Source: PC World – November 1994

PC World along with PC Magazine were probably the two biggest general PC magazines available in the U.S. during the 1980s into the early 2000s. In the early 1990s, PC World had pretty large page counts with the November 1994 issue coming it at nearly 350 pages. It includes:

Cover Story

• Upgrades: When They’re Worth It, and When They’re Not – These days, to upgrade a PC you can maybe upgrade to another supported CPU, add RAM, etc. However, in the 386 to Pentium days, there were some pretty creative CPU upgrades sometimes with adapters to make CPUs work that weren’t really designed for the platform. Having said that, not all upgrades were worth what they cost. This article offers some general guidelines such as not paying more than 40 percent of the original PC cost to upgrade it. Upgrading from 4MB to 8MB of RAM was always worth it unless you had expensive non-standard memory. Upgrading from a 33 MHz 386 with a Cyrix 486DRx2, however, didn’t necessarily make much sense given the cost. The same was true of the Evergreen 486 DX4-100 upgrade. It improved performance by 37 percent but cost $700. If you already had a 486, just upgrading memory from 4MB to 8MB could improve performance by up to 33 percent. If you had lower end 25-MHz or 33-MHz CPUs that buying clock doubled upgrades tended to be a pretty good deal. A couple of years later, there were a lot more upgrade options for such systems with AMD and Cyrix processors.

Windows

• Second Look: Windows 95 – I still think that going from Windows 3.1 to Windows 95 felt like the most significant OS upgrade I ever made. The primary reason it felt that way was because Windows 95 was the first true multitasking Windows environment.

PC Reliability and Service

• For better or Worse – Nearly 100,000 readers rank companies on reliability and service. The top overall companies were Apple, AT&T, Compaq, Dell, and IBM. Gateway 2000 was my favorite at the time though they get an “average” rating here.

Interfaces

• About Face – A look at upcoming changes to user interfaces from Microsoft (Windows 95), Apple (Copeland), IBM (OS/2) and more. Plus a look further into the future.

Systems

• Top 20 PCs: The Shrinking Cost of Computing – The “best buys” this month include the Dell Dimension XPS P90, Zeos Pantera DX4-100, Quantex P5/90B-2, Zeos Pantera 90, and Micron P90PCI PowerStation. Gateway 2000 placed at number 6 with the Gateway P5-60 and further down the list with the Gateway P5-90 and Gateway P5-66.

Graphics Boards

• • Top 10 Windows Accelerators – The top graphics card this month was the ATI Graphics Xpression. Seven out of ten cards in the top 10 were PCI with the other three being VLB cards.

Reliability & Service Monitor

• Win a DX4-100 PC – Fill out a survey for a chance to win a Zeos Pantera DX4-100.

Special Report: Mobile Computing

• Screen Tests – 47 typical users test various laptop screens in various applications and conditions to find the best. The best screens were found on the Aspen Aspenta 3600, Acer AcerNote 780cx, and Gateway Colorbook 486DX2-50.

• Pointers in the Right Direction – A guide to some of the best pointing devices including Microsoft’s BallPoint Mouse, Logitech’s TrackMan Voyager, the Axelen miniTrak, and more.

Top of the News

• The Pentium Alternative – A look at the NexGen Nx586-P90 which was the first next generation competitor of the Pentium (as opposed to essentially enhanced 486s). In this comparison, the NexGen performs about the same as a Pentium 90. NexGen was purchased by AMD in 1996.

• Is the Floppy Disk Dead? – The floppy disk wouldn’t really die for another 10 years or so. Until most people had broadband and USB flash drives became cheap enough, there was just no better alternative for transferring small files.

• Thinkpads Offer Power, CD-ROM, Voice – A look at the IBM ThinkPad 755CE, 755CSE, and 755CD. These had 75 MHz or 100 MHz DX4 CPUs, 8 MB to 16 MB of RAM, CD-ROM drive, 810 MB hard drive, and 10.4-inch screen, etc for prices ranging from $4500 to $8600.

• pc Anywhere 2.0: Easy Links from Work to Home – pcAnywhere is software that allows remote control of PCs.

• Quicken Manages Finances for Novices and Experts – Quicken 4 and Quicken Deluxe 4 from Intuit for Windows.

New products

• DEC Celebris PCs – The DEC Celebris line includes models with a 66-MHz 486DX2, 100-MHz DX4, 60-MHz Pentium and 90-MHz Pentium. All include 8MB of RAM, 256K L2 cache, 270MB hard drive and local bus graphics. Prices range from $1949 to $2799.

• Xerox 4900, HP Color LaserJet, QMS magicolor laser printers – A trio of new color laser printers with prices from $7295 to $10999.

• NEC MultiSync X-series monitors – The first monitors with plug and play with prices ranging from $575 to $2580 depending on the size you wanted.

• Brother HL-630 laser printer – A bargain laser printer for only $399.

• Lotus SmartSuite 3.0 – Lotus’s collection of integrated desktop apps including 1-2-3 (spreadsheet), Approach (database), Ami Pro (word processing), Freelance Graphics (presentation), and The Organizer (personal information manager).

• Harvard Graphics 3.0 for Windows presentation software – A presentation package similar to PowerPoint.

• Day-Timer Organizer – A scheduling tool with functions like you might see in Outlook today.

• WinCheckIt 2.0 diagnostic tool for Windows PCs – Collects information such as hardware config, CMOS setup, interrupt settings, memory map, and much more.

• A.D.A.M.: The Inside Story human anatomy CD-ROM – An anatomy reference for kids.

• Great Restaurants: Wineries & Breweries CD-ROM – A nation wide restaurant, winery and brewery guide on CD.

• HP OfficeJet integrated printer/fax/copier – A printer/copier/fax combo for $950.

• Adobe Acrobat 2.0 portable document software – An early version of the PDF reader software that is still going strong today.

• FTG PenDirect for Windows desktop conferencing system – Includes conferencing software as well as a light pen so that you can share notes on the screen.

• METZ Phones version 5.5 contact management software – An address and telephone manager.

• Quick Takes – A quick look at several new products including Network Central (LAN organization software), DeskJet 540/320 (inkjet printers), STB PowerGraph Pro and Genoa Phantom 64 (Windows graphics accelerators), Font Source (add a signature or company logo to documents), Viva PCMCIA Fax-modem (14.4 modem for laptops), and PCI Movie (video capture and playback board).

Departments

• Letters – Letters from readers about Windows 95, uninstalling apps, multimedia setups, home networks, and more.

• Consumer Watch – A look at computer use and repetitive strain injuries.

• Real Problems, Real Solutions – Complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

• Inside Source – The business case for using digital cameras to add photos to documents.

• Break Time – A look at some of the latest entertainment, education and reference software including Castles II: Siege and Conquest, Star Wars Screen Entertainment (I had this and loved it), Math Workshop, 70 Million Households Phone book, and more.

• Home Office – A comparison of three different video cards, including the Diamond Stealth 64, ATI Graphics Expression, and Boca Research’s Voyager (all VESA local bus).

…and a whole lot more!