External hard disks are a great way to add storage. We test 13, from sub-$130 portable drives to mighty terabyte desktop units.

After the disappointment - perceived or otherwise - of Windows Vista, many are pinning their hopes on a revival with Windows 7. And from our first impressions of the pre-beta code, that's exactly what they can expect.

High-capacity desktop drives have never been so affordable. Darien Graham-Smith puts 23 to the test to find the best

Still not sure whether it's worth upgrading to Vista? We put XP and Vista through the ultimate face-off.

If you're a gamer or enthusiast, the trusty conventional PC is still your friend, not the shiny new all-in-one PCs hitting the market

LGA 1366 is Intel's first new desktop socket in four years. It uses the same ZIF design as the familiar LGA 775 architecture, but it incorporates many more contacts

There may be two main CPU manufacturers, but picking the right processor is anything but simple. We put 51 CPUs through their paces

A diverse family including some stellar CPUs and numerous also-rans.

A diverse family including some stellar CPUs and numerous also-rans

Cheap, but there’s not much here to cheer about

Stack your system full of software without paying a penny, with our guide to essential downloads

A new behavioural analysis module only adds to AVG’s capabilities, although it isn’t the most elegant marriage

Will splashing out on expensive RAM make a real difference to PC performance? And if so, how much should you buy? We supply the benchmarks and lay the details bare

Our full guide to saving cash-saving secrets is here, from how to get discounts on PCs, to SIM only phone contracts, the best DSLR cameras deals, and discount licensing from Adobe, Microsoft and others.

A great desktop drive but you can get this capacity and similar performance for less

Intel’s new range of desktop processors has been a long time coming, but at last it’s arrived - and it leaves all others in the dust

How much capacity and how many drives do you need? We look at a selection of storage options