Maximum PC

Maximum PC is the magazine that every computer geek, PC gamer, or content creator should read every month. Get Maximum PC digital magazine subscription today for punishing product reviews, thorough how-to articles, and the illuminating technical news and information that PC power users crave. Maximum PC covers every single topic that requires a lightning-fast PC, from video editing and music creation to PC gaming; we write about it all with unbounded enthusiasm for our collective hobby.

Maximum PC

GREAT EXPECTATIONS

A Mixed Bag: RTX 50 Series Launch • A story of demand, limited supply, and technical challenges

Nvidia Multi Frame Generation put to the test • NVIDIA’S BLACKWELL RTX ARCHITECTURE was announced last month. I’ve now had plenty of one-on-one time with the RTX 5090 and RTX 5080, and I want to talk more about Multi Frame Generation (MFG) in particular, because it’s a major marketing bullet point for the RTX 50-series GPUs.

THE LIST • THE BEST HANDHELD GAMING PCS

Fare well, RTX 4090 • NVIDIA’S VERY HIGHEST-END GPUs are the best value. There, I said it, and now everyone can shoot me down, call me a shill, and dance on my hastily dug grave. But before you ramrod your muskets and cock your flintlocks, let me elaborate. This is not hyperbole, but a genuine point of view.

DOCTOR • THIS MONTH THE DOCTOR TACKLES…

UNOBTAINIUM • More elusive than Bigfoot, and more powerful than Zeus’s lightning bolt, the RTX 5090 is here

JUMPING TO LIGHTSPEED

AFTER THE FACT

MYTHICAL CREATURES

SYSTEM BENCHMARKS

GAMING BENCHMARKS

SYNTHETIC GAMING BENCHMARKS

AI INFERENCE BENCHMARKS

BEST OF CES 2025 • PCs were the star of the show at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Guy Cocker was there to scout out the best CPUs, GPUs, laptops, and product concepts that should all be coming your way this year

PREMIUM DIGITAL SUBSCRIPTION • As a premium subscriber you instantly get access to 100+ back issues

BLUEPRINTS UNWRAPPED • Zak Storey tells you what you need to know when planning your next build

ANSWERING THE PIVOTAL QUESTIONS • It might be dull, but this is without a doubt the most important part of any build process, even the ones we piece together here

CASE STUDY: BUDGET ALLOCATION

HUNTING FOR RELIABILITY

FUTURE PROOFING • There’s always something better over the horizon

PICKING THE RIGHT POWER SUPPLY

EASY BUILDS & COMPATIBILITY • We’ve identified what we need; now we need to figure out what it fits in

INTEL VS AMD

EMULATION MAKING WINDOWS ON ARM GREAT AGAIN • How do the latest laptops and Macs run Intel software on their ARM processors? Darien Graham-Smith explores the wonderful world of emulation

HOW APPLE BRIDGED THE GAP

SUBSCRIBE TODAY • Find your next great read

HOW TO STEP-BY-STEP GUIDES TO IMPROVING YOUR PC

AUTOPSY THIS MONTH WE DISSECT…

ModRetro Chromatic

How to use ChatGPT Projects

Tweak Windows 11’s privacy settings

Spot phishing emails

Play Arcade Classic with MAME

Use Windows Phone Link’s new features

PHONE LINK’S INTERFACE

Declutter Windows desktop for 2025

The rising cost of the humble PC • GPUs might not be the culprit

Editor’s Pick: AOC Agon Pro AG276FK • One for the esports enthusiasts out there

Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 • The fastest GPU around, but not the huge leap we’d hoped for

Lenovo Legion Tower 5i (Gen8) • A great entry-level gaming PC and a solid buy for 1080p

Gigabyte X870E Aorus Pro • A user-friendly motherboard with a long life

HP OmniBook Ultra Flip 14 • A well-rounded laptop that’s good for work,...