All Operating systems

The Bottom Line: Intel Mac users will like Snow Leopard's smartly designed interface enhancements, and its Exchange support is a must-have (especially with Outlook for Mac on the way). With a ton of technological improvements, Snow Leopard is worth the $29 upgrade fee.

Specs: 1 user, Complete package, 5 GB, Intel, 1 GB, 10.6, DVD-ROM, Intel

The Bottom Line: Windows 7 is more than what Vista should have been, it's where Microsoft needed to go. How much damage Vista did and whether Windows 7 is enough for people to finally abandon Windows XP are questions that nobody has the answers to right now.

Specs: 1 PC, Complete package, 16 GB, 1 GHz 1 GHz, 1 GB, DirectX 9.0 compatible graphics card, 1 GHz, 1 GHz

The Bottom Line: Windows 7 is more than what Vista should have been, it's where Microsoft needed to go. How much damage Vista did and whether Windows 7 is enough for people to finally abandon Windows XP are questions that nobody has the answers to right now.

Specs: 1 PC, Complete package, 16 GB, 1 GHz 1 GHz, 1 GB, DirectX 9.0 compatible graphics card, 1 GHz, 1 GHz

The Bottom Line: Windows 7 is more than what Vista should have been, it's where Microsoft needed to go. How much damage Vista did and whether Windows 7 is enough for people to finally abandon Windows XP are questions that nobody has the answers to right now.

Specs: 1 PC, Complete package, 16 GB, 1 GHz 1 GHz, 1 GB, DirectX 9.0 compatible graphics card, 1 GHz, 1 GHz

The Bottom Line: Although not even in beta, Windows 7 already appears stable and full of consumer-friendly features.

The Bottom Line: While it's always good to install the latest code for any operating system, installing the Windows Vista SP1 update will require some casual users to spend a few hours without any visible or tangible improvements to their systems.

The Bottom Line: The grace of Leopard's interface enhancements makes productivity more pleasurable with a Mac, as more than 300 functional and fun features top off this update.

Specs: 1 user, Complete package, PowerPC G4 867 MHz, 512 MB, 10.5.6, DVD-ROM, PowerPC G4, 867 MHz

The Bottom Line: Though its new user features have mixed appeal, Tiger's technological changes and speed improvements make this an enticing upgrade, especially for those who passed on Panther.

Specs: 1 seat, License, 3 GB, PowerPC G3, 256 MB, 10.4, IEEE 1394 FireWire port, PowerPC G3

The Bottom Line: Though its new user features have mixed appeal, Tiger's technological changes and speed improvements make this an enticing upgrade, especially for those who passed on Panther.

Specs: 1 seat, License, 3 GB, PowerPC G3, 256 MB, 10.4, IEEE 1394 FireWire port, PowerPC G3

The Bottom Line: Windows Vista Home Basic is essentially warmed-over Windows XP, Windows XP SP3. If you're currently happy with Windows XP SP2, we see no compelling reason to upgrade. On the other hand, if you need a new computer right now, Windows Vista is stable enough for everyday use.

Specs: 1 PC, Complete package, 20 GB, Intel x86 1 GHz, 512 MB, DVD-ROM, Sound card, 32 MB video memory, Internet connection, DirectX 9.0 compatible graphics card, Intel x86, 1 GHz