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

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

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An old standard, but one that still provides decent performance at a great price.

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

A smartly engineered processor, but for today’s applications it’s lacking in bang per buck.

A cheap, lightweight choice for single-core applications, but you get the performance you pay for.

Looks and feels great, but a hefty price – once you’ve tweaked its specs – means that rivals offer better value

ATI does it again with its latest GPU, combining superb performance with a reasonable price

Revolutionary features and stunning power: for anyone lucky enough to have the cash, the Lenovo ThinkPad W700ds is the ultimate mobile workstation

Superb speakers, a whopping 640GB of storage and decent core components make this a solid choice

An impressive touchscreen all-in-one PC for an equally impressive price, but the single-core Atom holds it back

A reworking of an old card from Palit, but it’s not quite enough to beat the 9600 GT

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

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

A stunning piece of design to rival any Apple offering, and the price is surprisingly reasonable

Superb battery life and features, but poor build quality and an uncomfortable keyboard scupper the Lifebook

Great performance, but variable quality and poor battery life harm the U6’s business ambitions

Impressive in several areas, but other laptops offer better features and more performance for less cash.