Maximum PC – January 2025 (Vol. 30, No. 1)

The Ultimate Creator’s PC, Bench-Tested 💻

Maximum PC’s January 2025 issue puts a purpose-built creator rig through its paces. The build centers on AMD’s Ryzen 7 9800X3D, a chip with 3D V-Cache that’s usually associated with gaming, and pairs it with Asus ProArt components for design, video editing, 3D rendering, and music production. The magazine calls it its easiest build yet, making the project approachable for readers who are new to assembling a PC or coming over from a Mac.

Windows 11 Without the Usual Frustration

Reinstalling an operating system can feel like a chore. This issue opens with a step-by-step Windows 11 install guide aimed at making the process as pain-free as possible, covering the decisions and details that tend to trip people up.

Upgrades That Pay Off ⚙️

Hardware reviews include the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D, an 8TB WD SN850X SSD, and an iBuyPower RDY Y40 prebuilt. The issue also rounds up the best OLED monitors, weighing fast response times, per-pixel lighting, and HDR performance, while a Mini LED gaming monitor from Xiaomi shows that OLED isn’t the only route to a great picture.

Make, Stream, and Play

Practical tutorials cover building your own media streamer with a Raspberry Pi, upscaling games on a range of GPUs, and implementing an air gap for better security. There’s also a look at the new Mac Mini and its replaceable SSD, plus a guide to lossless scaling for smoother gameplay.

News, Analysis, and PC Culture 🧠

Quickstart news covers Intel’s Arc B580 and B570 Battlemage graphics cards, MSI’s Claw 8 AI+ and Claw 7 AI+ handhelds, and the shifting landscape around AI, security, and PC hardware. John Knight’s PC Tech Graveyard revisits the industry’s missteps, while features on NPUs and AI-driven cybercrime explain the technology and the risks behind the headlines.

Who This Issue Is For

This issue speaks to PC builders, upgraders, gamers, creators, and anyone who wants clear-eyed hardware advice. Whether you’re planning a new build, tuning an existing one, or simply keeping up with the next wave of CPUs, GPUs, and handhelds, the January 2025 issue delivers practical guidance and informed opinion in equal measure.