Good performance and value, plus plenty of media-centre practicality in this silent graphics card

A final price will decide the fate of this chipset. It needs to be well under $200 to compete.

Altech's Maestro Pro is a Home Theatre PC based on Microsoft's Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005.

Silent, powerful and cheap: the ideal card for media centres.

An ipod-type device for the home that looks the goods and scores well in our tests.

Sound quality is crisp, with a deep, tuneful lower end and, despite questionable looks.

An excellent alternative to a fully-blown Media Centre PC.

A beautifully tiny computer-on-a-board that you should only consider if you have a specific use in mind

Poor 3D performance but a good choice for HD video playback.

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

We’ve seen several manufacturers make use of FIC’s Spectra case before, but few have made such a good job of it as Pioneer.

It was a very close race this month, but once all the points had been totted up it was the successor to the A-Listed Maestro that deservedly took the laurels.

Dan Chiappini shows you how to get the most out of your graphics cards, without ever picking up a soldering iron.

The experience of buying a computer can be a harrowing ordeal -- with the amount of jargon and information being thrown around, inexperienced users or people purchasing their first PC may find it all a bit daunting.

In the ever bloating world of mini barebones PCs there is a wide range of build quality and internal design to be witnessed. AOpen has been in the market for a while now, and the XC cube edition is one of the better designed systems in an area where quality can vary wildly from brand to brand.

Both of these systems offer immense flexibility and decent value for money, although the Intel version wins out.

An expensive board, but a fascintating way of getting a powerful, quiet system, especially if you're prepared to tweak.

Clever corner cutting gives us an affordable, upgradeable performer.