102 MAXIMUMPC OCTOBER 2007
We tackle tough reader questions on...
PMy Book Workaround PReliability
Benchmarks PDream Machine Power
OLD MR. RELIABLE
Having enjoyed reading the magazine for many years
now, I have to say that I like some of the changes you
guys have made to the reviews. The reliability test you
have been running has been a nice addition. I would
like to see that become an official benchmark with a
pass/fail value. With the increasing prices of the com-
puters you review, its nice to see them being evalu-
ated on more than performance alone. In a recent
review, a nearly $7,000 computer, the Digital Storm
Twister Ultra 4 (July 2007) was talked about like it
was a bargain when compared to a Falcon Mach V.
It might be cheaper than the Mach V, but I wouldn’t
consider it a bargain. I know that performance is con-
sidered above all else, but how about reviewing some
computers that are a little more affordable?
I have also been wondering how well your bench-
mark results can be applied to similar configurations
when using other software. Is the Premiere score able
to suggest how a computer would work with MyDVD?
Are the benchmark scores the only thing considered
when evaluating a videocard? Almost all new cards
can produce frame rates higher than what our eyes
can see, so is the quality of the video produced taken
into account?
—Travis SturmSENIOR EDITOR GORDON MAH UNG RESPONDS:
One of the stress tests that we have used, ProShow
Producer, will be rolled out as an official bench-
mark when we update our test suite. Unfortunately,
the price for performance can get pretty high when
CPUs cost $1,200 and SLI videocards are $1,600.
I should also point out that we just recently did a
system roundup of $2,500 PCs (December 2006).
Concerning extrapolating our benchmark
scores for performance with other apps, I haven’tSpeeding
up the
My Book
I applaud you guys on the excellent
coverage of most new hardware.
However, I have to disagree with
your verdict on the My Book World
Edition II NAS enclosure in the August
issue. After you recommended the
device in the “Awesome Upgrades”
article (June 2007), I bought one.
I also ran into an issue with the
proprietary software causing sluggish
response on my system. However,
I discovered a fix. After you initially
set up the enclosure and create an
Administrator account, you don’t need
the software installed on your system
to access the drive! Just make sure to
write down the extended user name and
password provided during the initial setup
process and you’re set.
From that point, all you have to do is log
in to the drive’s maintenance web application,
change the drive to use a static IP address, and
access it through your network places on your
system. When accessed through network places,
you should see the drive ID listed; once double-
clicked it prompts you for a user name and
password. Enter the user name and password
and you’re now free of the software! Bypassing
the annoying software really speeds things up
but still allows the functionality of accessing the
drive from the MioNet website if you so desire.
The only drawback is that I have not been able to
set up the drive for remote access while bypass-
ing the MioNet website without remotely access-
ing my system first.
—Thomas HeineASSOCIATE EDITOR DAVE MURPHY
RESPONDS: Good point, Thomas. You can
indeed use the My Book as a network box
sans the MioNet software. However, part
of the as-shipped condition of the drive is
the implicit understanding that most users
will undoubtedly install MioNet to config-
ure the drive. We try to review products
based on what a typical user would do,
and while your workaround is an awesome
solution, we think that most users will be
affected by the drive’s horrible MioNet-
based speeds. Consequently, we find it
hard to give a positive review to a drive
that instructs you to install such a perfor-
mance-degrading piece of software.in outYOU WRITE, WE RESPOND
CUTCOPYPASTE
Our review of iAsus Concepts’s Mobile Amp incorrectly
identified iAsus Concepts as being a division of Asus.
The company is neither a subsidiary nor an affiliate of
Asus. We regret the error.
In our review of Halo 2 for Vista, we inadvertently
listed November 2005 as the release date for the
Xbox version of the game. The game was released in
November 2004.Edition II NAS enclosure in the Augustdevice in the “Awesome Upgrades”I also ran into an issue with the
proprietary software causing sluggishI discovered a fix. After you initially
set up the enclosure and create an
Administrator account, you don’t need
the software installed on your system
to access the drive! Just make sure to
write down the extended user name and
password provided during the initial setup