With so many factors to consider, choosing a motherboard can be a bewildering exercise. We put 11 models through their pace to find the ultimate in performance, flexibility and value

The first place to start tweaking is your BIOS. Enter your BIOS by hitting a key combination on system boot (look out for F1, Del etc). A word of warning though, the BIOS is a very powerful tool, but can cause damage if pushed the wrong way.

Finding a good PC or notebook for the family is not as hard as you might think. PC Authority  puts the latest models to the test.

Fifteen security packages go head to head in our labs test, including Kaspersky, Norton, ZoneAlarm, McAfee, F-Secure and AVG. Find out which will keep you safe and which could let you down.

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

Evaluating barebones systems is quite different from performance-based testing using benchmarks. As such, we opted to do a feature-based roundup, covering all aspects of the hardware, including but not limited to: build quality, ease of install, and included feature sets.

We know you want to play games, so we've put 18 PCI Express graphics cards under the microscope to see who really does the job the best.

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

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

We put every current model from ATI and NVIDIA through its paces to find out which offers the best performance and value.

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.

Intel’s three new CPUs promise Core i7 power in an economical and efficient package. We put them through their paces to see whether small really is beautiful

Not long ago both Intel and the underdog, AMD, battled to reach the coveted and psychologically significant 1GHz mark. When the AMD Athlon reached the landmark first - it marked a new era in c

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

Pocket-sized digital camcorders are becoming more capable all the time. We round up ten of the best

If you value the stability of your system and want to minimise your electricity costs, invest in a high-quality power supply.

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

Play your video, photo and music files on your TV from a networked PC. We put five network players to the test

While hard disk drive speed is commonly one of the last considerations when putting together a new machine, its importance is more than just a place to store your files and operating system.

The notebooks were subjected to several benchmarks to give an objective evaluation of their speeds, performance and applicability.