Micromat's (www.micromat.com) new version of Techtool Pro (version 8) for Mac OS X offers a number of significant new features. Of the new features included in version 8, the most significant is the component tests. Depending on the model of Macintosh, it can now check up to 150 new components, sensors and voltage levels of which the app previously couldn't test.

Designed for both home users and professionals, TechTool Pro 8 brings with it some of the deepest hardware testing yet - testing components on your motherboard that no other utility can access. You can now test the sensors and fans on your Mac, along with the battery if you're using a Mac laptop. In addition, it now integrates Protogo, so that you can create your own custom test drives for out in the field. (Protogo was the first product of its kind that allowed users to create bootable diagnostic devices.)

TechTool Pro tests the major components on your motherboard: RAM, Processor, Cache, etc. Version 8 tests an even wider variety of components on your Mac's motherboard. On some machines there are more than 100 electrical and temperature sensors that TechTool Pro will check. If any of those sensors report values outside of their acceptable operating range, the new Sensors test will let you know so that you can take the necessary steps to prevent a minor problem from becoming a major one.

Every computer generates heat, and most of them use fans to cool themselves when components become too hot. It's important to make sure that all the fans in your computer are functional. The new Fans test in Techtool Pro 8 spins up the fans in your Mac to make sure that they're running at capacity and speed.

The diagnostic tool now now makes it easy to check on the health of the battery on your Mac laptop. The test reports cycle count, percent of total capacity remaining, along with the battery's overall condition so that you can use your Mac unplugged with confidence.

Techtool Pro 8 can be ordered through select dealers and resellers worldwide or directly from Micromat (www.micromat.com). The suggested retail price of the complete program is US$99.99. Owners of earlier versions of Techtool Pro may upgrade for $39.99.