First there was ISA, then PCI, then AGP and now PCI Express. The evolution of the graphics interface in PCs reflects the increasing importance of fast graphics for games, video editing and digital photography (but mainly ...

The simplistic look of the AOpen case on Carrera's new cube system belies the interesting mix of components inside. The single 5.25-inch drive bay contains an NEC DVD rewriter which records at up to 8x, but ...

Watford has gone for a mini-tower case to house its Aries Prefecta 5100 Pro 120. This doesn't decrease its footprint, of course, just its height, and isn't the only unconventional choice here. It's the only system, ...

NetHighStreet appears to have squeezed more from its budget than any of the others. This is most apparent from the front panel of its beige midi-tower case, which holds both a DVD rewriter and a secondary ...

Microland has produced a well-styled system with black and silver livery throughout. The look goes right through to the Logitech keyboard and wireless mouse, which keep things neat and tidy on the desktop. It's just as ...

This system is in some ways very conventional. It's built into a practical, but slightly uninspiring, midi-tower case, with CD-RW and DVD drives in the front panel and a 120GB Maxtor hard drive for fixed storage ...

CCL's contribution to this group certainly looks the part. With an acrylic panel in the left-hand side, so you can see the blue lights of its two extra internal fans, and imitation bubble tubes running down ...

The biggest surprise in this budget PC is its 64-bit, AMD Athlon 64 processor. This is the only viable desktop processor with a 64-bit architecture and the version here, the Athlon 64 3200, is one of ...

They may not be intended primarily as portable computers, but there's no doubt that cube PCs are easier to transport than desktops. As if to emphasise this use, Microland's TECH Plus 217.01 PC, which is built ...

MSI's box of tricks wisely follows two growing trends in computing. First, it's a small form-factor, bare-bones PC, ready for you to add your own components to turn it into your latest beast. And second - ...

Never slow in adopting the latest technology, Mesh's latest addition to its Matrix product line uses the new version of the AMD Athlon 64 processor; the 3400+. Housed in the now-familiar black Mesh case, the Matrix ...

The clever thing about AMD's Athlon 64 processor is that although it supports 64-bit processing, it's also fully compatible with today's 32-bit applications. Many people may be thinking of buying an Athlon 64-based PC to ensure ...

This is a high performance PC based on an Athlon 64 3000+ processor from AMD. Still the cheapest 64-bit chip you can get, the Athlon 64 is fully backwardly-compatible with 32-bit software, such as Windows XP ...

Never shy when it comes to adopting the latest technology for the desktop arena, Advent has taken AMD's 64-bit processor, the Athlon 64 3200+, and introduced it in this 3618 bare-bones PC. As there is very ...

When they first appeared almost two years ago, cube PCs were sometimes seen as little more than a gimmick. Yes, they had a very small form factor, but performance was best described as adequate. But things ...

When Sony first launched its desktop range, its systems stood out because of their design, but they were very expensive and not the best value desktops around. Now Sony appears to have had a change of ...

It's not often you come across a PC from a mainstream supplier which is properly geared up for key leisure interests. Time's Mercury Creative 3000+ is one such, though, and could prove an ideal vehicle for ...

The austere, all-black case of Multivision's new Ionix GL system is clean-cut and smart, while harbouring a couple of interesting innovations. Most impressive of these, particularly for those who like to work on their PCs to ...

Just how small do you want your PC to be? How about 148mm wide by 254mm deep and just 71mm high - or in other words, just slighter smaller than a shoe box and weighing a ...

While this little box may not attract the attention of the Men in Black, its make up and design do give it a hint of being out of this world, especially compared with the usual beige ...