually not my fault. It sucks to take the blame.

SL: Is Tweak3D your only job, or do you do something else as well (school, work, etc)? If something else, what do you do?

Tweak3D: Well, Tweak3D is my main job. On the side I also work for a magazine called Incite PC Gaming. It’s a pretty cool magazine, and packed with every issue is a CD. I write tweak guides and autoexec creators for the CD, and occasionally they put something of mine in print.

SL: What do you think about the whole graphics war? The technology moves so fast, do you think that’s a good thing?

Tweak3D: Well, it goes both ways (not like that, you sick bastard). The benefits are obvious... with the latest hardware you can play almost any game at even 1600x1200, and games look better than ever. I still remember the first time I hit 30 FPS @ 640x480. Wow that was a shocker. J

The negative aspect is that all the gamers have to buy a new video card at least every year if they want to play the newest games in all their glory. Still, I think it’s a good thing... we’re not forced to upgrade, and there’s always a low detail setting (or tweaking!) that can be used.

SL: What’s your opinion on overclocking? Do you do it? If so, what do you overclock and how much?

Tweak3D: I’m an overclock freak! Both of my PCs are overclocked. One is a P2 300 SL2W8 @ 450 MHz and the other is a P2 266 @ 333. I even overclock my video cards (GeForce 256 in my 450, Voodoo3 3500 TV in the other box).

SL: What’s the first thing that comes to mind when I say wood? (Random question, but we need something to entertain you and the reader :-))

Tweak3D: *Giggles like a school girl*

SL: Who do you want to as the next United States president or what character from a computer or console game would make the best president and why?

Tweak3D: I think Gordon Freeman should be the next president. Think about it... the guy is a scientist so you know he’s pretty smart, but he can really kick ass! And if aliens ever invaded the United States (you know it’ll happen some day), he’d put the smack down.

SL: How much money do you make from just Tweak3D?

Tweak3D: People get paid for this!? Err.. I’d rather not say, for obvious reasons. :-)

SL: I noticed you recently joined with the PC Stats network. Can you give us any information on what that is all about and how it helps you out?

Tweak3D: PC Stats is an awesome network. Right after joining they hooked me up with a sweet dedicated server. Now they’re talking about moving me over to Cold Fusion, which I think will help a lot. Also, the ads aren’t bad...;)