PC World was still going strong in the early 2000s with issues weighing in at well over 200 pages. This issue from November 2004 is about 236 pages and includes:
Shopping Secrets
Best Places to Buy - Top online sites include CDW, Dell, Apple, Compu USA, Staples, Best Buy, Circuit City, and Sony Style among others. The best stores include the Apple Store, Best Buy, CompUSA, Staples and Circuit City.
Features
The Ultimate Wireless Guide - A look at the best gear for setting up a wireless network plus tips on adding printers, hard drives, and more to your network. This article looks at wifi equipment from Netgear, Linksys, Buffalo, D-Link, and Belkin.
Biography of a Worm - A detailed look at the Sasser worm.
Spotlight: Monitors - The top 17-inch widescreen LCD monitor this month is the Sharp LL-M17W1 for $679. The top 23 to 24-inch widescreen LCD monitor is the Samsung SyncMaster 243T for $2240.
Top 15 Desktop PCs - The top power system this month is the Dell Dimension 8400 featuring a 3.6 GHz Pentium 4, 1 GB of DDR2-533 RAM, and a 256MB ATI Radeon X800 XT graphics card for $2999. The top value system is the Dell Dimension 4700 featuring a 3 GHz Pentium 4 and 512 MB of DDR2-400 for $1299.
Top 15 Notebook PCs - The top desktop replacement this month is the HP Compaq Business Notebook Nc6000 featuring a 1.6 GHz Pentium M and 512MB RAM for $1933. The top all-purpose notebook is the IBM ThinkPad R51 featuring a 1.5 GHz Pentium M and 512MB of RAM for $1699.
Departments
Up Front - How the software patching process helps hackers.
Letters - Letters from readers regarding cell phone plans, spyware, cellular data vs. wifi, keyboard shortcuts, and more.
Plugged In - Delays on new Intel chips, cell phones with wifi, TiVo on the go, budget 3D graphics, and more.
Consumer Watch - Using your broadband connection to make phone calls.
News & Trends
Is XP's Service Pack 2 Safe? - A look at the security updates of Windows XP SP2.
AMD Sempron Is No Athlon XP - The 32-bit Sempron was basically an Athlon XP with half the cache. To confuse matters, there was also a 64-bit Sempron based on the Athlon 64.
The Presidential Candidates' Tech Views - A look at the stances of George W. Bush and John Kerry on issues such as the Patriot Act, privacy, and spyware.
Digital Music Players - A look at three new media players and how they compare to the iPod. Players looked at here include the Creative Zen Touch, Rave-MP AMP 128, and Rio Carbon.
Productivity Software - A look at Microsoft Works 8.
Network Security Camera - The D-Link Securicam Network DCS-5300G Internet Security Camera.
Image Editing Software - A look at Paint Shop Pro Studio. A much earlier version of Paint Shop Pro was my go-to image software for a long time.
Next Gear
Rip Your Records - A guide to digitizing your vinyl.
Phone Accessories - A look at various new phone accessories including a speakerphone car kit, MP3 add-on, digital pen, and more.
Here's How
Office Tips - Getting rid of the drawing canvas in Word 2002, reordering the My Places bar, and more.
Windows Tips - Scrolling in Excel via the keyboard and other mouse wheel tips.
Internet Tips - Free book, music, and movie downloads.
