I have been relatively out of touch with the PC or desktop side of things for several years. As a consultant/analyst/administrator, I tend to be more current in server technologies as is the case with many of my colleagues which I am sure are in a similar situation.
Once or twice per year I like to pick up a PC Magazine, PC gamer Magazine, or the like to see what is current. I know that a lot of this information is available online but I am still old school in that I still attend meetings with a pen and notebook. That being said, I still purchase books and magazines as I prefer not to read everything off my laptop screen.
No worries, I do own a Mobile 6 device but despite my technical background, I find it a pain to tweak so that it works just right for me to be perfectly productive using only this...
So, since my brain is not like RAM which can just be upgraded, I must write everything down lest something more important such as a request from my wife to pick up eggs on my way home, be replaced in my memory in favor of that awesome deal on external USB drives at Fry's! I know some of you have been there too and have gray hairs to show for it! For that, I am jealous as my hairs seem to simply fall out...
In the summer 2008 edition of PC Gamer there is quite a bit of really good material. The magazine is titled PC Builder's Bible. It compares the Intel Quad Core vs the Dual Core. Intel vs AMD, Air vs Water Cooling. PC Builder stuff but worth the deneiros if none of you have had the pleasure of the 1500 page "light weekend read" from a PC Upgrade and Maintenance Guide or similar reference manual with the current technologies. ;-)
The magazine covers the fundamental information one would expect such as different technologies that have come and may not yet be gone like ATA hard drives, etc...
For those unaware, ATA refers to the parallel method of accessing data from a hard disk which was until a few years ago the more or less the only affordable desktop hard drive interface for PCs. Since it was the only way, there was no need to place a "P" in front of ATA. Now, this method has been replaced by SATA which accesses information serially.
Fundamental questions are answered such as "What makes a hard drive fast?". As the cover shows, Intel and AMD are also compared in terms of price and the processor feature sets and their pros and cons are also discussed.
Some who have a current A+ certification may not have need of such information as this would be their current reality. For others like me, I like to keep current as the VLB, and ISA, buses are all but a memory...
For instance I learned that Firewire, USB, and USB2 are not the only way to connect external hard drives. I am now eyeing a new eSATA cable I got with a drive enclosure critically...
Like the New Kids on the Block, some technologies should stay dead! Actually, I suspect my wife will kill me if she reads this... ;-0
All this to say, the Summer 2008 edition of PC Gamers magazine is a good read even for "server types" like myself looking to keep up with technologies in the desktop market.
Read the complete post at http://owsug.ca/blogs/brad/archive/2008/08/28/Review-of-Summer-2008-edition-of-PC-Gamer-_2800_good-read_2900_.aspx