THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK
WITH ANY NEW CPU architecture, our first build is always a major landmark. But Intel’s Alder Lake is still something special. Not only is it a radical departure from all previous CPUs, what with its hybrid cores, but it also marks the first step in what we hope is a multigenerational return to form for Intel.
As I said in last issue’s Lab Notes, I’m not convinced Alder Lake is the CPU Intel originally planned. Problems with Intel’s 10nm and 7nm nodes put paid to that. But the benchmarks don’t lie and, as our reviews from previous issues and this month’s build prove, Alder Lake puts out the numbers. It was great to unleash Sam on our first Alder Lake build, pairing it with some serious GPU power and that hot new DDR5 memory. There’s something about running the latest technology that’s satisfying, even beyond the raw numbers.
If you want to understand exactly how Alder Lake does what it does, take a look at Jarred’s forensic architectural overview, which digs deep into the inner workings of Alder Lake. It’s a surprising and innovative architecture on several levels. Did you know that the Gracemont efficiency cores in Alder Lake each have 17 execution ports, five more than the Golden Cove performance cores?
Next up, Nick Peers reboots a signature MaximumPC series with his Save Our Systems feature—nine pages of essential advice for fixing Windows problems. Everything from full installation recovery to problems with system sleep and hubs and also including some handy general advice on how to research and solve issues that aren’t common enough to pop up in a simple online search.
Our final major feature in this issue involves a retrospective of over 25 years of kicking ass. With a new full-time editor of MaximumPC incoming (I’ll let him introduce himself next issue) and a new era beckoning, now feels like a good time to look back on how it all started both for the PC and the mag.
Looking back on past issues, it’s interesting to see just how quickly MaximumPC was honed into the successful formula you see today. It’s also pretty funny to peruse the specifications of Dream Machines of yore. We all love to complain about the price of GPUs, and the current situation is ridiculous. But those old builds are a timely reminder of just how much tech you get for your cash today. We all like a little reminiscing, so I hope you enjoy a dip into the archives.
Speaking of having a laugh, Nvidia’s GeForce 3070 Ti chipset is a bit of a joke, as Jarred found out. Elsewhere, Sam has been up to his ears in both hardware and software. Highlights include a beginner’s guide to music production, an ultra-fast MSI gaming laptop, some slick-looking headphones, and, of course, that Alder Lake build.
As for me, it’s been sweet to be back at MaximumPC for a few issues getting another fix of the platform I’ve loved for many years. With any luck, I won’t vanish from these pages. So, this is goodbye, but not adieu. Laters.