56
Wi-Fi
Routers
Get the skinny on
certifi ed 802.11n
gear.Managing
Maximum
Expectations
Contents
Ed Word
Please send feedback
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[email protected].
NOVEMBER 2007 MAXIMUMPC 05
I
t’s not easy being a Maximum PC editor.
Sure, there are terrifi c days—like the time I
benchmarked the fi rst DirectX 9 videocard, and
the day we took our fi rst dual-core Opteron
for a spin in the Lab. But we don’t get saucy
new hardware every day, and there really are
unpleasant downsides to the gig. First and
foremost, when you’re a Maximum PC editor,
you’re saddled with expectations. Sure, my
Athlon 64 4800+ gaming rig was OK, especially
with a GeForce 8800 GTX. But a Maximum PC
editor needs to run the very best, and so, with
you guys in mind, I hit Newegg and ordered only
the fi nest, most dreamworthy upgrade parts for a
new build. Such are the trials we face.
Then there’s the home network situation.
Listeners of our No BS Podcast know that I’m
moving into a new house. They also know that
I didn’t think a mere wireless network would be
up to Maximum PC spec. So I was resigned to
wire the whole house with Cat5e. My home has
a crawlspace, so I didn’t need to brave the attic
(there are wasps up there!), but, unfortunately, the
crawlspace is inaccurately named. At 24-inches
high, it’s more of a monkey-crawl-like-they-do-in-WWII-movies space. After a full day of squirming
from one end of my home to the other, I managed
to pull cables into every room in the house—
even the bathroom. You can get the full report
(including goofy photos of me in the crawlspace)
here: http://tinyurl.com/36smed.
Sure, I probably could have survived with Wi-Fi,
but I didn’t want to let you guys down.
And then there’s the fatiguing hassle of
prerelease hardware. Next month, I’m reviewing
Toshiba’s sweet, new ultra-portable notebook; it
weighs three pounds and is one inch thick—and
I’ve got a serious problem. After I send the review
sample back to Toshiba, I’ll be forced to go back
to my underpowered 10-pounder. So I’m going
to have to trot out and buy one of these new
lightweights. Not for me, but for you. I just don’t
want to disappoint the Maximum PC faithful.
So, as I sit back on the couch, watching
high-def streaming video and barely noticing the
weight of my new laptop, don’t feel sorry for me.
Just know how much I care.44
RAID Done
Right
Learn all you need to know
about making multiple hard
drives work for you.Features
MAXIMUMPC 11 / 07
24
Heal
Your PC
Rid your computer of no-good, nasty
critters, and then keep it running in
tip-top shape!