Hold on to your socks because the latest issue of PC Format is in the shops and on the digital shelves right now, and it has been specifically designed by a team of advanced cyborgs to blow them off. Your socks, that is.

So how have we managed this advanced form of sock removal? For a start we look at Nvidia’s new GTX 680 and dig deep into the Kepler architecture behind it to see if it’s going to be as revolutionary as Nvidia promise.

We also have an in-depth round-up of the best SSDs out there, and analyse the current state of the market for solid state drives. If you’ve long coveted the performance increases that come with SSDs but been put off by high prices and capacity limitations, then make sure you read this.

Elsewhere in the issue we have a fantastic group test of surround sound headphones. Can these headsets really replace our 5.1 speaker systems? You’ll be surprised by the results…

We’ve also got some fantastic practical guides to create your very own triple-screen stand for the ultimate gaming experience. We also guide you through building the perfect home server – as well as explaining why this is so important. Also, if that isn’t enough we look at the latest version of Windows 8 and show you how to get it up and running on your PC quickly, easily and for free.

Reviews-wise we test out the latest Ivy Bridge motherboards, the MSI Z77A-GD65, ASUS ROG Maximus V Gene and the ASUS Sabertooth Z77, and put AMD’s new 7800 series cards – the Radeon HD 7870 and the Radeon HD 7850 – through their paces.

That’s just the tip of the iceberg – there’s plenty more in issue 265. It’s an absolute stonker of an issue, so make sure you get your hands on it.

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