YOUR FEELINGS on reinstalling Windows will largely be dictated by how long you've been using it. and by how the process has worked out for you before. Windows has a sordid history of filling up with dross. eventually slowing down to the point of being unusable. and hiding data and settings in the obscurest of places to make sorting it all out an unappetizing proposition. Reinstalling Windows can be frustrating. time- consuming. and flawed. It can leave you in driver hell. and may not even fix the very thing that forced you to reinstall.
Such experiences are rare now. though. Things have changed. A lot. And mostly for the better. Still, if you've been using your PC for a long time. there's a good chance that the thought of reinstalling Windows will have your anxious twitches coming back. To be fair. there are still lots of programs that misbehave enough to make such activities daunting. There's also the question of whether you should have to reinstall Windows. as surely it's getting better at sorting out its own foibles? It is. but we haven't quite reached OS nirvana yet—there are still times when reinstalling is the best option. Starting on page 24. we walk you through reinstalling. but also consider the other options you have in these days of Windows Reset. Refresh. and Fresh Start. We also consider virtual options. setting up a slightly mad dual- boot system. and look at the best ways to back up. as you should do that before embarking on a reinstall. You may find you don't even need to reinstall.
One time you will want to reach for your trusty USB drive and the Windows Media Creation Tool is when you're building a new PC. and while we often refer to PCPartPicker. it isn't the only system-building assistant. This issue. we explore other options, and tell you why and when you should consider them for specific builds (pg. 30).
Another feature this month looks at the state of loot boxes—we consider whether they've added anything positive to gameplay. but also try to ascertain whether their days are really numbered (pg. 34). Our final feature investigates whether Libra. Facebook's already controversial cryptocurrency. stands a chance of making it out into the real world. and what sort of impact it will have if/when it does (pg. 44).
On top of that. the onslaught of new hardware releases continues, and we have reviews of Nvidia's new Super 2060 and 2080 cards, take a look at the more affordable Radeon 5700, put the first fourth-gen SSD through its paces. and look at one of the best motherboards ASRock has ever put out. We also turn our hand to Ryzen 9 3900X overclocking. show you how to get up and running with Nvidia FrameView. show you how to stream to YouTube from a RPi. and loads more. It's a packed issue—I hope you like it.
