Posted 07/21/08 at 12:00:00 PM by David Murphy

We've given you the gear.  Now take a trip into the Maximum PC Lab with an exclusive Web-only look at how we constructed this year's Dream Machine 2008--the fastest PC you can buy, hands-down.  Be there for all the heart-wrenching fluid leaks!  The painstaking storage decisions!  The bits and pieces we had to break just to achieve our Dream Machine...dreams!

If you have yet to check out what we packed into this rig, be sure to catch up on our first, second, and third looks at the parts of this over-customized rig.  But if you're ready, then pop open the Lab door by clicking that little "Read More" link and take a look at how Maximum PC master-builders brought forth this year's PC powerhouse!

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maximum pc, dream machine, hardware, 2008, build a pc, rigs, behind the scenes

Posted 04/28/08 at 02:40:43 PM by The Maximum PC Staff

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.

Click Read More for more.

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Software, softy awards, freeware, features, May, 2008, from the magazine

Posted 04/23/08 at 12:17:20 PM by David Murphy

In the November 2007 issue, we took an in-depth look at RAID—short for Redundant Array of Inexpensive (or Independent) Disks—and broke down the pros, cons, and most importantly, speeds of the various RAID permutations you would find on a typical multidrive setup. Here we’ll examine the medium itself: the RAID controller, which tells the drives in a RAID setup how to interact. As you’ll see, there are RAID controllers of differing types, technologies, and price points, and we want to learn whether these variations translate into performance differences. After all, even the fastest RAID configuration ultimately depends on the performance capabilities of its physical host.

Click Read More for more. 

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motherboards, RAID, raid controllers, features, May, 2008, from the magazine, reviews

Posted 12/31/07 at 02:49:33 PM by Gordon Mah Ung and David Murphy

If you’re running your CPU at stock speeds, you’re missing out on your PC’s true potential, because processors often harbor power beyond their official specs. Your proc, for example, might be rated to run at 3GHz but is actually capable of operating reliably at 3.3GHz. There are myriad reasons for the hidden headroom, ranging from natural variance among parts (even those made from the same batch), to the manufacturers’ practice of underclocking parts to meet market needs, to the improved capabilities of a part over the lifetime of its production.

Click Read More for more. 

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amd, intel, cooling, overclocking, how_to, ram divisors, features, january, 2008, from the magazine

Posted 11/01/04 at 12:00:00 AM by The Maximum PC Staff

In the PDF archive of the November 2004 issue, you can find:

• Build Your very own PC
• The Birth of a CPU
• PC Trauma Kit
• Awesome Product Reviews, including the Logitech Z-5500 5.1 Speaker System!
• Ask the Doctor
• Rig of the Month
• The Watchdog
• And a whole lot more!

Click the frickin' huge cover image to the right to download the PDF archive today!

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pdf archive, may 2008, 2008, Logitech z-5500 5.1 speakers, z-5500, logitech z5500, birth of a cpu, pc trauma kit, build your own pc

Posted 03/01/04 at 12:00:00 AM by The Maximum PC Staff

In the PDF archive of the March 2004 issue, you can find:

• Join the wireless revolution!
• P4 Prescott, all you need to know
• Your one all end all Guide to RAM
• Awesome Product Reviews, including AVG Anti-Virus and Adobe Photoshop CS!
• Ask the Doctor
• Rig of the Month
• The Watchdog
• And a whole lot more!

Click the enormous cover image to the right to download the PDF archive today!

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wireless, ram, wireless networking, Memory, pdf archive, 2008, june 2008, prescott, pentium 4, p4, avg antivirus, photoshop cs