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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.

Five years of CNET Australia: Computer retrospective

Five years is a long time in the realm of technology. Join us as we stroll through our archives, bringing up the highlights and lowlights of the computer industry of the last five years...

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Reviews

  • Acer Aspire M3200

    Despite the quad-core processor and 4GB RAM, the M3200 is still a budget PC. If you're a bit strapped for cash and looking for a general purpose desktop, this might be the one for you.

  • AMD Phenom X4 9850

    From a do-it-yourself perspective, we're mostly unimpressed with AMD's new 2.5GHz Phenom X4 9850 quad-core desktop processor.

  • ATI Radeon HD 3870 X2

    The ATI Radeon HD 3870 X2 shows promise, but we would still wait until AMD works out the kinks before handing over your hard earned.

  • Dell XPS 630

    With its newest full-fledged gaming PC, Dell shows that it understands the mainstream gaming desktop as well as the high-end.

  • Apple iMac (20-inch, 2.4GHz)

    With its super-elegant new design and a strong configuration, Apple's new iMac competes with the PC desktop market better than perhaps any previous Mac to date.

  • Intel's quad-core chip unleashed

    The Core 2 Extreme QX6700 will remain an enthusiast part for a while, but as a glimpse of the future, it's clear that clock speed is out and core counts are in.

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DIYs and How-to

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The Explain Series