Tired of cookie cutter PCs that don’t meet expectations? Need something customized, like a super-graphics, computational PC for high frequency day trading or for high-end gaming or for your home Linux server?
This magazine will teach you about the latest components and standards, as well as provide plans for budget, standard and high-end systems you can customize and put together for less than a big box computing store or company will charge.
(Updated Jan 2021)
These last 2 years have seen an amazing set of changes in computer architecture; the social structures of our home and work life and the role of computers in how we cope with the COVID pandemic. Many more people now work from home — their “home computers” need to have capabilities once only needed by commercial systems. Lockdowns mean our home computers are now our schools and our movie theaters and our newspapers and TVs, as well as our family connections. Maximum PC has addressed these changes beautifully by focusing on how to build (meaning appropriate physical or software components) capable and expandable systems for home use: to serve as a more powerful “home computer”; to serve as a NAS or video streaming hub; to have enhanced security or password management for more family network users. Maximum PC transitioned beautifully transitioned as the needs of its reader community changed.
Maximum PC also addresses non-PC devices, albeit more briefly, recognizing we are also buying or building “Smart Home” components and all have tablets and phones. They have included a number of builds based on the Raspberry Pi and they regularly “autopsy” (take apart) widely used devices (phones, tablets) to evaluate construction quality and repairability. It’s an inside look at many of the “peripherals” our phone and PCs use to make our lives easier and better.
Maximum PC also had a change in editorial management, with the retirement of its editor-in-chief. This transition has been good for the magazine, but I mean that in a positive sense: the long-time editor was excellent and chose to retire; his successor, an excellent member of the Maximum PC staff, was elevated and has raised the standard of relevance and excellence to date.
One example of a change is that “the Builds” section of the magazine, originally 3 designs based on AMD architecture and chipsets, at the Budget, Medium and Turbo price points, have now been increased to 2 designs (one Intel-based and one AMD-based) at each price point. For those readers doing a build, you have the choice of architecture; for those readers following the field, you have an excellent real-time evaluation of the price-performance trade-offs at a given price point for the components included in the build. It’s a “deep dive” into how to optimize any system you may have or be considering. Even if you choose not to build your own, it makes you an incredibly knowledgeable and sophisticated purchaser.
There is one disadvantage, but it is not with Maximum PC. My subscription to the magazine is for eDelivery (on Kindle). As a result, some of the tables and photos are difficult to see in the same detail as in the paper copy. On the other hand, storage of the Kindle version is pretty convenient. It would be wonderful if you could print selected pages, but that option is not available. As a result, if you are going to build a particular system, I’d suggest buying a print copy of that particular issue.
Maximum PC
4.5 | 1,108 ratings
Price: 10.99
Last update: 12-23-2024
Top reviews from the United States
JayZ MIT
Roll your own ... (updated Jan 2021)
Reviewed in the United States on November 12, 2018Kindle Customer
One of, if not the very best magazine for real computer technicians
Reviewed in the United States on November 22, 2019Manonbar
Great montly builds but did get political
Reviewed in the United States on August 12, 2020Amazon Customer
Great magazine for DIY PC Enthusiasts
Reviewed in the United States on September 6, 2022
K
I love this magazine
Reviewed in the United States on August 26, 2022Brian
Detailed
Reviewed in the United States on June 1, 2021Diego S. Terres III
Helps keep me up to date.
Reviewed in the United States on January 12, 2019