Posted 11/28/08 at 11:39:39 AM by Paul Lilly

Staving off the upgrade bug while waiting for the inevitable next best thing that's always just around the corner can cause you to be in a perpetual state of limbo. But if you've been suffering from this phenomenon since the AGP days, now might be the perfect time to pull the trigger. Not only has Intel released it's Core i7 platform, but if your aging AGP videocard is a qualified BFG-branded unit, you might be able to score a free or low-cost ($50) PCI-E upgrade.

"Now, for a limited time, if you send us your BFG AGP card in good, working condition, we'll send you the PCI Express equivalent at no cost to you," BFG wrote on its AGP-to-PCI-E promotional page. "If you want to upgrade to an even better performing card, there is a nominal fee to do so. Offer good for U.S. customers only."

Furthermore, BFG's claim that the free PCI-E upgrade is equivalent to its AGP counterpart might be a bit modest in certain circumstances. For example, BFG will upgrade owners of GeForce 6800OC AGP videocards with just a 128MB frame buffer to a 9600GT OC PCI-E card with 512MB of memory. The same 9600GT OC is used for all but one of the free upgrades and the performance levels out as you move up the AGP food chain, but for $50, users can instead opt for a 9800GT OC.

The offer is available for a limited time, though BFG has not specified a more specific time frame. Current AGP owners will need to register their cards with BFG if they haven't already done so. But don't fret if you've lost the receipt - BFG says no proof of purchase will be required.

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6

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graphics, videocard, upgrade, gpu, BFG, build a pc, agp, pci-e

Posted 11/26/08 at 03:06:39 PM by Andy Salisbury

Google’s popular (and somewhat controversial) Street View has finally gotten a facelift of its very own.

The new Street View updates allow users to see the streets far easier thanks to a new window that fills the whole screen instead of a small portion. It’s also coupled with higher resolution pictures that give you the chance to zoom in closer than you ever could before (hooray for the prospect of new sightings!)

On top of that, new navigation makes things easier. Pan the view with the A and D keys, and look at your apartment, license plate, social security number and list of fears up and down with the W and S keys.

The kicker? It’s not working with the latest version of Google Chrome. I guess that’s something to pay attention to in the future, huh?

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2

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upgrade, Google, Street View, Maps

Posted 07/14/08 at 04:32:42 PM by Mark Edward Soper

Microsoft has long offered hardware compatibility information for different versions of Windows, including Windows Vista. Remember the Hardware Compatibility List (HCL)? Until now, though, Microsoft has dropped the ball on making software compatibility easy to determine. With a renewed emphasis on marketing and customer satisfaction this summer, Microsoft has now created an easy-to-use one-stop shop for determining which hardware and software products will work with Windows Vista, the Windows Vista Compatibility Center.

For a quick tour of the WVCC, and to learn how you can make it even better, see us after the jump.

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3

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windows, microsoft, Software, upgrade, utilities, Windows Vista, applications, update, Drivers, consumer hardware, compatibility

Posted 06/25/08 at 02:05:00 PM by Will Smith

First off, if you're seeing this, welcome to the new Maximum PC website! Now that you're over here, be sure to give Norm's Guided Tour a look-see and check out all the cool stuff we've added to the site.  I couldn't be more excited about both the new design changes we've added, as well as the staff we've brought on to keep content flowing to the new site on a daily basis. We've got a few familiar faces in our blogger corps, as well as a bunch of new folks, so please feel free to drop into everyone's threads and say hello to anyone you don't know already.

Click the jump down below (it's the thing that says Read More) if you're having problems logging in, or want to know the best place to leave suggestions, comments, shouts to the heavens, or a simple social statement.

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37

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upgrade, downtime, site announcement

Posted 06/06/08 at 04:13:32 PM by The Maximum PC Staff

In the PDF archive of the June 2008 issue, you can find:

• Upgrading your OEM Machine
• The MaximumPC Guide to Home Automation
• The Vista Defrag Challenge
• How To: Create a Personal Internet Radio Station
• Awesome Product Reviews, including the Alienware Area-51 m15x
• Ask the Doctor
• Rig of the Month
• The Watchdog
• And a whole lot more!

Click the big giant cover image to the right to download the PDF archive today!

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1

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upgrade, alienware, home automation, pdf archives, Internet radio, defrag, pdf archive, june 2008

Posted 05/27/08 at 12:24:59 PM by Gordon Mah Ung

Why suffer the subpar performance of an old retail PC? Your computer can be made better, faster, stronger. We have the technology, so let us show you how.

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1

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upgrade, dell, alienware, hardware, proprietary, cyberpower, rebuild, feture

Posted 03/12/08 at 12:50:25 PM by Tom Edwards

This week, Tom, Gordon, Dave, and Andy return to answer a load of listener questions. Upgrade advice! Troubleshooting advice! Parenting advice! It's all here on the No BS Podcast.

Subscribe: http://feeds.feedburner.com/maximumpc/1337

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11

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upgrade, cpu, No BS Podcast, videocards, tech advice

Posted 10/26/07 at 10:45:31 PM by Mark Soper

Vista's activation DRM may shut you down for 'too many' hardware changes, even if you changed drivers, not hardware. Here's how to avoid getting nailed - and some advice for Microsoft.

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13

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vista, drm, windows, Software, upgrade, news, Licensing, piracy, activation, driver