The proliferation of multimedia audio and video formats, including Blu-Ray, and an increasing array of TV and web based services have made the home theatre personal computer (HTPC) a powerful convergence device. With the imminent release of Microsoft's Windows 7 Operating System, Benchmark Reviews explores the evolution of the Windows HTPC Platform. We will also examine the efforts of a global community of users and premium developers, who have used Microsoft's product to showcase their skills and highlight their passion to make the PC a core component of the home entertainment setup.

Historically most people couldn't justify the expense of a dual-monitor setup in spite of the productivity gains multiple screens afford. So most people were relegated to drooling over the possibility while watching movies like "Swordfish" (possibly the most eye popping multi-monitor setup ever) or the 2008 remake of "The Day The Earth Stood Still" which reflects not only the broad adoption of multi-display configurations, but also demonstrates currently available "next generation" display technologies like Microsoft's "Surface". Today, even entry level PC's as well as nearly all laptops have graphics cards capable of multi-monitor support - so at Benchmark Reviews we decided to address the most important questions: "Will you really be more Productive?", "What do you need to know?", and "What will it cost?". Benchmark Reviews will answer all of these questions in-depth in this article on Using Dual-Monitors to Optimize Productivity.

Frequently, we find that new technological breakthroughs make old hardware that was just fine seem quaint. Be it a race toward higher clock speeds, faster front side buses, multiple cores, etc, computers become disused and replaced. Green attitudes have dissuaded people from tossing out components that are, for all intents and purposes, quite harmful to the environment. Moreover, current operating systems are becoming more power hungry let alone the software that runs on them. What's interesting about these computers is that in many cases they're perfectly useable. Here at Benchmark Reviews, we'll provide our list of uses for recycled computers.

In this article, Benchmark Reviews sets out to detail the performance differences between SSD products attached to the JMicron JMB322 host-based controller and the Intel ICH10R, but instead discovered a larger problem. While read and write performance can sway unpredictably between SATA controllers, the most disturbing subject is the inconsistency between test tools. One version of ATTO Disk Benchmark can record result different from another, while HD-Tach gives different results on the same version and driver. Please read more to learn of the pitfalls and perils when testing SSD's between platforms.

Benchmark Reviews tests a lot of very good computer hardware, which is a result of our selection process for product reviews. Although it would be most ideal for a hardware review website to test each and every item sold on the retail market, it's just not feasable due to limited staff and budget. As a result, many of the products featured here are among the best consumers will find. This year Benchmark Reviews Executive Editor Olin Coles delivers his nominations for the 2008 Editors Choice Award for each category: CPU Coolers, Desktop Processors, Solid State Drives, Desktop Graphics Cards, Computer Cases, System Memory, and Desktop Motherboards.

Overclocking can take on many forms, and experiments can range from minor product improvements to a total re-engineering project that completely alters the hardware. Because of their long history of successful product launches, NVIDIA is the most recognized name in the graphics industry. Their GeForce series of desktop graphics accelerators has become an enthusiast favorite, primarily because of excellent overclocking potential. For gamers, overclocking unlocks a hidden potential to change the graphics quality settings from medium to high without a hardware upgrade. The results are often times worth the risk, and in this article Benchmark Reviews will focus on achieving the most gain possible from any NVIDIA GeForce video card through overclocking, while using the least amount of effort.

NVIDIA's formerly industry standard drivers are now being beta tested on the consumer with each new release and resulting in stability problems in Windows Vista, and a merged AMD/ATI is fighting tooth and nail to stay in the game after the disastrous launches of the Phenom and HD 2900 lines. With the release of the HD 3800s, ATI had no intention of fighting NVIDIA's top end with a single monolithic GPU having learned their lesson from the 2900, and shifted their focus to producing cooler, cheaper, more efficient GPUs and attacking the price/performance market. Not just that, but to compete with NVIDIA's top end and empty the pockets of the die hard enthusiasts, ATI shifts their high end focus to running GPUs in tandem. The result? A rejuvenated, revitalized CrossFire. Benchmark Reviews lays it all out for you, in complete detail.

You are going to see an increased interest in GPU computing very soon. Terms such as "heterogeneous computing" and "parallel computing" are going to be used as often as the term "video card" is used in a product review. You won't want to miss this evolution in graphics technology, because we are witness to a pivotal moment in time when computers are going to stop being filled with familiar single-purpose hardware. Benchmark Reviews offers this FAQ to help our readers understand what is happening, and help introduce them to what is coming. We don't want anyone to be left in the cold when the rest of the world learns how the GPU is learning to be a CPU.