All the cards on test also have an
accelerated graphics port (AGP) slot
connector. At this time, motherboards
came with a dedicated high-speed slot
for a single graphics card, and PCI slots for
extra expansion cards.Features
Finally, we come to the features, and the
main one is ‘Build a better PC’. Here we take
you through which CPU to buy for various
budgets, covering both Intel and AMD or
options, and we also help you decide which
type of monitor you need – and LCD or a
CRT? As with so many of the reviews in
this issue, a large chunk of the feature is
dedicated to tidying cables.
So many cables were required at this
time, and they looked horrible. In the
feature, we recommended using plastic
spiral cable wrap to keep your cables
together and make them look better. ‘The
more adventurous can buy neon coloured
cable management kits,’ we said.
Meanwhile, the extreme customisation
feature was Project Focus, a model
Ford Focus that had been modded to
accommodate a basic mini-ITX system. As
we mentioned earlier, though, mini-ITX was
very different at this time, being dominated
by VIA’s EPIA platform with integrated CPUs- the processor in Project Focus only has a
533MHz clock speed.
What went and what stayed?
Some of the sections introduced in Issue 1
are still found in Custom PC today. In Issue
1, you’ll find Custom kit, Elite, Readers’
drives, Labs tests, Reviews and an Extreme
customisation feature about a mod, just like
this issue. There’s also a column by James
Gorbold, although it’s in the Reviews section
rather than at the back of the magazine.
Some sections have notably gone
though. At the back of Issue 1, for example,
are a couple of lengthy columns about
operating systems – Inside Windows
and Inside Linux, written by David Moss
and Liam Proven respectively. They were
designed to offer a way to cover software
in the most CPC-way possible, while also
providing Custom PC with a hands-on
opinion section, not dissimilar to PC Pro’s
Real World section. A lot of PC magazines
did this at the time, although even then they
felt like a bit of a relic of the past.
The columns were fine in themselves,
but they didn’t really work in the new
context of Custom PC. Consistently, reader
surveys said that readers didn’t read them.
It’s for this reason that the sections at
the back of the magazine, such as Hobby
tech and Customised PC, now mostly
involve hardware or a specifically hobbyist
approach to software, so we can keep the
magazine focused on its core subject area.
One other section that’s since gone
is Beat the Office. Here, we built an
overclocked system with a phase change
cooler (basically a refrigeration unit).
We ran our own benchmark suite on it,
using open source freely available software,
and challenged you to build a system that
would beat its results – you could apply
to receive a CD with our benchmarks on it
in the post, with a £5 fee. If you won, you
would take home the actual Beat the Office
machine itself.
The problem was that the only people
who stood a chance of winning were the
ones with the enormous amounts of money
needed for top-end cooling systems and
components, which alienated most of our
readership. We’d love to bring back a proper
benchmarks leaderboard, though, as well as
updating our benchmark suite.The Beat the Office PC, which had a Vapochill
phase change cooler running at -23.8°C –
you could win the system if your PC could
outperform itThe subject of our extreme customisation
feature, Project Focus, was based on a VIA
EPIA motherboard with a 533MHz CPUThe photo from our cable-routing guide,
showing the blue rounded IDE cables
and use of plastic spiral wrapAllthecardsontestalsohavean
acceleratedgraphicsport(AGP)slot
connector.Atthistime,motherboards
camewitha dedicatedhigh-speedslot
fora singlegraphicscard,andPCIslotsfor
extraexpansioncards.
Features
Finally,wecometothefeatures,andthe
mainoneis‘Builda betterPC’.Herewetake
youthroughwhichCPUtobuyforvarious
budgets,coveringbothIntelandAMDor
options,andwealsohelpyoudecidewhich
typeofmonitoryouneed– andLCDora
CRT ?Aswithsomanyofthereviewsin
thisissue,a largechunkofthefeatureis
dedicatedtotidyingcables.
Somanycableswererequiredatthis
time,andtheylookedhorrible.Inthe
feature,werecommendedusingplastic
spiralcablewraptokeepyourcables
togetherandmakethemlookbetter.‘The
moreadventurouscanbuyneoncoloured
cable management kits,’ we said.
Meanwhile, the extreme customisation
feature was Project Focus, a model
Ford Focus that had been modded to
accommodate a basic mini-ITX system. As
we mentioned earlier, though, mini-ITX was
very different at this time, being dominated
by VIA’s EPIA platform with integrated CPUs
- the processor in Project Focus only has a
533MHz clock speed.
What went and what stayed?
Some of the sections introduced in Issue 1
are still found in Custom PC today. In Issue
1, you’ll find Custom kit, Elite, Readers’
drives, Labs tests, Reviews and an Extreme
customisation feature about a mod, just like
this issue. There’s also a column by James
Gorbold, although it’s in the Reviews section
rather than at the back of the magazine.
Some sections have notably gone
though. At the back of Issue 1, for example,
are a couple of lengthy columns about
operating systems – Inside Windows
andInsideLinux,writtenbyDavidMoss
andLiamProvenrespectively.Theywere
designedtooffera waytocoversoftware
inthemostCPC-waypossible,whilealso
providingCustomPCwitha hands-on
opinionsection,notdissimilartoPCPro’s
RealWorldsection.A lotofPCmagazines
didthisatthetime,althougheventhenthey
feltlikea bitofa relicofthepast.
Thecolumnswerefineinthemselves,
buttheydidn’treallyworkinthenew
contextofCustomPC. Consistently,reader
surveyssaidthatreadersdidn’treadthem.
It’sforthisreasonthatthesectionsat
thebackofthemagazine,suchasHobby
techandCustomisedPC,nowmostly
involvehardwareora specificallyhobbyist
approachtosoftware,sowecankeepthe
magazinefocusedonitscoresubjectarea.
Oneothersectionthat’ssincegone
isBeattheOffice.Here,webuiltan
overclockedsystemwitha phasechange
cooler(basicallya refrigerationunit).
Weranourownbenchmarksuiteonit,
usingopensourcefreelyavailablesoftware,
andchallengedyoutobuilda systemthat
wouldbeatitsresults– youcouldapply
toreceivea CDwithourbenchmarksonit
inthepost,witha £5fee.If youwon,you
wouldtakehometheactualBeattheOffice
machineitself.
The problem was that the only people
who stood a chance of winning were the
ones with the enormous amounts of money
needed for top-end cooling systems and
components, which alienated most of our
readership. We’d love to bring back a proper
benchmarks leaderboard, though, as well as
updating our benchmark suite.The Beat the Office PC, which had a Vapochill
phase change cooler running at -23.8°C –
you could win the system if your PC could
outperform it
The subject of our extreme customisation
feature, Project Focus, was based on a VIA
EPIA motherboard with a 533MHz CPUThe photo from our cable-routing guide,
showing the blue rounded IDE cables
and use of plastic spiral wrap