A range of cut-down Core 2 Duo processors that are fine for everyday tasks.

The 915 is an good budget choice, but elsewhere this family is eclipsed by newer offerings.

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

If you’re locked into Intel, there’s value to be had. But AMD’s Sempron is the budget-buyer’s king.

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

A stunning way to enjoy HD DVD, but the wonderful design and features come at a price

It’s incredibly powerful, but recent releases offer similar performance for significantly less money.

Hugely powerful for such a reasonable price, it’s far more appealing than a GTX or an Ultra

Takes the crown as today’s fastest graphics architecture, but you’ll have to pay for it

Disappointing ergonomics, but the blend of power and battery life makes it very good value.

A notebook fortress to equip your workforce with confidence, but sub-par performance.

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

Poor performer but worth a look if building a media centre.

Sempron offers decent performance at rock-bottom prices for those on tight budgets.

Superseded by both Nvidia’s new 9600 card and ATi’s excellent HD 3800 series

A great set of features and plenty of power, but the price is very high for this ultraportable.

Plus, how we work out the ratings.

Great performance at an appealing price, although the 9600 GT encroaches on its turf

A great media-centre card with some nice features – and at an affordable price

Powerful and well featured, but the ergonomics and battery life let it down.