Upgrade to an AM2 Athlon 64 system now

Great real-time performance, particularly with high definition footage. But the EDIUS Pro software still needs a few more features to usurp the competition.

Shuttle's SB95P is a small form factor (SFF) aimed at the enthusiast/gamer market, and it takes advantage of the i925 iteration of PCI-E. Though Shuttle are known for their XPC’s striking looks, in this case the colour scheme is nothing to write home about: is gun-metal anyone's favourite colour?

A decent board, but the Hybrid SLI feature doesn’t justify the high asking price

As one of the first native PCI-Express cards, the 6600GT has generated quite a bit of excitement: finally, a mid-price card that promises close to high end performance. So the fact that the card is finally available in AGP is good news for those willing to keep their existing AGP kit.

This is one nice looking white plastic and aluminium barebones system, with smooth lines and compact minimalism. Being a SFF PC makes ventilation vital, and the Kloss is built from the new BTX standard, which was designed with thermal effectiveness in mind.

A versatile single-socket rack server with a wide range of processor choices, plus a good warranty for the price.

Big, brash and versatile, but for top-end PCs only. Enthusiasts will love it.

Both of these systems offer immense flexibility and decent value for money, although the Intel version wins out.

This tri-band PCI wireless adaptor is designed to work with all of the ratified 802.11 standards.

The only PCI adaptor submitted, the MA311 takes wireless networking to the PC without the need for one of those PCI/PCMCIA slot cards.

A great choice for overclockers, but the vast majority of people should buy a cheaper motherboard and better CPU.

The concept of fitting normal PC hardware into a tiny package has been proven to work and small form factor (SFF) systems are now commonplace.

A basic barebones motherboard with a price to match, ASROCK's P4VT8 Pentium 4 motherboard may not be the most feature packed mobo around, but what it lacks in integrated components, it more than makes up for with its bargain basement price tag and practical applications.

Quad core at this price is fantastic, but it’s not as fast as it should be.

Packed with extras to target some of Vista’s interesting new features, but it isn’t quite the marvel we were hoping for.

This early Nforce 570 for Intel board lacks luxuries and speed compared to Intel chipsets, but boasts a good price.

With CrossFire performance more erratic than SLI, and NVIDIA outgunning ATI with its Shader Model 3 cards, it's hard to recommend this board.

An expensive board, but a fascintating way of getting a powerful, quiet system, especially if you're prepared to tweak.

In this line of work, there's really nothing quite like the all-too-occasional experience of opening a box from Apple, and unveiling the shiny wonders squirreled away inside. In fact, it's the only event that never fails to draw all and sundry AJB staff from throughout the office into the Labs to catch a glimpse of what the tech company with only 3 percent market share worldwide has managed to innovate this time.