PC World

PC World has a Top 100 section which rates and highlights the best home computers, scanners, digicams, power pcs, monitors and laptops and the like for those who make a mental wish list and who love window shopping. It does stories and features like who has the best CD-RW drives and what's included on them, and like which computer store or electronics company has the best customer
services...all so the consumer can get the best deals for the best price. The design and graphics are attractive. It also has a nice How To Section, tips on working software and games, internet downloads which make life easier and fuller, and other upgrade info. PC World is a magazine which definitely holds my interest with it's easy to follow reports and down to earth writing style: it also has enough of the technical lingo for those who are 'really' into the technical lingo stuff. However, when the lingo gets a little dense and specific, a thumbnail glossary pops up now and then to help the reader out. It is a good mag if you love your computer, you love anything to do with computers or you want to learn more about computers....

Great magazine for those who are not tech professionals, or who have just started in a tech field, who want to stay on top of the latest products, ideas, and technology news. Good troubleshooting tips for your computer, software programs, and other electronics as well. Loved it so much I decided to order a year's subscription. ***DO NOT ORDER THIS FROM AMAZON. I ORDERED THE MAG SEPT 7TH AND AS OF DEC 3RD I AM STILL WAITING FOR IT. Amazon is a reliable party, however the subscriptions are outsourced to others. If you have a problem with a subscription order, it is not handled through Amazon.*** UPDATE: Finally received 1st issue in late December and the subscription was backdated to continue through Nov 2006. However, if you want quicker delivery, order a subscription elsewhere.

PC World is one of the most widely read computer magazines in existence, and for good reason: it provides a monthly dose of technology news and reviews in an accessible and easy-to-read format. Though they bill themselves as a resource for IT managers and business people, the magazine is very consumer-oriented, and every issue contains helpful tips for novice users (such as how to get rid of temp files or install the latest Outlook patch).

Alas, being a jack of all trades condemns you to be a master of none. On average, I only find one or two articles per issue actually useful, and most features lack the depth and technical detail that IT professionals crave (in their defense, and in defense of my high ranking, that one piece of advice I get each month is usually a lifesaver). Additionally, the signal-to-noise ratio seems a little too low - one often finds "special advertising supplements" where content should be.

Perhaps my largest issue (no pun intended) with PC World is with its monthly Top 100 list. The magazine regularly gives its highest honors to computer systems unavailable through normal distribution channels, and peripherals (such as printers and CD burners) that I know from experience to have significant reliability problems are often labeled "best buy" because they perform marginally better on benchmark tests. Never the less, PC World remains a great tool for the casual user seeking a better understanding of the computer industry (or anyone just looking for some advice on buying a new PC)... and to those people, I highly recommend it.

I had been subscribed to PC World directly for quite a few years. Upon renewing for the next two years, suddenly their subscription department decided to send me two issues monthly and then quitting altogether. There was no way to get a personalized answer out of them, so I quit.
So much for the `straightforward' way to subscribe to the magazine.

The magazine is worth the couple of bucks - if you choose any of the special rates offered - if you obediently read it front to back, because most of the good stuff is hidden deep inside the articles.
The front pagers ("100 ways to...") are usually rehashed stuff, and it seems that sometimes the reviewers are heavily brand-biased (Dell / IBM Pentiums / Norton / etc.).

I fully agree with the various comments that "building your own" is the best way to go. After a nightmarish experience with a Compaq, directly from the local distributor, I will never buy an off-the-shelf computer again.

PC World should cater more to those tech-minded newbies who put in different brands into their machines.

... and then I'll probably subscribe again to a paper product.

When I bought PC World at a store, the cover looked appealing. It had an advice on how to surf the Internet trouble free. So I brought it home and started reading it. I was amazed! I have never read a magazine cover to cover before, but I read this one word for word. This mag is filled with tons of reviews of best software and new gadgets. It also has unbiased articles written in a balanced simple English and technical language on computing in general. Perhaps the best part about the magazine is the CD they include with it. iT is filled with PC World recommended software that will make your life much easier.
IF you never heard of PC World, you don't know what you're missing. Go to the nearest store and ask for the copy. You'll be glad you did

After switching from Mac OS to Windows a few years ago, I needed a PC-oriented magazine to get me well versed in the new vernacular. I took a look at PC Magazine and was disgusted by the number of errors and the dearth of useful content; man, I thought, this is why Mac users laugh at PC guys. Then I picked up PC World at the suggestion of a friend and, wow, within minutes I filled out the subscription card and sent for my subscription.

PC World is good because it's informative and useful. It covers things you want to know as a PC user. It does not slant toward hardware (like the modders-only Maximum PC) or software, and it doesn't waste space telling you why you should buy a Mac G5, which, oddly enough, PC Mag tries to do. PC World is a well-balanced, informational magazine for general PC users. If you want more expert-oriented stuff you might want things like Windows Mag or other more specific magazines, but for general computing, PC World is the best. Each issue is packed with stuff you can use, either in your daily computing or to impress your friends at the new year's party.

I've had a subscription to PC World over the past few years (as a gift) and I love it. The articles are very insightful and relevant. I can always find at least one article in each magazine that helps me with a computer issue I'm having at the time or provides me with reviews on electronic devices that I'm looking to buy.

PC World is targeted towards the day-to-day Windows user, most likely someone using multiple machines or someone encountering different systems. This is not the best choice to help educate a first-time computer user.

However, PC World is a great resource. I've found numerous tips that have saved me time and money, and I find that they offer a nice blend of covering cool gadgets vs. noting the freeware or shareware that you may not hear of elsewhere.

I'm a long-time buyer, and now a new subscriber to the magazine--and will be for years to come.

For those who have their own business or operate within a company might have some connection with using computers on the job. I own my own web design company and hope to expand to include video production as well. Both job fields include computers to design the websites and to edit the videos or type of the video scripts. The tasks involved are endless and the computer is a time saverr. This magazine helps me stay on top of things with information on the last computer gadgets for the workplace. Such as information about computers that fit my needs in my business. To me this magazine works like a newspaper that informs a citizen of the day's news. Very helpful. I even posted, with permission, some articles from the magazine on my website for refrence purposes of those who visit the site.

Well, I originally got introduced to PC World, by winning a free subscription to from a now defunct auction site. I believe my first issue was April 2002. It seemed to be pretty good (or great, seeing as how that was my first PC magazine [no pun] that I actually read). They have good columns, and news, and always helpful tips and other stuff, and I love the How To section in the back. It's usually thicker than their other PC competition magazines, and that's good. It's still a great magazine, but I just cant help but say that it's not as good, nor is any of it's competition, as is the juggernaut that is PC Magazine. If you want a real PC magazine, then of course, pick up PC Magazine. And if you want a good close second, then get PC World, however, stay away from Maximum PC {read about it in my review) and read about PCM in my review of it (if it ever gets posted).