Maximum PC (May 2003)

1 day ago

_{Cover of the May 2003 issue of Maximum PC}

Maximum PC was by far my favorite PC magazine. It started life as 'Boot' in, I believe, 1998. It soon changed it's name to Maximum PC and it was a magazine for PC enthusiasts. Those who bought gaming PCs or built their own high performance machines. It survived later than most PC magazines but it ceased publication a few years back. The May 2003 issue includes:

Regulars

In/Out - Readers write in about computers from Wal-Mart, Mini-ITX, Alienware, and more.

Quick Start - A first look at the PCI Express bus, the first blu-ray recorder, the CDR-ROM, and more.

Head2Head - A comparison of the VIA Apollo KT400A and nVidia nForce2 chipsets.

WatchDog - Capacitor problems on Abit motherboards, a class action lawsuit against Lexmark, over the top Turbo Tax copy protection, and more.

Ask the Doctor - Questions answered about backing up before a reinstall, drive letters, trace.log, installing Windows XP onto a compact flash card, and more.

How To... - A guide to protecting your wireless 802.11b/g network.

_{Table of Contents from the May 2003 issue of Maximum PC}

Reviews

ABS Ultimage M6 desktop PC - This machine features an Athlon XP 3000+ CPU, 1GB DDR 400, an nVidia GeForce FX 5800 video card, 120 GB hard drive, and more for $3450.

D-Link DI-624 802.11g access point - A pretty average wireless router for the time.

Linksys WAPG54G 802.11g access point - I had one of these for a long time and it was probably the most popular wireless router for a good while.

Monsoon PlanarMedia 14 2.1 speakers - A decent pair of computer speakers with a subwoofer.

Western Digital 360GD Raptor hard drive - Only 360GB of storage but this was the premier drive for speed at the time with a 10,000rpm rotation speed.

BFG Asylum GeForce FX5800 Ultra video card - This was nVidia's flagship video chipset at the time. It was big and loud (but that was based on the standards of the time). ATI was killing it at the time though with the 9800 Pro.

ATI Radeon 9800 Pro 128 video card - If you were a gamer, this was really the card you wanted. Faster than the FX5800 and it only takes up one slot. It would set you back about $400.

Antec LANBOY case - A case designed to be smaller and lighter than your typical PC case for added portability. It also came with straps to make it easy to carry.

Wahoo Chili Pro case - Some nice features but overall this was at best an average case that you have probably never heard of.

MSI 52/24/52 CD burner - One of the better CD burners on the market at the time.

TDK indiDVD DVD burner - A pretty good choice for a DVD burner at the time.

Instant Copy - A utility for copying DVDs and can compress a double layer to fit on a single layer. However, it does not work with copy protected discs.

Chemicus - An odd adventure game trying to leverage the success of games like Myst.

Unreal II: The Awakening - A good looking game with a lot of polish (a good workout for your 9800pro or 5800FX) but because of a lack of originality, a lack of multiplayer, and short duration, this game was a disappointment (at least according to this review).

_{Table of Contents from the May 2003 issue of Maximum PC (continued)}

Features

30 Steps to PC Perfection - Ways to speed up your PC including tips for benchmarking, changing Windows XP default applications, changing auto play settings, speeding up the Windows XP GUI, and more.

Intel's Road Ahead - A look at Intel's latest Pentium 4 chipset (the 875P) and a comparison with other Pentium 4 chipsets. New features include dual channel DDR-400 memory support and an 800MHz bus speed. Plus a look at the Prescott, the latest iteration of the Pentium 4.

PC Accessories - A look at accessories to make your PC appear as fast as it is. Items looked at here include cold cathodes, decorative thumbscrews, blacklight accent paint, an acrylic power supply mod, electroluminsescent tape, LED fans, memory heat spreaders, and more.