
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 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 gaming keyboards in 2025: the fastest, smoothest and loveliest boards 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 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 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.

An RTX 3080 Ti 20 GB engineering sample has been spotted on eBay for $2,000, proving Nvidia plays with all the goodies we never get
By Jacob Ridley published
News Though most appear to get chucked in the bin.

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 not consider a CPU air cooler in 2025?

Best liquid cooler for CPUs in 2025: I've tried all the best AIO coolers and these are my top picks
By Jacob Ridley last updated
Wetware These are the best liquid chip chillers to suit all budgets, form factors, and processors.

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.

The most convenient handheld gaming PC I've ever used is getting upgraded with an OLED screen, Ryzen HX 370, and a repositioned mouse nub (that's the best bit)
By Jacob Ridley published
News Seriously, check out this nub.

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.

Introducing ‘The Rig’: everything under the hood of the PC Gaming Show’s top of the line PC build
By Jacob Ridley published
THE RIG Marvel at The Rig's high-end specs in full here

Xbox is no longer a console, it's a platform, and it's already entered a battle for control over your handheld gaming PC
By Jacob Ridley published
Xbox everywhere Xbox is becoming more like PC and Windows is becoming more like Xbox... is Microsoft looking to muscle SteamOS out of the way?

Xbox is headed to handhelds but its gaming-first UI will also land on existing ROG Ally and ROG Ally X and 'other Windows handhelds starting next year'
By Jacob Ridley published
News You won't need to buy an Xbox-branded handheld to benefit from the new UI on Windows devices.

'This is an Xbox' says Microsoft of its new handheld but, let's be honest, it's a PC
By Jacob Ridley published
News Microsoft and Asus team up to put Windows on an AMD-powered handheld, and apparently that makes it an Xbox.

Corsair Nautilus 360 RS review
By Jacob Ridley published
Stealthy Great for a stealth build.

Cooler Master MasterLiquid 360 Core II review
By Jacob Ridley published
Keepin' cool Proof that you needn't spend a lot for a cool-running processor.

Corsair iCUE Link Titan 360 RX LCD review
By Jacob Ridley published
Flashy Good for iCUE systems, not so much anything else.

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.

Best PC racing wheels in 2025: my favorite direct drive and budget steering wheels for sim racing
By Jacob Ridley last updated
Driven Speed away with the best PC racing wheel for gaming.

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.

The best PC cases in 2025: 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 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.

Phanteks Eclipse G400A review
By Jacob Ridley published
Affordable Everything you need and more for a first gaming PC build.

Computex 2025 showed that innovation in PC hardware often involves sticking a screen on something but don't let that distract you from the genuine improvements underneath
By Jacob Ridley published
Computex Look past the frivolous screens on the showfloor and you'll find some genuine upgrades headed our way.
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