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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.

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.

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Reviews

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.
Apple MacBook Pro (1.83GHz)

The MacBook Pro delivers unparalleled style, a solid set of features and software, and a few transitional performance issues that keep it from rivaling the most powerful PC laptops.
Dell OptiPlex GX280

Dell's OptiPlex GX280 is overkill for some offices, but it's a smart investment now if you've got an eye on the future.
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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DIYs and How-to

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.
DIY: Notebook buying

DIY: Notebook buying