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
![The best gaming keyboards on a grey background with the PC Gamer recommends badge.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/jmAUH4fCVSoSrYDXiTrzxj-320-80.jpg)
Best gaming keyboards in 2024: 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.
![Sennheiser and Beyerdynamic headpones on a green two-tone background](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/TYaDGzGb9gasLKNij2TG3G-320-80.jpg)
The best audiophile headphones for gaming in 2024: 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.
![black myth: wukong](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/NJgg6PmZ2ZzxpJXG6MwYkU-320-80.jpg)
Black Myth: Wukong's most-wishlisted status means its new benchmarking tool is the 18th most played 'game' on Steam right now
By Jacob Ridley published
News Don't get too excited, it's not the actual game. Though as far as benchmarking tools go, it's a good'un.
![Intel Core i9 14900K CPU on a box and inside a motherboard socket.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/8YP5w92iVtzYSQgTaB2DAB-320-80.jpg)
Intel instability fix: I've seen no notable impact on game performance with 0x129 patch on the Core i9 14900K
By Jacob Ridley published
High voltage! That's good news, but damage done to older chips is irreparable.
![Best mouse pad for gaming header image with two mouse pads on a grey background with recommended badge](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/wYhVvFq6BSc4U2fUspXAYK-320-80.jpg)
Best mouse pads for gaming in 2024: 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 PC Gamer buying guide to the best racing wheels](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/q6NoywRZc3mHTmM6ma7G7n-320-80.jpg)
Best PC racing wheels in 2024: 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.
![Cybenetics ratings on the side of a Corsair PSU box.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/a7nAHVoema9hAzPUzcoKEY-320-80.jpg)
Corsair ditches 80 Plus for PSUs: here are the Cybenetics ratings it'll use instead
By Jacob Ridley published
News Get used to seeing Cybenetics Gold, Platinum, and Titanium.
![Intel's Lunar Lake Lion Cove cores without Hyper-Threading](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/GMpoQhXEuVJvvL3GqMwTSJ-320-80.png)
'The ongoing conversations around ARM vs x86 power are based on a false premise,' says Intel's VP of technical marketing
By Jacob Ridley published
News ARM might appear more naturally efficient, yet Intel insists x86 is just as good in the right hands.
![Two of the best PC fans side by side on a blue background](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ZSo7H5sfNrb4MKx8PxmddZ-320-80.jpg)
Best PC fans in 2024: 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.
![Two webcams pictured on a blue gradient background with a PC Gamer Recommended badge.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/vo9zqBcBvuxTte9DXWU2ne-320-80.jpg)
Best webcams in 2024: 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.
![PowerColor Hellhound RX 7600 XT graphics card on a red background,](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/83zzeZziybhg3bdLmcyqm5-320-80.jpg)
There still might be more RX 7000-series AMD GPUs on the way as rumours suggest two under $250
By Jacob Ridley published
News It's early days, though there's still room for more graphics cards at the bottom of the stack.
![Google headquarters is seen in Mountain View, California, United States on September 26, 2022.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/hF9CqPG4h4hmTkKtVQ9FkX-320-80.jpg)
'Google is a monopolist' says US judge in ruling on exclusivity deals to get Google Search on all your platforms all the time
By Jacob Ridley published
News "Google’s distribution agreements are exclusive and have anticompetitive effects."
![Intel Core i9 14900K CPU on a box and inside a motherboard socket.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/dafyrnGsMwEY789QFppCxA-320-80.jpg)
Intel is laying off 15,000 people: 'We are making some of the most consequential changes in our company's history'
By Jacob Ridley published
News Announces revenue of $12.8 billion for the quarter with operating income of zilch.
![Intel Core i9 14900K CPU on a box and inside a motherboard socket.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/T6dxSreR6wwv8FgwcPFZbA-320-80.jpg)
A law firm is investigating whether to launch a class action case against Intel for 13th/14th Gen CPU instability issues
By Jacob Ridley published
News And you can register your interest via an online form.
![Multiple USB ports on a Corsair PC case with a secondary layer effect showing more.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/djNsCJKckZczxsSBs8Rcun-320-80.jpg)
Thank you, Freeware: I was just saved from USB disconnect/reconnect hell by a simple logging tool
By Jacob Ridley published
<3 God bless USBLogView.
![Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 with an AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 chip inside it.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/TfgmGNXad8R8hxjF75En9i-320-80.jpg)
Zen 5 tested: AMD's Ryzen AI 300-series brings new cores and a revamped RDNA 3.5 GPU for chunky performance gains in laptops and handhelds
By Jacob Ridley published
Zen 5 tested AMD's thrown everything at its new mobile chip to top Meteor Lake, and it does just that.
![Wooting 60HE gaming keyboard pictured with yellow wrist strap attached.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/NmHLNfc9bfpEfNez65dQ4D-320-80.jpg)
Keyboards might be cheating now: what is Snap Tap/SOCD and why is it causing a crisis for competitive shooters?
By Jacob Ridley published
Tap this! One new feature on a gaming keyboard and everyone loses their minds!
![Asus ROG Azoth Extreme gaming keyboard](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/bjwPhgrsCRCMdV8BmJ8EAQ-320-80.jpg)
Asus ROG Azoth Extreme review
By Jacob Ridley published
Big money One of the gaming greats weighed down by an absurdly heavy price tag.
![Sony PS VR2 marketing image with the headset shown.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/qEihxzjKg2TeaAmTfezqLe-320-80.jpg)
An official app for PS VR2 on PC has just been listed on Steam
By Jacob Ridley published
News It's happening.
![An Asus ROG Ally X and Valve Steam Deck against a colored background with a PC Gamer Recommended logo](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/8ndgqJcefkxNDGKEsxrhUg-320-80.jpg)
Best handheld gaming PC in 2024: 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.
![Image of a Ryzen 9000 series processor with the heat spreader removed, against a red background](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/2sFaGJpSpCBMn3GrKWwGJb-320-80.jpg)
AMD delays Ryzen 9000-series retail launch by a couple of weeks after discovering an issue with the first batch of chips
By Jacob Ridley published
News The Ryzen 9000-series is now expected to be available from retailers on August 15, AMD says.
![Headphones designed by Pud's Small Batch Headphones.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/rjy8bDrqL92G6CXkfsMdT-320-80.jpg)
Call yourself a bass head? Walk around wearing a pair of Ol' Thumpy headphones, I dare you
By Jacob Ridley published
News They come with Helmholtz resonators tuned to pump up the low frequencies.
![Tesla's Optimus robot in testing.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/9rPKUJHYaVBGSpPSsKg26B-320-80.jpg)
Tesla will roll out 'genuinely useful' humanoid robots to factory floor next year says Musk
By Jacob Ridley published
News Could we get one to tidy the PC Gamer office?
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