Sorry, but I'll not be renewing my subscription - bit-tech.net Forums

jezmck · 17th Jun 2009, 20:10

I've had every single issue since buying the first and subscribing from then onwards.

Unfortunately though, I've grown bored of the magazine.

There's now so little about modding, and too many hardware and games reviews.

MaverickWill · 17th Jun 2009, 20:19

Well, keeping up to date with the hardware side of things is important so we can play new games, and games reviews tell us what we shoudl be playing when we don't have 30 rigs in our home folding all day, but there's Readers Drives, Mod of the Month, and if memory serves me correctly, last issue (70, that is) had a full page dedicated to carving up a case in the pursuit of sticking two fingers up at Apple. Not too long ago there was an article on powder-coating aluminium cases, and Josh is regularly chopping up something or other (though the last 2 issues I think it's been VMWare-related...)

So, no, there's no modding here... Move along...

stuartpb · 17th Jun 2009, 21:04

To say the magazine is called Custom PC, there isn't alot of customising going on in there. What about reviews/guides on modding supplies/materials and more in depth modding how to's? That would really be worth a read. I still enjoy the magazine, but feel it would be much better if there was less of the mainstream reviews going on and more on the modding aspect. Some good articles on different types of cooling would be great too, and how peeps could get started with each type (phase, LN2, wc etc). As I said, I still enjoy the mag, but I would like to read alot more on what the title suggests.

Walibe · 17th Jun 2009, 21:27

I do agree in some respects but at other times I'm lefting feeling theres not enough reviews. Atleast most of the PCs they review are pretty interesting even if it feels like most come from Scan. Has anyone read any of the American versions of CustomPC. How do they differ (forget what they are called?).

It would be interesting to go behind the scenes of Power Coating services as those at watercooled etc.

Fod · 17th Jun 2009, 21:57

meh. printed publications are slowly but surely losing their relevance regardless. it's so easy to cherry pick the content you read online these days. good on you for cancelling the sub; vive la revolucionline!

mayhem · 18th Jun 2009, 01:48

to be honest we do not need any game reviews at all.

Game reviews are 2 a penny and to be honest 99.9% of game reviews are on line.

Hardware reviews are needed how ever but agree more content on water cooling, phase change, LN 2, Cannot remember the last time i seen a LN2 pot review.

More info on say lighting (how to make you own) , Mods , Painting, Custom case design and basicly custom PCs.

Less about pre built systems because after all there not a custom PC relay are they. What's custom about having deep pockets.

All so need more info on stuff like what a dremmil can be used for apart from just cutting .. there is etching, Routing and all sorts.

Stuff like what glue to use on plastics and why and how to use them.

Fibre glass how to use it and mould it ect ect.

There is so many modern day aspects of customising a PC in many different ways yet we only see a maximum of 4 to 8 pages if were lucky and there mainly user builds.

M7ck · 18th Jun 2009, 11:21

I remember the days when people who no longer wanted to keep there subscriptions just stopped subscribing and left it at that.
What do they expect to achieve by announcing to everyone. I can see Custom PC integrating more and more modding into the magazine thanks to Bit-Tech but I am glad that they do do a lot of hardware reviews.
Without hardware there would be nothing to mod?????????

stuartpb · 18th Jun 2009, 12:01

There is alot more to modding than just the core components though, and this is what's lacking from CPC, both in reviews and guides. I think CPC is playing the safe game and trying to attract the mass market with mainstream product reviews and this belies it's title.

chin913 · 19th Jun 2009, 21:42

omg i fink the mag has come on leaps and bounds since the start i sure wont be stopping mine keep it up cp the new stuff is great ........if only we could please everyone :-)

prosser13 · 21st Jun 2009, 23:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by jezmck

I've had every single issue since buying the first and subscribing from then onwards.

Unfortunately though, I've grown bored of the magazine.

There's no so little about modding, and too many hardware and games reviews.

Completely agree

Bonzo45 · 22nd Jun 2009, 08:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by jezmck

I've had every single issue since buying the first and subscribing from then onwards.

Unfortunately though, I've grown bored of the magazine.

There's no so little about modding, and too many hardware and games reviews.

Hey

I bet the Mrs. has stopped you from getting the mag! Congrats by the way!
Bonzo

houch · 22nd Jun 2009, 15:15

do u have issue 70 for sale then, lol

greyskull · 4th Jul 2009, 21:03

Hi guys and girls, think the mag should be renamed Custom Folding, getting a bit fed up with all the space dedicated to it. Just seems an easy way to fill (was going to say a couple, but more like a couple of dozen) pages. May be a good cause but i dont see what it has to do with customising a pc. Been happy with it for years, but now it seems empty and stuck in a rut.
Rant over.

Ergath · 9th Jul 2009, 08:32

I think the balance is perfect personally. Much as I have a lot of respect for you guys that like to get busy with the dremel and acrylic, personally my idea of a custom PC is one that is custom specified - not necessarily modded. Tutorials on glue and tools and things are all well and good, but they'd be of no interest at all to me.

I suspect there have been no reviews of LN2 pots because only a very small percentage of the readership would be interested. I'd like to see a feature on how LN2 is used by extreme overclockers, but I don't think I'm alone in saying that I'll never be in the market for the kit to achieve it.

At the end of the day a printed mag with all of the overheads that go with it has to have broad appeal - if you want the fringe stuff then the internet's the place to look.

3dJim · 9th Jul 2009, 20:26

I am a new CPC reader (of two issues) and my total unbiased opinion is that it is a breath of fresh air from the usual fodder on the shelf. I can see where you are comming from though, the amount of time dedicated to folding is irrelevent, the space decdicated to customisation is limited. However go grab any other pc magazine and honestly compare them, they suck.
I love the hardware reviews, and the bench tests are very handy.
But the main reason I picked the magazine up, was to learn about water cooling and case modification, something that I am still waiting for.

CrapBag · 9th Jul 2009, 23:24

It's called custom PC not modders monthly.

As far as I'm concerned a custom PC is a PC made of a selection of mixed and matched parts foremost and CPC provide the required info to make an educated decision on what to buy and then secondly maybe a little modding thrown in to help make things fit and work in the desired way.

I like to see some articles about modding but its not the be all and end all.

I find the mag to be well balanced, I don't always agree with the conclusions after reading other reviews but it gives you the opportunity to weigh up all the data and make your own decision.

l3v1ck · 10th Jul 2009, 00:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by 3dJim

I can see where you are comming from though, the amount of time dedicated to folding is irrelevent,

To be fair that huge folding article was a one off, it's only usually two or three pages. However I do think they could print less milestones now people can clock up thousands of points per day with GPU's. Start the milestone board at 100k.

NethLyn · 10th Jul 2009, 01:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by VadimWolf

I remember the days when people who no longer wanted to keep there subscriptions just stopped subscribing and left it at that.
What do they expect to achieve by announcing to everyone.

And I remember the days you could give constructive criticism on a magazine and the forum wouldn't take it as a personal insult. The OP's subbed since issue one, six years is a long time, the mag has changed, he's changed, so he's stopped subbing. We're not in Iran or China, he's allowed to express his opinion.

After a few years of subbing I pick my issues according to my future build so now I've made a bee-line for PSUs, the next RAM and mobo labs will be guaranteed buys.

However the mag sat on the fence for 1yr+ and never told us straight out that single-height cooling on Radeon cards was rubbish. Of all the criticisms to make about xx50 Radeons - and I know there are plenty - the weakness of this basic feature was never mentioned. I was left to find out that ATi's "flat slab" cooler couldn't hack it in summertime, when I loaded up any game with an engine more demanding than Source. I might have learned about GPU Cooler upgrading and Blue Peter cooling of smaller circuits on a GPU circuit board as a result, but that was a completely accidental benefit.

Seeing both sides, it's possible that I just got a card whose cooler had been loosened in transit. The point is, when you see the same issues getting ignored time and again, it just feels like it's letting down the good stuff in the mag, B-T changes included. If it happens long enough, people like the OP stop buying, so it depends whether there are enough casual buyers to replace any outgoing subbers. If there aren't, then Dennis might decide to swing the axe, which nobody wants.

Greentrident · 10th Jul 2009, 20:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by greyskull

Hi guys and girls, think the mag should be renamed Custom Folding, getting a bit fed up with all the space dedicated to it. Just seems an easy way to fill (was going to say a couple, but more like a couple of dozen) pages. May be a good cause but i dont see what it has to do with customising a pc. Been happy with it for years, but now it seems empty and stuck in a rut.
Rant over.

+1 couldn't agree more. That last article on folding was quite good except it didn't really address the fact that all this distributed computing must have an environmental impact if PCs are on 24/7 to get CPC a bit higher in the league. Yes it's clever and probably a good cause but it does seem to dominate the magazine.

mars-bar-man · 10th Jul 2009, 20:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by CrapBag

It's called custom PC not modders monthly.

As far as I'm concerned a custom PC is a PC made of a selection of mixed and matched parts foremost and CPC provide the required info to make an educated decision on what to buy and then secondly maybe a little modding thrown in to help make things fit and work in the desired way.

I like to see some articles about modding but its not the be all and end all.

I find the mag to be well balanced, I don't always agree with the conclusions after reading other reviews but it gives you the opportunity to weigh up all the data and make your own decision.

+1

It's not called OffTheShelfPC, people build there own, with parts of hardware on the market, is that not custom enough?

17th Jun 2009, 20:10	#1
jezmck ____ Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Whiteley, Hants Posts: 4,094	Sorry, but I'll not be renewing my subscription I've had every single issue since buying the first and subscribing from then onwards. Unfortunately though, I've grown bored of the magazine. There's now so little about modding, and too many hardware and games reviews. __________________ Have you seen The SketchUp Components Collection's latest items? Interested in a DXF Blueprints Collection? Discuss it here. Last edited by jezmck; 22nd Oct 2009 at 23:01. Reason: typo

17th Jun 2009, 21:57	#5
Fod what is the cheesecake? Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: London Posts: 4,912	meh. printed publications are slowly but surely losing their relevance regardless. it's so easy to cherry pick the content you read online these days. good on you for cancelling the sub; vive la revolucionline! __________________ "Sesame Street is brought to you by the letters P, W, N, the number 3, and the letter D." I'm a pretentious git with a camera. ISPs want to spy on you. Join the fight against phorm XBL/PSN/Steam ID: FodT

18th Jun 2009, 01:48	#6
mayhem Retro nut Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Darlington, UK Posts: 429	to be honest we do not need any game reviews at all. Game reviews are 2 a penny and to be honest 99.9% of game reviews are on line. Hardware reviews are needed how ever but agree more content on water cooling, phase change, LN 2, Cannot remember the last time i seen a LN2 pot review. More info on say lighting (how to make you own) , Mods , Painting, Custom case design and basicly custom PCs. Less about pre built systems because after all there not a custom PC relay are they. What's custom about having deep pockets. All so need more info on stuff like what a dremmil can be used for apart from just cutting .. there is etching, Routing and all sorts. Stuff like what glue to use on plastics and why and how to use them. Fibre glass how to use it and mould it ect ect. There is so many modern day aspects of customising a PC in many different ways yet we only see a maximum of 4 to 8 pages if were lucky and there mainly user builds. __________________ My Web Site http://cmaccs.com/ coming soon !!!! http://card.mygamercard.net/tactical+mayhem.png

9th Jul 2009, 08:32	#14
Ergath Giant Zombie Pigeon Photographer Join Date: May 2009 Location: Birmingham Posts: 23	I think the balance is perfect personally. Much as I have a lot of respect for you guys that like to get busy with the dremel and acrylic, personally my idea of a custom PC is one that is custom specified - not necessarily modded. Tutorials on glue and tools and things are all well and good, but they'd be of no interest at all to me. I suspect there have been no reviews of LN2 pots because only a very small percentage of the readership would be interested. I'd like to see a feature on how LN2 is used by extreme overclockers, but I don't think I'm alone in saying that I'll never be in the market for the kit to achieve it. At the end of the day a printed mag with all of the overheads that go with it has to have broad appeal - if you want the fringe stuff then the internet's the place to look. __________________ If you had infinite monkeys there'd be no room for the infinite typewriters.

17th Jun 2009, 20:19	#2
MaverickWill Dirty CPC Mackem Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: /b/ Posts: 556	Well, keeping up to date with the hardware side of things is important so we can play new games, and games reviews tell us what we shoudl be playing when we don't have 30 rigs in our home folding all day, but there's Readers Drives, Mod of the Month, and if memory serves me correctly, last issue (70, that is) had a full page dedicated to carving up a case in the pursuit of sticking two fingers up at Apple. Not too long ago there was an article on powder-coating aluminium cases, and Josh is regularly chopping up something or other (though the last 2 issues I think it's been VMWare-related...) So, no, there's no modding here... Move along...

17th Jun 2009, 21:04	#3
stuartpb Supermodder Join Date: May 2008 Location: Doncaster, S. Yorkshire, Great Britain Posts: 531	To say the magazine is called Custom PC, there isn't alot of customising going on in there. What about reviews/guides on modding supplies/materials and more in depth modding how to's? That would really be worth a read. I still enjoy the magazine, but feel it would be much better if there was less of the mainstream reviews going on and more on the modding aspect. Some good articles on different types of cooling would be great too, and how peeps could get started with each type (phase, LN2, wc etc). As I said, I still enjoy the mag, but I would like to read alot more on what the title suggests.

17th Jun 2009, 21:27	#4
Walibe Multimodder Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Dorset, UK Posts: 226	I do agree in some respects but at other times I'm lefting feeling theres not enough reviews. Atleast most of the PCs they review are pretty interesting even if it feels like most come from Scan. Has anyone read any of the American versions of CustomPC. How do they differ (forget what they are called?). It would be interesting to go behind the scenes of Power Coating services as those at watercooled etc.

18th Jun 2009, 11:21	#7
M7ck Hypermodder Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: East End of Glasgow Spam Count: 99.7% Posts: 621	I remember the days when people who no longer wanted to keep there subscriptions just stopped subscribing and left it at that. What do they expect to achieve by announcing to everyone. I can see Custom PC integrating more and more modding into the magazine thanks to Bit-Tech but I am glad that they do do a lot of hardware reviews. Without hardware there would be nothing to mod?????????

18th Jun 2009, 12:01	#8
stuartpb Supermodder Join Date: May 2008 Location: Doncaster, S. Yorkshire, Great Britain Posts: 531	There is alot more to modding than just the core components though, and this is what's lacking from CPC, both in reviews and guides. I think CPC is playing the safe game and trying to attract the mass market with mainstream product reviews and this belies it's title.

19th Jun 2009, 21:42	#9
chin913 So say we all Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Up north west not far from Blackpool Posts: 168	omg i fink the mag has come on leaps and bounds since the start i sure wont be stopping mine keep it up cp the new stuff is great ........if only we could please everyone :-)

22nd Jun 2009, 15:15	#12
houch HoucH Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Stevenage ENGLAND Posts: 7	do u have issue 70 for sale then, lol

4th Jul 2009, 21:03	#13
greyskull What's a Dremel? Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 1	Hi guys and girls, think the mag should be renamed Custom Folding, getting a bit fed up with all the space dedicated to it. Just seems an easy way to fill (was going to say a couple, but more like a couple of dozen) pages. May be a good cause but i dont see what it has to do with customising a pc. Been happy with it for years, but now it seems empty and stuck in a rut. Rant over.

9th Jul 2009, 20:26	#15
3dJim 3Djim Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 1	I am a new CPC reader (of two issues) and my total unbiased opinion is that it is a breath of fresh air from the usual fodder on the shelf. I can see where you are comming from though, the amount of time dedicated to folding is irrelevent, the space decdicated to customisation is limited. However go grab any other pc magazine and honestly compare them, they suck. I love the hardware reviews, and the bench tests are very handy. But the main reason I picked the magazine up, was to learn about water cooling and case modification, something that I am still waiting for.

9th Jul 2009, 23:24	#16
CrapBag I am a Dremel Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 1,517	It's called custom PC not modders monthly. As far as I'm concerned a custom PC is a PC made of a selection of mixed and matched parts foremost and CPC provide the required info to make an educated decision on what to buy and then secondly maybe a little modding thrown in to help make things fit and work in the desired way. I like to see some articles about modding but its not the be all and end all. I find the mag to be well balanced, I don't always agree with the conclusions after reading other reviews but it gives you the opportunity to weigh up all the data and make your own decision.