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Yes, it’s that time of year again when we pay tribute to software. For without it, our badass rigs would have nothing to do to but look pretty. Indeed, it’s the programs we run that show us what our machines are truly capable of. The challenge, of course, is in deciding which applications and utilities are most deserving of special honor, not to mention a coveted silver-esque statue.
There’s no secret ballot, there’s no peer-review process, and the public doesn’t get to call in with their votes. The deciders in this contest are the Maximum PC editors. As always, the award candidates are culled from our own personal software libraries—we nominate only the programs we actually use on a regular basis because of their proven performance and reliability. As a group, we whittle down the entrants to the very best of the bunch—the nine exceptional apps and utilities featured here. What makes the whole process even more wonderful is that many of them are free!
Let’s hand out some Softy Awards!
Why stress your noggin trying to remember your login?
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| The Password Generator’s multitude of options will satisfy even the most paranoid users. |
These days, you can’t get very far on a computer without amassing a bunch of user names and passwords (surely, you’re not using the same password for every account you register!). KeePass Password Safe helps you keep all that information straight.
This free open-source program lets you manage all your passwords using an encrypted database that is kept safe from prying eyes by a single master password (the only one you need to remember!) and the one-two of AES and Twofish encryption. From the straightforward interface, to the random password generator, to the ability to easily create login scripts for the sites you visit, this app takes all the annoyance out of registered accounts. For ultra convenience keep the lightweight program on a USB key that you take with you anywhere.
Free, http://keepass.info/index.html
The gamer’s ultimate benchmarking and multimedia companion!
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| The movie-creation feature comes with plenty of options to address hard drive space and sound-quality concerns. |
It’s hard not to love Fraps. We’re just not sure which part of the popular program we love most. The fact is, this all-in-one application should be a mainstay of any gamer’s desktop rig. For the frame-rate-oriented gamer, the program lets you overlay frame rate, so you can monitor performance in-game. Amateur directors love the program’s movie-capturing feature, which lets you record what you’re doing in a game—you can achieve better-than-HD quality! And rounding out the list of fine features is the program’s screenshot function. We love being able to capture stills of our favorite game moments—frame rate included—with just the touch of a button!
$40, www.fraps.com
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