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
![Corsair HS55 and HyperX Cloud Alpha wireless gaming headsets against a colored background, with a PC Gamer Recommended logo](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/kDSxfYxMRUSPTbVCtknKGh-320-80.jpg)
Best wireless gaming headsets in 2024: the top cans I'd buy myself
By Dave James last updated
Untethered The best wireless gaming headsets allow you to enjoy your games and music tangle-free.
![Two of the best headsets side by side on a pink background.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/JcTkkafu6X9GPCiZ28k7RV-320-80.jpg)
Best gaming headsets in 2024: 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.
![The best VR headsets on a white gradient background with a PC Gamer Recommended badge in the top right](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/WNdNQJxrkE28NGBXZmoFCX-320-80.jpg)
Best VR headset in 2024: 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.
![WD Black SN850X SSD on a blue background.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/g4b8hbMttodHURHRqkcmM4-320-80.png)
I hope these July 4 SSD sales aren't a sign of things to come for Prime Day—they're pretty trash
By Jacob Ridley published
Deal The power of freedom wasn't enough to quash today's high prices, but I'm hopeful for decent deals come Prime Day.
![Why copyright right matters, over a crudely drawn countryside scene.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/RU4WDBPGGT4sTKF279Ws2E-320-80.png)
The internet is not a free-for-all—we shouldn't let big tech companies wish copyright out of existence
By Jacob Ridley published
Hands off Is everything on the internet fair game for AI? Nope, and it never has been.
![Zenless Zone Zero.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/VfvSVkU8ooBYZy66x3Wm98-320-80.png)
Don't sweat it—Zenless Zone Zero's system requirements demand nothing more than a ten-year old GPU and 8 GB of RAM
By Jacob Ridley published
News Budget gamers, you're good to go.
![Nvidia RTX 4080 Super Founders Edition graphics card](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/YyegbDygGBwydKJ2Gyu6h8-320-80.jpg)
Nvidia could face antitrust charges in France as 'the risk of abuse by chip providers' scrutinised by competition authority
By Jacob Ridley published
News Follow-up to raids at Nvidia's offices in September.
![Samsung OLED G9 gaming monitor](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/tS7SSKRVnupFMkeZ6aeAnh-320-80.jpg)
Samsung was either feeling generous or someone messed up big time when it temporarily slashed £1,400 off a 49-inch 240 Hz OLED gaming monitor
By Jacob Ridley published
News I missed it!
![Best gaming PC build guide header with three PC chassis on a purple background with PC Gamer badges.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/AQYCErGfchsRwDo9wdA6c4-320-80.jpg)
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.
![PNY Verto RTX 4080 Super GPU](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/3A6dbHnGCbnQfpm7QXLHkF-320-80.jpg)
This RTX 4080 Super is cheap enough at $950 to make it exceedingly tempting
By Jacob Ridley published
Deal Newegg's Video Card Sale, unsurprisingly, offers up low prices on AMD and Nvidia cards.
![Noctua's NV-FS1 desk fan on a black desk.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/2tBw3aw3XKSUDsp7yQA7Qe-320-80.jpg)
The ideal desk fan for a PC builder: I've kept the best of Britain's lacklustre summer away with Noctua's quiet, effective and pricey desk fan
By Jacob Ridley published
Cool off Noctua's desk fan is everything you'd expect it to be.
![AMD Strix Point APU chip, held in a hand, with the reflected light showing the various processing blocks in the chip die](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/MJ7bphMH9WHYqXXHgbZ8tb-320-80.jpg)
AMD's new 890M mobile GPU could be over 30% faster than the 780M currently used in most handheld gaming PCs
By Jacob Ridley published
News The new Ryzen AI 300-series chips will likely be the chip of choice for future handheld gaming PCs.
![LambertTheMaker's business card/game console on Hackaday.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/GU6TQmbg487tPTaFDtcr6g-320-80.jpg)
An origami USB connector and a games console that'll fit in your wallet—two entries in a contest to make business cards exciting
By Jacob Ridley published
News Hackaday's business card contest has seen some awesome entries in 2024.
![A Lian Li Galihad liquid cooler on a gradient background.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/6i9CyqyWsvi6ovELAgWrtY-320-80.jpg)
The company that invented the AIO cooler has seen its share price plummet 40% due to a slump in demand
By Jacob Ridley published
News Things might get worse before they can get better for Asetek.
![Apple TV original series Severance teaser shot for season 2.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/fw897Y6VCG7SbH7wnQA396-320-80.jpg)
Tough day at the office? How about a mandatory photo montage to calm you down, ordered by an AI that's monitoring how close you get to breaking point
By Jacob Ridley published
News A bank is using AI to monitor call center workers' stress levels and automatically play photo montages when it all gets too much.
![Hyte's Thicc Q60 liquid cooler with a huge 5-inch screen on the cold plate.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/U55kTBXPjmhj7yRLndMeRR-320-80.jpg)
Hyte Thicc Q60 AIO cooler review
By Jacob Ridley published
THICC Almost more mobile phone than CPU cooler.
![Crucial T700 SSD](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/cDSsNVMQXgR2NeqCB6NdSN-320-80.jpg)
PCIe 5.0 SSDs are yet to reach tipping point: 'The percentage of Gen5 shipping to the percentage of Gen 4 is very small' but Micron says that might change next year
By Jacob Ridley published
News In around nine months' time these speedy drives may become more affordable, Micron tells me.
![Micron's LPCAMM2 memory module.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/gHiGNipa4KbnnQZJF8kMUL-320-80.jpg)
The new memory form factor expected to beat DDR5: 'the future really lies here... LPCAMM2 running on the PC' says Micron
By Jacob Ridley published
News CAMM2 makes a lot of sense in laptops, but will it ever take off on desktop?
![Crucial Pro Overclocking memory kit on a multi-colour background.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/33Xuo56NCmASgwbt2pLWZN-320-80.png)
Micron says AI 'is really going to impact the supply demand balance' for PC as it's 'made memory sexy again'
By Jacob Ridley published
News Micron talks demand, supply and AI at Computex 2024.
![Three Palit RTX 4090 graphics cards on display at Computex 2024.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/eHhGC2RwxR8eeUf7ZWrmRJ-320-80.png)
Palit has created a part-air, part-liquid, all-monster RTX 4090 graphics card
By Jacob Ridley published
News The epic RTX 4090 Neptunus.
![A Frostpunk 2 themed graphics card from Sapphire.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/AXVey79FoyeqZfvo5GrmdT-320-80.png)
This Frostpunk 2 RX 7700 XT from Sapphire is a promotional card that actually captures the game's vibe
By Jacob Ridley published
News Looks bleak, but in a good way!
![Lian Li's wireless RGB control system at Computex 2024.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/vG6yUwzsPkV7wLbFfdo5FZ-320-80.png)
Ditch the messy controller and cables inside your PC with Lian Li's wireless RGB dongle
By Jacob Ridley published
News That'll save on cable management.
![Ducky's OneX induction gaming keyboard at Computex 2024.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/WyJPu7HVdWi82Cx6mbvoGd-320-80.png)
Ducky's 'world's first' analog keyboard offers Cherry inductive switches and wireless—but is it better than Hall effect?
By Jacob Ridley published
News Inductive switches are reportedly as good as Hall effect without the high power draw.