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Desktop digest: 13 things you need to know to buy the perfect desktop

Despite the laptop gaining strength as the PC du jour in recent times, the desktop still has a place in the home. Here are our top 25 things to consider before buying or building your own desktop.

Build the perfect baby video

With the imminent arrival of a new baby, your life will become a whirlwind. If you're planning to capture the whole experience on video, plan carefully and you'll have a priceless record of those fleeting early days.

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Reviews

Toshiba Qosmio G40

Like its predecessor, the Qosmio G30, Toshiba's flagship multimedia desktop replacement offers a complete suite of entertainment features. The G40 is slightly slimmer and has a couple of tricks up its sleeve.
Acer Aspire e650

The Acer Aspire e650 is a powerful, feature-rich media centre, but we're still not convinced that Viiv is mature enough for mass adoption.
Sony SVR-HD700

A pricey high-end PVR with plenty going for it, despite the limited EPG and lack of USB/Firewire connections.
Maxtor Shared Storage Plus

Consumer NAS drives don't get classier or easier than the Maxtor Shared Storage Plus, but we'd like to see Gigabit Ethernet on it.
HP Media Center PC m1199a

HP's Media Center PC is a great entertainment PC for displaying photos, watching movies and playing games at home.
Dell Dimension 4700

Dell's new mainstream Dimension 4700 is an affordable, forward-looking PC that's well suited for the home or the small office.
Dell Dimension 8400 (Pentium 4 Processor 550 3.4GHz, 1GB RAM)

The Dell Dimension 8400 offers exciting new hardware, but unless you're a staunch early adopter, you won't see a compelling reason to make an immediate upgrade.

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Features

CNET Labs' Dream PC

We started with a custom-painted case, then sought out the most powerful PC components we could find to make our desktop dream a reality.

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News

Networked storage heads for homes

Storage companies are betting a technology once reserved for businesses will appeal to consumers dealing with large files shared by multiple PCs and a need for data protection.
Car crazy: Microsoft in the driver's seat

Microsoft wants your next car to run Windows.

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DIYs and How-to

Does the new Blu-ray Profile 1.1 make existing players obsolete?

As if buying a new HD player wasn't hard enough -- now there is a new standard to consider when purchasing a Blu-ray device.
DIY: Desktop buying guide

What you need to know -- from finding the type of PC that fits your lifestyle to catching up on all of the latest trends.
Planning makes perfect -- know your PC components

Your new PC will only be as good as the sum of its parts. Here's a quick guide to the main PC components you'll find available in 2006, so you can match your performance requirements and budget realities.

Get (laptop) smart before you buy

Win the numbers game and get the laptop that's perfect your needs as well as your budget!
Microsoft Windows® 7. Your PC, simplified.

Windows® 7 has been designed to be more reliable, more responsive, and to make the things you do every day easier.
Whereis® maps

If you’d like to get to know more of Australia, and do it safely, then check out Whereis® maps.