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
![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.
![Razer DeathAdder V3 HyperSpeed and Logitech G502 X on colourful background](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/4NBgfY8Q8ssNZ8LViYVEQh-320-80.png)
Best gaming mouse in 2024: I've tested the very best mice and these are my top picks
By Dave James last updated
Pinpoint The best gaming mouse for every game, budget, grip, and size.
![Razer DeathAdder V3 HyperSpeed and Logitech G Pro X Superlight 2 on colourful background](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/cGQgM5CeUHuqNEu5dtayLL-320-80.jpg)
Best wireless gaming mouse in 2024: These are the rodents I love getting my mitts on
By Dave James last updated
Unbound Let go of the tethers and embrace the freedom of living life cable free.
![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.
![Two of the best OLED gaming monitors on a blue background with the PC Gamer Recommends badge.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/LYYsX8uTEoVbQ8v54tcYbi-320-80.jpg)
Best OLED gaming monitors in 2024: 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.
![Two of the best 4K gaming monitors, the MSI MPG 321URX QD-OLED and the LG UltraGear 27GR93U on a grey background with the PC Gamer recommended logo in the top right corner](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/WxPAR33Yh7pFgYCh9hxmdA-320-80.jpg)
Best 4K gaming monitors in 2024
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.
![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.
![The Asus ROG Swift OLED PG34WCDM and the Alienware 34 QD-OLED AW3423DWF ultrawide gaming monitors on a blue buying guide background with a PC Gamer recommended logo in the top right](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ikWQMN2nVjvTKYm3gMUzGW-320-80.jpg)
Best ultrawide monitor for gaming in 2024: the expansive 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.
![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?
![Image of some of the best gaming desks with a green background.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/6hYG6rVVuTgsrHfQ49zTpM-320-80.jpg)
Best gaming desk in 2024: 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.
![Modern blue screen of death (BSOD) error.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/pRRTXoXB22ucC5yWZRaoCD-320-80.jpg)
CrowdStrike CEO apologises for global IT outage that has seen planes grounded, health services halted and the BSOD appearing in oh so many places it shouldn't
By Jacob Ridley last updated
News You think you're having a bad day.
![Lenovo Legion Pro 5i 16 Gen 9 gaming laptop on a desk.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/hVr7FtubAb7SgPEZhg25gc-320-80.jpg)
Lenovo Legion Pro 5i 16 Gen 9 review
By Jacob Ridley published
Unbalanced Excellent gaming performance doesn't make up for a lacklustre spec for the money.
![Prime Day PC build parts on a blue background.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/eWNfQsVE4T9F4rkKp6PxFn-320-80.jpg)
Join me as I build a wicked gaming PC for ~$1,000 out of Prime Day sale parts
By Jacob Ridley last updated
Prime Day Live Let's build ourselves a tasty machine that'll play the latest games at 1440p or better.
![Amazon Prime Day deals scattered on a blue background.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/gABVTa5BbDWeLENRyLKTiM-320-80.jpg)
Prime Day PC gaming deals
By Dave James last updated
Prime Day Deals The Prime Day PC gaming deals may have ceased, but there are still plenty more available.
![Some gaming laptops scattered on a blue background.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/MhbagZpZvKxnZvF37S2kvB-320-80.jpg)
Looking for the best Prime Day gaming laptop deals? The sales are still ongoing even after the official event has ended
By Jacob Ridley last updated
Prime Day Live There are still serious discounts on gaming laptops right now, from Amazon and further afield.
![two graphics cards on a green background](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Npxc7U8ztveEHqSpNFPi3W-320-80.jpg)
Amazon Prime Day graphics card deals
By Jacob Ridley last updated
Prime Day Deals Amazon Prime Day 2024 is all done and dusted, but we're still on the hunt for any lingering GPU deals.
![Three gaming monitors, the ASRock Phantom Gaming 27 inch, Samsung Odyssey OLED G9, and Alienware AWF3423DWF, on a green blue background](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/CJZBY438p5URAcYVLYAyDg-320-80.jpg)
Best Amazon Prime Day gaming monitor deals
By Jacob Ridley last updated
Prime Day Deals Whether you're looking for the best deal on an OLED ultrawide, a 32-inch IPS or a little 1080p cutie, we've got you covered.
![Sennheiser HD 599 and Massdrop x Sennheiser HD 6XX headphones on blue background](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/YtTNH4LEivoCKkDjBon7Ai-320-80.jpg)
So, Jacob 1 and Jacob 2, why do you enjoy Prime Day? In unison: 'Because our fav Sennheiser headphones are 30% off or more.' Thanks, Jacobs
By Jacob Fox published
Prime Day The Jacobs have spoken, and spoken wise words they have.