
Jacob Ridley
Jacob earned his first byline writing for his own tech blog, before graduating to breaking things professionally at PCGamesN, where he was one half of a popular weekly YouTube show. Joining PC Gamer in 2020, Jacob is now managing editor of the hardware team, and you'll usually find him testing the latest components or building a gaming PC. He says he's determined to build a fort as big as a house out of case boxes. Jacob enjoys heading out of the office to report from floors, benches, and, if he's lucky, plush press rooms at the biggest tech shows, such as Computex and CES.
When he's not writing about components, you'll find Jacob trying to get away from the modern world as fast as possible by bike and pitching up camp in murky woods.
Latest articles by Jacob Ridley

Valve on viral marketing and leaks: 'Everybody assumes we have some sort of like grand plan... and it's literally just somebody fat fingering something'
By Jacob Ridley published
News You're probably thinking about this sort of stuff a lot more than Valve is.

Foveated streaming is the genius tech behind Valve's Steam Frame and its seamless wireless gaming performance
By Jacob Ridley published
News Making wireless VR truly possible.

Valve is all over Arm: SteamOS launching for Arm alongside the Steam Frame, new FEX translation layer for x86 and Arm, and Arm games are coming to Steam
By Jacob Ridley published
News Now Arm is Valve's best friend.

Valve believes its new Steam Machine could open up a whole new world of SteamOS desktops: 'Put it on, say, something that's running an RX 9070 XT, you would be good to go'
By Jacob Ridley published
News "We're really interested to see what other companies do with the form factor."

Valve wants you to know that the Steam Frame is not the Index 2: 'we're trying to do something new with this'
By Jacob Ridley published
News It's still a good upgrade from an Index, however.

Valve announces the Steam Frame: 'a new way to play your entire Steam library'
By Jacob Ridley published
News Wireless connectivity, improved optics, new controllers and a chip all of its own, the Steam Frame looks to be worth the wait.

I've tried the Steam Frame and I'm now ready to ditch cables from my virtual reality set-up forever
By Jacob Ridley published
Cut the cord Valve's new VR headset is completely wireless and very convincing.

Valve announces three new products: the Steam Frame, Steam Machine and Steam Controller
By Jacob Ridley published
News Good things come in threes?

Valve's new Steam Machine is a SteamOS-powered mini PC over six times faster than a Steam Deck
By Jacob Ridley published
News "We finally have all the software and the hardware bits to make the original vision a reality."

Thinktank recommends the EU hit China where it hurts if it restricts access to rare earths: limit the country's access to older chipmaking machines
By Jacob Ridley published
News China uses DUV machines for much of its chip manufacturing.

This video on USB Type-C made by European Parliament goes harder than it has any right to
By Jacob Ridley published
News Now this is effective political communication.

Razer thoughtlessly alienates half its audience with ad showing a man blocking out a woman's 'yapping' with its latest headset
By Jacob Ridley published
News The ad is still live…

The best PC cases in 2026: These are the chassis I'd use for my next gaming build
By Jacob Ridley last updated
Best case You'll want the best PC case if you're building your perfect gaming PC.

Best PC fans in 2026: I've put these case fans through their paces to find the coolest and quietest
By Jacob Ridley last updated
Fan-tastic The best PC fans will keep your gaming PC cool and quiet.

Havn BF 360 PC case review
By Jacob Ridley published
Score: 90% Excellent airflow and stunning good looks.

Worried about melty graphics cards? This seriously capable gizmo keeps power in check for more peace of mind
By Jacob Ridley published
News Ideally you wouldn't need to worry at all, but this Ampinel option looks like the next best thing.

Time is nearly up for Windows 10—but is your Windows 10 PC screwed?
By Jacob Ridley published
Win-goes Nah, you've still got time. Treasure it. Hold your PC close.

A bunch of Steam players just made the switch to Windows 11 as Windows 10's death date is now less than two weeks away
By Jacob Ridley published
News Welcome to Windows 11, gamers. It's, uh, fine?

SteelSeries unveils new high-end wireless gaming headset with a price tag that might be too dear for even my audiophile ears
By Jacob Ridley published
News Is $600 a new record for gaming headsets? It's gotta be up there.

$6.7 billion in bitcoin scored in 'single largest cryptocurrency seizure in the world'
By Jacob Ridley published
News A measly 61,000 bitcoins.

'Much of the value creation in the semiconductor industry is occurring outside the EU' says EU member states, and they want a fresh plan to claw some chips back
By Jacob Ridley published
News It'll take some serious cash or pressure to bring semiconductor production back to Europe, as the US is currently finding out.

Hyte X50 PC case review
By Jacob Ridley published
Score: 75% Pretty in pink (and assorted colours).

Steam now lets you check if you have Secure Boot enabled: the security feature we're all going to have to get to grips with for Battlefield, Call of Duty and more
By Jacob Ridley published
News Here's how to do it.
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