Compact desktop PCs (AJP, Dell, Fujitsu Siemens, HP, NEC, Tulip)

With office space at a premium, the need for small, compact PCs becomes even more pressing. But the trick is to fulfil this aim without sacrificing anything in connectivity. With bulky monitors being replaced by flat panel screens as the price of these continues to fall, the main occupier of space becomes the system box.
The [...]

Affordable real-world notebooks (ACi, NEC, Rock, Sony, Toshiba)

Manufacturers and suppliers of notebooks are sometimes rather too free with their use of the term ‘desktop replacement’. They would have us believe that this or that portable PC will simply make a conventional desktop redundant by doing all the same tricks but out of a vastly smaller box.
This is misleading, but it doesn’t necessarily [...]

Budget PCs (Big Red, Carrera, Hi-Grade, NEC, Simply, Viglen)

PC prices continue to fall and at each price point you can see better and better technology for your money. You can now get very worthwhile PCs for around £600 plus VAT. Although you have to watch for some corner-cutting, in particular heavily integrated system boards, you can still pick up a bargain if you [...]