
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 Steam Deck accessories in 2025: These are the add-ons that I'd let keep my handheld company on its travels
By Katie Wickens last updated
Decked out These are the best Steam Deck accessories to pair with your handheld gaming PC—peripherals, power, and protection.

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.

The best audiophile headphones for gaming in 2025: my top recommendations for the best cans money can buy
By Dave James last updated
Audiophile Immerse yourself in your games with the best audiophile headphones for gaming.

Best ultrawide monitor for gaming in 2025: the immersive panels I recommend for PC gamers
By Jacob Ridley last updated
Expansive It's time to go wide... ultrawide: these gaming monitors are wider, brighter, and faster than ever.

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.

Best cheap SSD deals for gaming today
By Jacob Ridley last updated
deal Cheap and speedy NVMe drives to boost your gaming PC's capacity and lower those load times.

Best mouse pads for gaming in 2025: the fabric and hard-top mats I prefer to game on
By Jacob Ridley last updated
Slick The best mouse pads offer slick mouse movement and awesome aesthetics, no matter what surface you prefer.

Sennheiser HD 550 review
By Jacob Ridley published
Audiophile A great reason to start taking your gaming audio seriously.

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

Best VR headset in 2025: my top picks for stunning virtual reality experiences
By Jacob Ridley last updated
Jack In Immerse yourself in stunning game worlds with the best VR headset.

Best gaming monitors in 2025: the pixel-perfect panels I'd buy myself
By Dave James last updated
Eye candy The best gaming monitors balance price with panel quality, resolution and refresh rate.

Corsair Frame 4000D review
By Jacob Ridley published
Frame it A compact case with a lot of hidden features and designed from the ground up for Corsair's own ecosystem.

MSI RTX 5060 Ti 16G Gaming Trio OC review
By Jacob Ridley published
Eep! The best of the lot but its price tag might be insurmountable.

Nvidia GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16 GB review (Palit Infinity 3)
By Jacob Ridley published
It's a Ti A good upgrade for anyone on an older graphics card and with plenty of overclocking potential.

Nvidia RTX 5060 Ti and RTX 5060 announced, starting from $299: 'We can work with our partners to get these out at reasonable prices, which we are doing'
By Jacob Ridley published
News Here's hoping Nvidia's new entry-level GPUs can stick to MSRP.

Best handheld gaming PC in 2025: my recommendations for the best portable powerhouses
By Jacob Ridley last updated
Portable PC PC gaming has officially gone portable, and these handheld gaming PCs are mighty quick.

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.

Best PC fans in 2025: I've put these case fans through their paces to find the coolest and quietest
By Jacob Ridley last updated
Hot Tip The best PC fans will keep your gaming PC cool and quiet.

Best gaming headsets in 2025: I'd bet my ears on these headphones
By Dave James last updated
Quality cans Treat your ears to some treacle with the best gaming headsets.

Best SSD for gaming in 2025: the speediest SSDs I personally recommend
By Jeremy Laird last updated
Speedy storage Give your gaming PC a serious speed boost with the best SSD for gaming.

Best gaming PC builds: budget, mid-range and high-end recommendations
By Jacob Ridley last updated
DIY From an $800 penny-saving PC to a $4,000 monster.

Best 4K gaming monitors in 2025: the ultra hi-res panels I highly recommend
By Dave James last updated
4K Vision The best 4K gaming monitor has all the bells and whistles an enthusiast could ever want or need.

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