Our full guide to saving cash-saving secrets is here, from how to get discounts on PCs, to SIM only phone contracts, the best DSLR cameras deals, and discount licensing from Adobe, Microsoft and others.

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

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.

Stack your system full of software without paying a penny, with our guide to essential downloads

After the disappointment - perceived or otherwise - of Windows Vista, many are pinning their hopes on a revival with Windows 7. And from our first impressions of the pre-beta code, that's exactly what they can expect.

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.

A broad and likeable package, but needs better malware detection.

Would you trust Tom Tom's Map Share technology, and where does it leave professional cartographers?

A modular scanning tool that catches most unwanted software – but not quite all

An improvement on last year’s package, but sadly still flawed.

How much capacity and how many drives do you need? We look at a selection of storage options

Will splashing out on expensive RAM make a real difference to PC performance? And if so, how much should you buy? We supply the benchmarks and lay the details bare

A friendly suite for the less-experienced user, but technical types may find it limiting.

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

A comprehensive package, but not the most usable or effective

Cheap, but there’s not much here to cheer about

A capable package, but McAfee Total Protection 2009 is conspicuous and expensive.

As you can see from the performance table, Core i7 is still a safe bet in terms of sheer speed, though the case for AMD is not as simple as that.