Anandtech has a roundup of network switches on the market. "The simple fact is, these products are all so close together that you might better pick one by which colour you like best or whether the ports are in the back or the front," is the conclusion offered by the site. So, the only winner is the consumer.

Sharky reviews the Hercules 3D Prophet II, in some detail. The board gets a big "thumbs up" for the aesthetics, but didn't perform as well in the benchmarking tests as the guys and gals at Sharky had hoped. Despite this, it scored a healthy eight out of ten rating.

Following up on yesterday's dream system, a thoughtful reader sent in this link from geek.com which puts Anandtech's fantasy to shame. The monitor alone out prices it - a Pioneer 50 inch gas plasma screen a snip at $20,000. If only.

Another kindly chappie out there has sent in thisreview of the Voodoo5 vs the GeForce2. Unlike yesterday's crop, this one comes down of the side of the V5. Have a look and make up your own mind...

Finally for today, the new drive from Seagate, the U10 doesn't over excite at Storage Review. The site says its strengths are the holy trinity of low heat, noise, and cost. But power users will be better off with the Maxtor DiamondMax 60, or the Quantum Fireball lct10. Catch the review here.®