| Maximum PC | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Editor | Will Smith |
| Categories | Computer hardware |
| Frequency | Monthly |
| First issue | 1997 |
| Company | Future US |
| Country | USA |
| Language | English |
| Website | http://www.maximumpc.com |
| ISSN | 1522-4279 |
Maximum PC, formerly known as boot, is an American magazine published by Future US, and focuses on modern day PC hardware. Typical PC hardware A typical Personal computer consists of a case or chassis in a tower shape (desktop and the following parts Motherboard Year 1997 ( MCMXCVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1997 Gregorian calendar Future US (formerly Imagine Media and The Future Network USA is a United States media corporation specializing in targeted Magazines The United States of America —commonly referred to as the English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States An International Standard Serial Number ( ISSN) is a unique eight-digit number used to identify a print or electronic Periodical publication. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Magazines, periodicals or serials are Publications generally published on a regular schedule containing a variety of articles, generally Future US (formerly Imagine Media and The Future Network USA is a United States media corporation specializing in targeted Magazines IBM PC compatible computers are those generally similar to the original IBM PC, XT, and AT. Most content in the magazine is projected to a less business-oriented audience than many other magazines. The magazine is focused more so on home-related computing, and the relation of modern hardware toward modern software and gaming. A video game is a Game that involves interaction with a User interface to generate visual feedback on a video device.
Maximum PC's use of humor, sometimes vulgar language, and suggestive images (two of the issues featured a female nurse fixing a computer on the cover) gave it a distinct populist feeling, and also resulted in some controversy. Humour or humor (see spelling differences) is the tendency of particular cognitive experiences to provoke Laughter and provide Amusement " Vulgarism " (also called scurrility) derives from Latin vulgun, the "mean folk" and has carried into English its original A nurse is responsible—along with other Health care Professionals —for the treatment safety and recovery of acutely or chronically Populism is a discourse which supports "the people" versus "the Elites " Populism may involve either a political philosophy urging social and political In particular, the 'nurse cover' of February 2003 generated a large amount of reader feedback and letters.
Prior to September 1997, the magazine was called boot. boot and sister magazine MacAddict (now Mac|Life) launched in 1996 when Future US shut down CD-ROM Today. Mac|Life is a US magazine focusing on the Apple Macintosh personal computer and related products including the IPod. CD-ROM Today was an American magazine targeted to Computer users
Contents |
Product reviews
| Maximum PC | |
 The Kick Ass Award
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Product reviews are done by editors on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the best. The only product to receive an "11" rating was Half-Life 2 in January 2005, raising some objections from readers. Half-Life 2 is a Science fiction First-person shooter computer game and the sequel to the highly acclaimed Half-Life
Outstanding products are also given a "Kick Ass" award. Exceptional products with a "9" rating and all products with a "10" rating receive this award.
Each review also includes a "Pros and Cons" section giving a quick summary of the product. Shortly after its first publication, the magazine started placing humorous captions in this section, many of which being a pun on the product itself or its function. A pun (or paronomasia) is a Phrase that deliberately exploits confusion between similar-sounding Words for humorous or Rhetorical For example in a review of two monitors, one section is captioned LCD (pros) vs. LSD (cons), in the other it is liquid crystal (pros) vs. Liquid crystals are substances that exhibit a phase of matter that has properties between those of a conventional Liquid, and those of a Solid crystal meth (cons).
Notable features
- Head2Head - a side-by-side comparison of two or more competing products.
- Watch Dog - a section where Maximum PC acts as an Ombudsman, going after fraud and other problems reported by the readers. An ombudsman ( English plural conventionally ombudsmen) is an official usually (but not always appointed by the government or by parliament who is charged with Each month the section features a new dog, whose photos are also sent in by the readers. The dog ( Canis lupus familiaris) is a domesticated Subspecies of the gray wolf, a Mammal of the Canidae family of the order
- How To - short, technical instructions on modifying computer components.
- Ask the Doctor - advice for fixing computer related problems.
- R&D - a look into the inner workings of commonly used hardware today.
- In the Lab - a behind-the-scenes look at Maximum PC testing. This section often includes humorous features sometimes involving "torturing" interns. An intern or stagiaire is one who works in a temporary position with an emphasis on on-the-job training rather than merely employment making it similar to an Apprenticeship
- Softy Awards - a yearly roundup of the staff's favorite new software (mostly utilities)
- Hardware Autopsy - a diagram of the innards of various devices, such as a printer, a camera, etc.
- In/Out - reader mail and questions
- Rig of the Month - a monthly showcase of an elaborate case modification. Case modification (commonly referred to as case modding) is the modification of a computer chassis (often just referred to as the case) or a
- Dream Machine - an annual attempt to build the best-performing PC on the market, using the best components and techniques available.
- Lean Machine - A feature showcasing the best computer possible for that year with a price tag of about $1,500.
- Geek Quiz - An annual computer/technology quiz that claims it will have even the most hardcore geeks grinding their teeth.
- Gear of the Year - a review of the best PC parts for the current year.
Differences from boot
A common criticism of the time when boot was published was that it was elitist in the nature of the products it reviewed and attitudes taken by its writers. boot was aimed at a super hardcore PC and gaming audience with many articles focusing on computers for the absolute best computer and/or gaming experience with absolutely no regard to cost. When it revamped itself as Maximum PC it dropped much of the elitist attitude and focused on being accessible to a wider array of hardcore PC users and gamers. boot also featured a monthly commentary with Alex St. John, nicknamed "The Saint", regarding the emerging DirectX standard which he was instrumental in developing at Microsoft, often leading to some controversy in the gaming community on the merits of DirectX vs. Alex St John, along with Craig Eisler and Eric Engstrom created the original Microsoft DirectX specification Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational Computer technology Corporation, which rose to dominate the Home computer Microsoft DirectX is a collection of Application programming interfaces (APIs for handling tasks related to Multimedia, especially Game programming and OpenGL. OpenGL ( Open G raphics L ibrary is a standard specification defining a cross-language Cross-platform API for writing applications that produce His arguments with id Software's John Carmack became famous during this time in the gaming community. id Software (ɪd officially is an American computer game developer based in Mesquite, Texas, a suburb of Dallas. John D Carmack II (born August 20 1970) is an American Game programmer, and the co-founder of Id Software.
Circulation
The magazine claims a circulation rate-base of 300,000.
Maximum PC also provides an archive of back-issues in PDF format free of charge on their website. this archive currently reaches back to the December, 2005 issue, though they have stated they plan to extend it back into at least some of their 2001 issues.
Staff
- Editor-in-chief: Will Smith
- Deputy Editor: Katherine Stevenson
- Managing Editor: Tom Edwards
- Executive Editor: Michael Brown
- Senior Editor: Gordon Mah Ung
- Associate Editor: David Murphy
- Art Director: Natalie Jeday
- Associate Art Director: Boni Uzilevsky
- Editorial Director: Jon Phillips
- Web Concierge: Nathan Edwards
Maximum PC also has many freelance contributors in addition to occasional interns. Such writers include Gord Goble, Norman Chan, and Paul Lilly. Moreover, columnists Tom Halfhill and Thomas McDonald write editorials on a monthly basis under the names Fast Forward and Game Theory, respectively.
External links
Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic