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

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.

Asus ROG Flow Z13 (2025) review
By Jacob Ridley published
ROG-pad I try to wrangle some sense out of AMD's beefy Strix Halo experiment stuffed inside a gaming tablet.

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.

Nvidia RTX 5070 Ti launch day live: All the retail links to RTX 5070 Ti graphics cards, including MSRP and absolutely nowhere near MSRP models
By Jacob Ridley last updated
Live I'm updating this page with the latest listings and prices across major US and UK retailers.

Sorry, ROG Flow Z13, but after a weekend with you I don't see the point in a gaming tablet
By Jacob Ridley published
Take your tablet It's not quite a gaming laptop, not quite a handheld... just a little bit worse than both.

Ducky One X review
By Jacob Ridley published
Needs work The world's first induction keyboard fails to materialise into a must-have product.

Monster Hunter Wilds PC performance: From Nvidia's latest, past AMD's greatest, to Intel's failing silicon, this is what the game does to PCG's own rigs
By Dave James published
We put our own machines through the ringer with the Monster Hunter Wilds benchmark, to lesser or greater success.

This no-vidia gaming PC is a great example of how small design decisions can make it feel like you're building a PC on easy-mode
By Jacob Ridley published
Simple All thanks to a roomy case, fan controller, and incredibly simple NVMe slots.

Noctua NH-L12S review
By Jacob Ridley published
Lil' chill A classic low-profile air cooler still worth a look in 2025.

This Minecraft creation blots out the sun for the villagers below, they surely praise it as God, but we know it really to be a functioning 32-bit computer with 2 kB of RAM
By Jacob Ridley published
News This computer, built fully within Minecraft, ran the Fibonacci Sequence.

Best graphics cards in 2025: the GPUs I recommend for every budget
By Jacob Ridley last updated
Pixel Pushers Our picks of the most powerful gaming GPUs and the ones that provide the best bang for your buck.

Asus says its easy-peasy PCIe slot causes 'no damage that would affect functionality' following claims of excessive wear, but says it'll cover any damage
By Jacob Ridley published
News "...we have found no impact on the functionality of either the graphics card or the motherboard."

I built the mullet of gaming PCs with MSI's Project Zero 'Back-Connect' parts
By Jacob Ridley published
Mullet PC Business up front, party out back.

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.

Fractal Design Terra review
By Jacob Ridley published
Tiny Terra Cute, compact, and easy to build with.

Logitech G RS Wheel Hub and RS Track Wheel review
By Jacob Ridley published
Wheely good The wheel upgrade I've been waiting for.

I will get a Switch 2 for Pokémon and no handheld gaming PC on Earth can stop me
By Jacob Ridley published
Switch sides Even as a dyed-in-the-wool PC gamer, I can't resist the pull of Nintendo's exclusives.

Logitech G RS Shifter and Handbrake review
By Jacob Ridley last updated
Shifty Sequential shifter and handbrake in one robust package.

I tried a sim racing rig that generates 'wind' at CES 2025 and it's claimed to help keep VR nausea at bay
By Jacob Ridley published
News It's surprisingly immersive.
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