Jacob Ridley
Jacob earned his first byline writing for his own tech blog. From there, he graduated to professionally breaking things as hardware writer at PCGamesN, where he was one half of a popular weekly YouTube show. He would go on to run the team as hardware editor before joining PC Gamer's world-class staff as senior hardware editor. Today, he's managing editor of the hardware team, and you'll find him spending his days reporting on the latest developments in the technology and gaming industries. He's found reporting from floors, benches, and, if he's lucky, plush press rooms at the biggest tech shows, such as Computex and CES. But more often than not he's hunched over the office test bench evaluating the newest PC components.
When he's not writing about GPUs and CPUs, you'll find Jacob trying to get as far away from the modern world as possible by wild camping.
Latest articles by Jacob Ridley

Best wireless gaming mouse in 2025: These are the rodents I love getting my mitts on
By Dave James last updated
Unbound Let go of the tethers and embrace the freedom of living life cable-free.

Best gaming mouse in 2025: I've tested the very best mice and these are my top picks
By Dave James last updated
Pinpoint The best gaming mouse for every game, budget, grip, and size.

Best office chairs for gaming in 2025: The top seats for work and gaming that I've tried and tested
By Dave James last updated
Take a seat Take care of your spine with the best office chairs for gaming.

Monster Hunter Wilds PC performance: From Nvidia's latest, past AMD's greatest, to Intel's failing silicon, this is what the game does to PCG's own rigs
By Dave James published
We put our own machines through the ringer with the Monster Hunter Wilds benchmark, to lesser or greater success.

Best gaming PCs: these are the rigs and brands I recommend in 2025
By Dave James last updated
Perfect PC Everything you need to know about buying the best gaming PC today.

The best desk lighting in 2025: my recommendations for key lights and lightstrips to illuminate your gaming set-up
By Jacob Ridley last updated
Light it up! Whether making your Twitch stream more professional or aiming for an ambient office environment, I've got the best lighting kits for your PC covered.

Best gaming keyboards in 2025: the fastest, smoothest and loveliest keyboards I've tested
By Jacob Ridley last updated
Keyed in The best gaming keyboards have it all: style, ergonomics, and of course, the most satisfying clickity clacks.

Best wireless gaming keyboard in 2025: my top picks for cable-free typing delights
By Jacob Ridley last updated
Freedom Cut the cord with the best wireless gaming keyboards.

Best PC joysticks in 2025: these are my top picks for everything from flight sims to space shooters
By Dave James last updated
Locked On The best PC joysticks take you to new heights.

This no-vidia gaming PC is a great example of how small design decisions can make it feel like you're building a PC on easy-mode
By Jacob Ridley published
Simple All thanks to a roomy case, fan controller, and incredibly simple NVMe slots.

Best wireless gaming headsets in 2025: the top cans I'd buy myself
By Dave James last updated
Untethered The best wireless gaming headsets allow you to enjoy your games and music tangle-free.

Noctua NH-L12S review
By Jacob Ridley published
Lil' chill A classic low-profile air cooler still worth a look in 2025.

Best gaming desk in 2025: my top picks for standing, sitting and everything in between
By Dave James last updated
Top Desks We've chosen the best gaming desks based on hours of playing on both sitting and standing desks just to see which is worth your money.

Best CPU coolers in 2025: I've loaded liquid and air coolers onto today's top processors and these are my favorites
By Jacob Ridley last updated
Cool Breeze Our picks for the best CPU coolers will have your processor running cool with air or liquid during the hottest gaming sessions.

Best mechanical keyboards in 2025: the clacky boards I'd buy in a heartbeat
By Jacob Ridley last updated
Click Clack Make the switch with our guide to the best mechanical gaming keyboards.

This Minecraft creation blots out the sun for the villagers below, they surely praise it as God, but we know it really to be a functioning 32-bit computer with 2 kB of RAM
By Jacob Ridley published
News This computer, built fully within Minecraft, ran the Fibonacci Sequence.

Best graphics cards in 2025: the GPUs I recommend for every budget
By Jacob Ridley last updated
Pixel Pushers Our picks of the most powerful gaming GPUs and the ones that provide the best bang for your buck.

Best gaming chair in 2025: the seats I'd suggest for any gamer
By Jacob Ridley last updated
Take a seat Treat your posterior to one of the best gaming chairs.

Asus says its easy-peasy PCIe slot causes 'no damage that would affect functionality' following claims of excessive wear, but says it'll cover any damage
By Jacob Ridley published
News "...we have found no impact on the functionality of either the graphics card or the motherboard."

Best webcams in 2025: the 1080p and 4K webcams I recommend for gamers and streamers
By Jacob Ridley last updated
Look Your Best These are the best webcams for streaming and video calls.

Best OLED gaming monitors in 2025: I can't keep my eyes off these vivid displays
By Jeremy Laird last updated
Eye candy The best OLED gaming monitors deliver awesome speed and eye-popping HDR performance.

Best air cooler for CPUs in 2025: keep your processor chilled with one of these budget-friendly and capable coolers
By Jacob Ridley last updated
Air dried Quiet, reliable and affordable—why wouldn't you consider a CPU air cooler in 2025?
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