Source: Maximum PC – January 2006

Maximum PC was my favorite PC magazine. It had a pretty long life with the first issue being published in September 1998 and the last print issue coming in April 2023. Unlike some magazines, it maintained a fairly consistent quality. It limped on another couple of years as a digital only magazine but the last issue in that form was published last month. Sadly, Maximum PC is officially, completely dead. The January 2006 issue includes:

Features

• Versus – In this feature, Maximum PC determines the best AMD chipset (nVidia nForce4 SLI x16), best Pentium chipset (nVidia nForce 4 SLI x16), best midrange dual-core CPU (AMD Athlon 64 X2 4400+), best high-end dual-core CPU (AMD Athlon 64 X2 4800+), best high-end single-core CPU (Athlon 64 FX-57), best mobile CPU (Pentium M 740), best high-end videocard (nVidia GeForce 7800 GTX 512MB), best midrange videocard (Leadtek Winfast 7800 GT TDH Extreme), best budget videocard (AOpen Aeolus 6800 GT), best high-capacity hard drive (WC Caviar SE 16 400KB WD400KD), best recordable DVD media (Fujifilm), and best fast LCD (Samsung 940BF).

• MP3 Challenge – A listening test with MP3s enconded with different encoders and bitrates.

• DV Cam Roundup – A digital video camera buyers guide. Most video cameras at the time relied on miniDV tapes though some also used hard drives, 3-inch DVDs, and even flash media though capacity was limited. Cameras covered here include the Samsung SC-X105L Sports Cam, JVC Everio GZ-MG70U, Canon Optura 50, Hitachi DZ-GX20A, and Sony DCR-HC42 MiniDV Handycam.

• $300 PC – This $300 computer includes an AMD Sempron 2800+ CPU, MSI RS480M-IL motherboard, 512MB of generic PC3200 memory, 80 GB Seagate Barracuda 7200.7 SATA hard drive, and Lite-On 16x double layer optical drive.

Departments

• Quick Start – A look at the top technologies of 2006. Some of these include dual-core GPUs, physics accelerators, new socket from AMD, DDR2 memory for AMD and DDR3 for Intel, among others. Also, Sony includes malware with every CD, Sanyo releases new rechargeable batteries, Firefox gains on Internet Explorer, Plextor releases 18x DVD burner, and more.

• Head2Head – Comparing speakers with headphones. In this case, Sony’s MDR-DS8000 Digital Surround Headphone System is comapred with Logitech’s Z-5500 Digital speaker system. Spoiler, the speakers win.

• WatchDog – Maximum PC’s consumer advocate investigates WinFixer (adware), WinAntiVirus Pro (sketchy antivirus software), EZInkjets.com (a company that took orders but seemingly never delivered), and more.

• How To – A guide to installing Linux. This tutorial uses Ubuntu.

• Ask the Doctor – Questions answered about burning a BartPE disc, a randomly restarting computer, a Dell XPS 600 and its use of proprietary parts, lock ups on the Sony Vaio VGNFS760 notebook, hard drive ticking sounds, and more.

• R&D – A white paper on Virtual 3D Audio and an autopsy of an LCD display.

• In the Lab – A look at high-end thermal paste performance and an evaluation of the new nForce 4 chipset.

• In/Out – Letters from readers about Intel adopting AMD64 extensions, LaCie external drives, driver updates, camera testing, 64-bit Windows XP driver problems, the WD Raptor, and more.

• Rig of the Month – A reader puts a custom build PC in his RX-8.

Reviews

• Pc Enclosure – A look at the Cooler Master CM Stacker 830 case.

• Desktop PC – A review of the S1 Digital Media Center featuring a Pentium 4 @ 3.2 GHz, 1GB Geil DDR2-533 RAM, 320GB Western Digital hard drive, nVidia GeForce 6600 GT video card with 128MB, 350 watt power supply, and more for $2500.

• External Water Cooler – A review of the Thermaltake Symphone External Water cooler which includes a cooling tower that sits outside of the PC case for a pretty steep $400. This is designed more for those with HTPC systems that have small cases.

• Wirelss 5.1 Speakers -A review of Logitech Z-5450 Digital speakers. They had the convenience of being wireless but were also relatively noisy.

• Mid-size Case – A review of the Silverstone Sugo SG-01 case.

• PDA – A review of the Palm TX. Before iOS and Android took over the world with smartphones, your choice was a Palm or Windows Mobile based device without phone capabilities.

• Streaming Boxes – A look at the Pinnacle ShowCenter 200 and Olive Musica Wireless Music System.

• Mp3/Video Player – A reviews of the Apple 30GB iPod.

• VGA Coolers – A review of the Arctic Cooling VGA Silencers.

• Cordless Mouse – A review of the Logitech G7 Mouse.

• Antivirus Apps – Reviews of McAfee VirusScan 2006 and Norton Antivirus 2006.

Gaming

• Age of Empires III – A review of this classic real-time strategy game from Microsoft.

• Call of Duty 2 – A review of this classic first person shooter. Not really much of an improvement over the original but why mess with success?

• F.E.A.R. – A horror themed first person shooter.

…and more!