What is a good computer magazine to subscribe too?

I am 21 years old and I currently go to college to be a computer specialist. I only completed my first semester and I realized that even though I built my own computer there is still so much that I don't know about. I want to know everything that goes on with the computer. I want to be top of my class and maybe one day even my field. Computers are a passion of mine so obviously I would like ways to get as much information as I can even outside the classroom. Does anyone know a great computer magazine to subscribe too? I saw some online but there are so many different ones that I don't know which is best. I want one that gives information on what goes on with computers, how they work and even information on new hardware coming out that provides reviews as well. Thanks in advance.

Sorry I know this is not the proper area for this thread but I could not access general discussions for some reason.

What is a 'computer specialist'? Is there are particular area of expertise you are looking to move in? Server side admin, Linux, Networking? Industry magazines are your best bet there.. things like PC Magazine and CPU are really pointed towards PC users not enterprise.

Sorry I mean computer specialist as in IT work for big company's. I was also looking for the magazine to hopefully include the computer enthusiast side of things but I don't think a magazine includes that. Its probably just one or the other. Also if you could let me know of any other places on the internet as well that I could learn more about pc's as well as my field then that would be great. Thank you

This forum has been the best help as far as helping me build my computer and advice on hardware but when I mean learn about computers im talking about all the knowledge I can get. Such as exactly what Stream processors in a GPU or Cuda cores as you may know it are and how they work and how they affect the performance. When I ask that I don't mean cuda cores are smaller versions of a CPU's core made up of a different architecture that carry out programs primarily used for design and editing. Things a CPU core can not. I mean how does the cores do that. See I want to know every aspect. Kinda like looking at an atom and then splitting it open to see whats inside.

Also now that I think about it I want to be the guy that can do things with a computer without having to resort to youtube. Such as when I first built my computer, I had to youtube how to overclock it in the bios. I successfully overclocked it with prime95 24 hour verification but even now I still cant understand some of what it is that I did to do that. So basically im saying I don't want to call myself a computer enthusiast or a computer specialist (IT) when you all know way more then I do. I want to be an expert on everything about computers.

Within IT there are many job titles, there is no one person knows/does all. Here are the most common job titles in IT ( pick the one that fits your desire and go from there )......
Applications Engineer
Chief Technology Officer
Chief Information Officer
Computer and Information Systems Manager
Database Administrator
Help Desk Technician
Information Technology Director
Information Technology Manager
Management Information Systems Director
Network Architect
Network Engineer
Network System Administrator
Programmer
Programmer Analyst
Security Specialist
Senior Applications Engineer
Senior Database Administrator
Senior Network Architect
Senior Network Engineer
Senior Network System Administrator
Senior Programmer
Senior Programmer Analyst
Senior Security Specialist
Senior Software Engineer
Senior Support Specialist
Senior System Administrator
Senior System Analyst
Senior System Architect
Senior System Designer
Senior Systems Analyst
Senior Systems Software Engineer
Senior Web Administrator
Senior Web Developer
Software Engineer
Software Quality Assurance Analyst
Support Specialist
System Administrator
System Analyst
System Architect
System Designer
Systems Analyst
Systems Software Engineer
Technical Specialist
Telecommunications Specialist
Web Administrator
Web Developer
Webmaster

LOL.. exactly. You keep speaking in vague general terms. In order to help you need to know what you want to get in to.

As far as the enthusiast side, this website is a good resource, and don't take this the wrong way, but so is google. Ask google any question and it will bring up information on the subject. That is the way I search for things.

As far as an enthusiast mag, the best IMO is CPU. Computer World touches a bit on both.

But yeah, you will want to, eventually, pin down a specialty... Are you looking server admin? Software? Desktop Support?

Sorry, but what discipline are you studying?

The "real world" is based on specialists that master one area and know a bit of other things.

Academia is a bit different, but you'll be a theoretical expert more than a practical one.

sorry Im so lost on exactly what I want to do. I was going for programming but im worried because im not the best when it comes to math.

devistation said:

sorry Im so lost on exactly what I want to do. I was going for programming but im worried because im not the best when it comes to math.

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Start taking some programming classes, you might surprise yourself. Some languages you might find easier than others.

You are just starting in school, you don't have to know exactly what you want to do yet. Seek out opportunities to do relevant internships before you graduate, and actually working will give you more information on what you like about it and what you don't - this will help ensure you focus your extra learning efforts in a direction that you will enjoy.

Magazines are mostly junk. Industry magazines are dry, though they can be helpful to keep an idea of what trends are present in business technologies. For consumer and enthusiast mags, I wouldn't waste any time or money on them... Magazines should all die. There are more well written, better presented, and more timely materials available online.

This site and Anandtech are my favorite places to read. I learned the fundamentals of what I know here, which lead me into systems and server administration for work. Getting involved in discussions and learning from others experience gave me a head start, and were lessons on technical details as well as good approaches to troubleshooting. When I started here 10 years ago, I read a lot of questions people had, then I searched a lot to find and explain the answers to them - often I didn't know the answer, but by identifying the answers for others, I learned a lot.

But as for magazines, the people who are into this stuff may read some magazines, but that is just for fun... The people around who know their stuff know it because they keep up with new product releases, read to understand new platforms and the technologies they offer, and they are active within the community which ensures they stay up to date with what others are focused on.

Whatever you do, don't pay for Computer Power User. It's just a massive advertisement. They literally give it away for free. I've had a complimentary 'subscription' for over two years now. The one that sticks out in my mind was the February issue. Go here and check it out.

Back? Good. The cover story is "What's next from Intel?" That looked interesting to me, so I dutifully turned to page 12. I started reading and then looked in the bottom right. Yes, you see it as well as I did - "Advertisement". Not only is there a two page ad masquerading as an article, it is the cover "story". After that, I completely lost respect for anything they put in and don't even bother reading what arrives in my mailbox; straight to recycling.

Also +1 to paying more attention to the community than any magazine. For industry trends, the magazine writers are good; think big picture stuff. But for the every day nitty gritty and actual use of the products, it doesn't get better than a good community.

hokiealumnus said:

Whatever you do, don't pay for Computer Power User. It's just a massive advertisement. They literally give it away for free. I've had a complimentary 'subscription' for over two years now. The one that sticks out in my mind was the February issue. Go here and check it out.

Back? Good. The cover story is "What's next from Intel?" That looked interesting to me, so I dutifully turned to page 12. I started reading and then looked in the bottom right. Yes, you see it as well as I did - "Advertisement". Not only is there a two page ad masquerading as an article, it is the cover "story". After that, I completely lost respect for anything they put in and don't even bother reading what arrives in my mailbox; straight to recycling.

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Agreed.. that is how bad the OTHER publications are though.

PC Mag is a joke compared to CPU, IMO.

hokiealumnus said:

Whatever you do, don't pay for Computer Power User. It's just a massive advertisement. They literally give it away for free. I've had a complimentary 'subscription' for over two years now. The one that sticks out in my mind was the February issue. Go here and check it out.

Back? Good. The cover story is "What's next from Intel?" That looked interesting to me, so I dutifully turned to page 12. I started reading and then looked in the bottom right. Yes, you see it as well as I did - "Advertisement". Not only is there a two page ad masquerading as an article, it is the cover "story". After that, I completely lost respect for anything they put in and don't even bother reading what arrives in my mailbox; straight to recycling.

Also +1 to paying more attention to the community than any magazine. For industry trends, the magazine writers are good; think big picture stuff. But for the every day nitty gritty and actual use of the products, it doesn't get better than a good community.

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It might be considered a "trade" magazine. I've have actually read the "hard copies" back in the day. Informative - check. Written for an Accolade - check. Technical Buzzwords (plenty maybe overused) - Check.

Surprise no one has mentioned MaximumPC. Not as "trade" - more trendy.

Their "back issues" are online for free: link http://www.maximumpc.com/articles/pdf_archives

Thanks everyone. Yeah it's hard to know exactly what area to work cause there are so many. I wanted to work in my area so the only opportunity would be a chemical plant called Eastman. I looked and it said they were hiring a computer specialist for IT. I would love to simply build computers for a living but there's no money in it

Magazines are just outdated pieces of information by the rate that news is published these days online.

Anandtech
Arstechnica
Toms hardware
Are my main major sites that I check daily.

Beyond that I check a handful of forums (mostly here) but depending on what I want to learn about there is going to be a community for it.

IT specialist is still a very vague term. I suppose my title is a computer systems specialist and I regularly: setup computers, install software, install printers, fix viruses, work on projects, create new images for computers, fix random hardware or software issues.

Another vote for CPU magazine for a bit more of an enthusiast slant. Agreed...definitely advertising (couldn't believe the 'intel-sponsored' cover) but good for reading while travelling, commuting, dropping the kids at the pool (*grin*), etc.

Haven't seen it here yet but Maximum PC is a more 'mainstream' mag...some decent step-by-step, 'how to build it' and other articles.

With print, of course, most of the 'news' is a little dated but those are the 2 mags I'm still getting.

funsoul said:

Another vote for CPU magazine for a bit more of an enthusiast slant. Agreed...definitely advertising (couldn't believe the 'intel-sponsored' cover) but good for reading while travelling, commuting, dropping the kids at the pool (*grin*), etc.

Haven't seen it here yet but Maximum PC is a more 'mainstream' mag...some decent step-by-step, 'how to build it' and other articles.

With print, of course, most of the 'news' is a little dated but those are the 2 mags I'm still getting.

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I have an old MaximumPC with the cover "How to Install Windows XP the Right Way" It must be from 2005 or 2006? The walk through was worth every penny and I was passing through an airport (or was subscribing at the time).

It is indeed a little dated (being that it is on an old medium). IIRC once upon a time you had to have a subscription to view the PDFs online. Similar to Consumer Reports - and that I totally agree with. They are a Non for Profit.

Most of those consumer PC magazines are always behind the curve. By the time they print an article, we've already been discussing it and often have a front page article already out the month before.

I started out reading PC Magazine so I could learn enough about computers to make an informed decision on what brand of PC I should buy. Once I found this place, I learned 90% of what I know today and how to build and configure my own hardware and software.

Magazines have gone the way of advertising and slowly a lot of the websites have too. I saw a suggestion for Toms Hardware. It's one of the many has been sites that got bought out and now get 99% paid to do most of their articles. Have you seen their forums? Every time I do a search for something and I see a link that leads to tomshardware forums I go just for the laughs.