Testing anti-virus software is a tricky endeavour at the best of times, due to the inherent nasty nature of the test subject. For this anti-virus roundup, we asked independent anti-virus testing lab, AV-Test.org (www.av-test.org) to conduct the testing for us in their controlled environments. AV-Test.org has access to thousands of viruses, and is a respected anti-virus testing lab.

There are two areas to look at when testing laser printers: speed and print quality. We used a range of different documents to test the different aspects of each and weighted the results to give the Quality and Speed scores. More detail on each test is also provided online at www.pcauthority.com.au.

Print, scan, copy and fax with one single device. We put 10 all-in-ones through their paces.

Are you kicking around an old clunky PC that looks like a relic from the Stone Age? Google Zeitgeist (www.google.com/press/zeitgeist.html) tells us that while Windows XP accounted for 46 percent of the OSs used to search Google during February 2004, 24 percent were still using Windows 98 and Windows 95, indicating there are still a lot of late-1990s PCs kicking around. Even if you’re running something from the 1GHz days, it’s probably time to think about an upgrade. But it can easily get to the point where you’re upgrading just about every component. In that case, you should seriously consider looking at the excellent bargains available in new PCs today.

When evaluating multi-function devices there are four determining factors for ascertaining who has really got the goods. These are speed, quality, features and price.

The labs team this month tackled scanners, and they put 16 through their paces to bring you the good, and the not so good.

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.

This month we’ve taken 12 of the fastest optical drives, run them through their paces and sorted the award winners from the less than impressive performers.

Unlike many of our performance-based Labs, business workstations are a whole different world of PCs, focusing not on the maximum number of frames per second, or how many overall points they can churn out in any given benchmarking utility.

The Labs team delves into the guts of this month’s motherboards, and points out what you need to know to chose the right one for your needs.

How much notebook will $2500 actually buy you? The PC Authority Labs team investigates.

With free video services like MSN and Skype, you’re missing out if you don’t have a webcam.

The digital revolution is entering a new, more mature phase. The early adopters are now on to their second or third generation of digital equipment, prices have come down to a more consumer oriented level, and the general public is becoming more digitally aware.

With no sign of the end of the format war coming to pass anytime soon, prices continue to fall and we’ve got the latest models to take a look at.

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.

The 19" LCD fits now represents outstanding value for money, and is so much nicer to use than a 17" screen. We round up and test the best.

There are always moments in life when you wish you had your camera to hand. The Labs team rounds up the latest pocket cameras.

There are three main types of MP3 players, which differ mostly in terms of their method of data storage. Each has its own pros and cons.