PC Authority takes a trip down computer memory lane and discovers just how PC technology has evolved... and how Microsoft and IBM nearly destroyed each other.

Apple’s ads may be funny, but they’re woefully inaccurate. Here we reveal dozens of reasons why the PC outclasses the Mac.

Are you kicking around an old clunky PC that looks like a relic from the Stone Age? Google Zeitgeist (www.google.com/press/zeitgeist.html) tells us that while Windows XP accounted for 46 percent of the OSs used to search Google during February 2004, 24 percent were still using Windows 98 and Windows 95, indicating there are still a lot of late-1990s PCs kicking around. Even if you’re running something from the 1GHz days, it’s probably time to think about an upgrade. But it can easily get to the point where you’re upgrading just about every component. In that case, you should seriously consider looking at the excellent bargains available in new PCs today.

We've taken seven top business PCs and run them through their paces to find out which should be your next upgrade.

Since the launch of PC Authority magazine 30 issues ago, we have placed an emphasis on the concept of computing in the real world. This means that all the PC hardware that passes through our Labs is t

In the sub-$2,000 category, we thought it would be negligent to leave Apple, and its popular eMac, out of the running. While we can't benchmark it head to head with the PCs, at least we can compare the features and see what alternatives there are to mainstream PCs in the world. Interestingly, the eMac (as its prefix implies) was originally intended for the education market, but it proved to be such a success it was cut loose into the broader retail market.

Benchmarking PCs is a tricky business. You need to ensure that you stress the systems, but also that the results you get will be relevant in the real world. Previously we have relied heavily on BAPCo's SYSmark2002 for simulating home and office use, with programs such as Excel, Word, Outlook, and web content through Adobe Premiere and Macromedia Dreamweaver. However, due to SYSmark's history of instability as well as the sheer length of time it takes to complete a run, we have put it on the backburner in favour of PCMark04 for this Labs.

Small form factor PCs have been around for a while, and barebones PCs for even longer. Traditionally a barebones PC is a basic shell, including a case, power supply and motherboard at minimum, and occasionally tooled up with a few extras like RAM.

Unlike many of our performance-based Labs, business workstations are a whole different world of PCs, focusing not on the maximum number of frames per second, or how many overall points they can churn out in any given benchmarking utility.

Latest statistics from Gartner suggest that big-name vendors in Australia sold 24 percent more PCs last year than in the previous year and 7.8 percent more PCs this quarter.

This system is one of the most well-rounded and pleasurable-to-use PCs of the bunch, thanks to quality peripherals and handy features, like front-mounted USB and headphone ports.

Forty per cent growth in emerging regions, predicts Gartner.

IBM and several of the world's leading scientific and philanthropic groups this week launched a project that would put millions of PCs to work on research problems ranging from Alzheimer's to disaster forecasting.

Buying a business PC, or indeed looking for a fleet of PCs for your business, can be a tricky enterprise at the best of times. While we've taken a lot of the hard work out of this for you with this guide to what's available, there are a few things you need to consider when shopping for your business.

And it’ll speed up your PC says Microsoft, despite what some beta testers have been saying.

We provide the commentary on a bruising eight-round battle between Vista and Tiger.

Swiping the hardware from the PC Authority test bench, we went about putting together our Shuttle XPC. Immediately we were confronted by one of the idiosyncrasies of small form factor PCs: squeezing all the hardware in the tiny space inside.

Unless youve been comatose for the last seven to eight years then you might have missed the growing fad for all things related to the Internet - that amorphous, heaving, abstract new medium that is in

Wondering how to take advantage of the new 50% tax break for small business IT purchases? Our tax resource centre explains everything you need to know.

'Absolute consistency' are the words we'd use to describe the performance of the Aspire T310. A solid all-rounder, this machine is just as at home gaming as it is doing 2D tasks, such as productivity applications, anti-virus scanning or media decoding. And, as shown by its impressive 4,271 PCMark04 score, it's not short on horsepower.