
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 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 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.

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.

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 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 gaming laptop in 2025: I've put the best of this new generation head-to-head and we have a winner
By Dave James last updated
Portable powerhouses Don't compromise on power or portability with the best gaming laptops.

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 M.2 SSDs for gaming in 2025: my top picks for blazing fast storage
By Jeremy Laird last updated
High speed Our choices for the best NVMe M.2 SSDs give you blisteringly fast load times.

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 capture cards for PC gaming in 2025: whether it's streaming, recording, 1080p or the big 4K, these cards have you covered
By Jacob Ridley last updated
Broadcast Show off your greatest gaming moments with the best capture cards.

Semiconductors are exempt from Trump's massive 32% tariff on Taiwan though PC gamers will still feel the heat
By Jacob Ridley published
News President Trump says TSMC is "one of the great companies of the world" as he praises the chipmaker for investing in the US. But other companies are not so lucky.

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.

This nearly budget gaming PC build made me realise availability is just as important as affordability when building a cheap machine
By Jacob Ridley published
Budget-ish A budget part is only as good as its price on the shelf.

Spring Prime Day PC gaming deals
By James Bentley last updated
Prime Day Deals Amazon's Big Spring Sale event is finally here—bring on the deals!

Gigabyte RTX 5070 Ti Eagle OC Ice review
By Jacob Ridley published
Spenny With a huge price premium over MSRP models, I'm struggling to see why you'd spend so much on this RTX 5070 Ti Eagle OC Ice.

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.

MSI GeForce RTX 5080 Ventus 3X OC White review
By Jacob Ridley published
Price problem Can you look past a price tag?

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.

Best gaming PCs in 2025: 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.
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