Today was a sad day for the ever-shrinking world of PC and tech media, with two UK-based websites ceasing active operations as of November 1, 2021. Hexus.net, more commonly referred to simply as Hexus by its readers and fans alike, was started by David Ross in 1998. It grew in popularity enough to be the flag bearer for David’s The Media Team group, which included under its umbrella entities including "PC-Max.de, Foodie Paradise Cranble, and cult-classic Sick Chirpse" as he puts it himself. Clearly things were going well at a point, with one of my favorite modding-centric website, Bit-Tech.net, added to the portfolio. While Hexus remained an international force in our field, Bit-Tech arguably had more passionate a reader base that made PC DIY builds what it is today. There were sponsored build competitions and mods that gave the likes of Overclock.net, at least in its heyday, a running for its money. Between the two, TechPowerUp editors made friends with some of the most talented people to step into this industry, including davido_labido who was our peripheral editor before he left for Bit-Tech, and eventually Alphacool. There were many press events, media dinners, and even frustrating product launches shared and attended together that will always be cherished!
Both Hexus and Bit-Tech announced today that the websites as we know it will cease to exist, with no more new activity coming from the editorial team under those banners. It’s no doubt led to speculation galore about whether this was a financial move, but it is not our place to speculate. What matters more is knowing that, at least for the foreseeable future, the online assets of both websites will remain available. This includes YouTube channels and forums for all to see, as well as the home page for those wishing to not lose on the published news and reviews alike. TechPowerUp takes solace in knowing that some of the now-former staff have already teased a new website in the making—one that is supposed to be launching imminently to take advantage of traffic inbound with Intel’s Alder Lake launch. This does confirm that it was not a shock or surprise to anyone, and that it is not the end for content from some of them at least. We hope that everyone inevitable lands on their feet, and would like to take this time to welcome Hexus and Bit-Tech members who feel wanting for more discussions and content.
Update 18:42 UTC: Former staff, Tarinder and Parm have launched a new website called Club386 (club386.com), which borrows naming from the famous Intel 386 architecture of the 80s. With the launch of Intel Alder Lake scheduled for tomorrow, Club386 has a review incoming to use that traffic and kickstart its journey as a hopefully successful independent tech media.
