GEAR OF THE YEAR

It’s been an incredible year— here’s the hardware that really stands out.

OVER THE NEXT 10 PAGES, you’ll find the best gear to have been released this year. The hardware, systems, and components that stand out as the best options around. If you’re looking to treat yourself, this makes for a great wishlist of where to drop your cash. Or, if you’ve already bought something that we’ve covered, congratulations—you have great taste.

The big news of 2019 was the release of AMD’s Zen 2 architecture, as found in the Ryzen 3000 series of CPUs, and with it came support for PCIe 4.0, which saw impressive bandwidths in SSDs in particular. There’s been plenty of great motherboards for these new chips, too, making it a great time for anyone looking to upgrade their system with a whole new powerful base with lots of cores and threads.

A quick look through the list will reveal that Intel’s desktop CPUs haven’t made the cut, and the same goes for Nvidia’s high-end GPUs, which failed to make the list due to their high price and lack of a killer app for real-time ray tracing. Still, there have been some great GPUs at the lower end of the stack, and you’ll find our favorites here.

HP Envy 13

We love the idea of thin and light notebooks, but the performance hit has put us off. Until now. The Envy 13 is a brilliant example of how far the genre has advanced, and while once you were sacrificing too much power at the altar of portability, these days you can have it all: great battery life, strong performance, and at just 2.6lb, it’s seriously portable, too. The GeForce MX250 isn’t what you’d call a gaming powerhouse, but then this isn’t really a gaming machine, so no harm done.

$1,250 http://store.hp.com Reviewed: Vol. 24, No. 11, Page 78

› Raspberry Pi 4 Model B 4GB

The latest iteration of the tiniest budget PC continues to impress us with its improved performance—now boasting a proper internal infrastructure that gives you plenty of bandwidth for gigabit networking and USB 3 interfaces, as well as support for dual displays at up to 4K. This 4GB model is great for use as a desktop PC, although cheaper 1GB and 2GB models are also available. Check out this month’s feature on page 34 for plenty of Raspberry Pi 4 projects.

$55 www.raspberrypi.org Reviewed: Vol. 24, No. 9, Page 79

› Acer Predator Helios 700

So, you want to play the latest AAA games, but you also need the machine in question to be portable? You’ll want to put the Helios 700 on your wishlist, then. It’s not cheap, and it’s not exactly subtle, either, but it does pack some serious hardware into its clever chassis (the keyboard slides down for extra cooling): GeForce RTX 2080, Core i9-9980HK, 144Hz 1080p display, and 64GB of RAM. This is a beast of a machine, in every sense of the word.

$3,499 www.acer.com Reviewed: Vol. 24, No. 12, Page 78

› Falcon Northwest Talon 20th Anniversary

That Falcon Northwest has been making quality machines long enough to produce a 20th anniversary model is testament to the company’s capabilities. Here’s a firm that knows what buyers want, and knows what it’s doing. Anyone looking for a beautifully crafted machine, brimming with the latest hardware, will be delighted with this anniversary build, which in our case came with dual RTX 2080 Supers, a Ryzen 9 3900X, and RAIDed SSDs. The fact that it also comes with such slick aesthetics is the cherry on top.

$5,316 www.falcon-nw.com

Reviewed: Vol. 24, No. 13, Page 76

› Maingear Vybe

Proving that high-end gear doesn’t have to cost the earth, the Maingear Vybe family starts at just $699, but nets you a quality system whatever you select.

The machine we got in for review sits at the top of the range (and has since been upgraded from an RTX 2080 to an RTX 2080 Super), and performed brilliantly, as to be expected. The sober NZXT case styling combined with classy RGB lighting made for a tasteful system, that when backed up with the generous warranty, made for the near-perfect prebuild.

$2,499 www.maingear.com

Reviewed: Vol. 24, No. 6, Page 78

› Acer ConceptD 500

Corsair isn’t having the workstation redesign party all to itself, because Acer has turned up fashionably late with its own take on proceedings in the form of the ConceptD 500. Boasting slightly more sober styling and a more traditional form factor, this workstation still manages to impress both in terms of performance and looks. We would have preferred some beefier fans inside the case, but the rest of the components are up to snuff, and overall we like where the workstation market is heading.

$4,000 www.acer.com

Reviewed: Vol. 24, No. 12, Page 76

› Corsair One Pro i180

Convention dictates that those looking for serious performance need to make do with boring-looking workstations. And that such a system will be massive. Not so the Corsair One Pro i180. Brimming with the latest hardware, this machine not only has the performance to turn heads, but it has the looks as well. Its diminutive frame, smart styling, and ingenious cooling make for one of the most appealing systems we’ve ever had in the Maximum PC office. Expensive, but oh so worth it.

$6,799 www.corsair.com

Reviewed: Vol. 24, No. 7, Page 76

› AMD Ryzen 7 3700X

If your funds don’t quite stretch to the top of AMD’s Zen 2 stack, the Ryzen 7 3700X is where the sensible money sits. Your $330 nets you an eight-core, 16-thread processor that can chew through the majority of tasks easily, and thanks to the support for PCIe Gen 4, you won’t be waiting around for your data either. Overclocking headroom is admittedly a little weak, and Intel still gets the nod for dedicated gaming, but don’t let that detract from a phenomenal package.

$329 www.amd.com

Reviewed: Vol. 24, No. 10, Page 74

› AMD Ryzen 9 3900X

The 3900X may have just been supplanted by the 3950X at the top of the stack, but it remains our go-to chip for anyone seeking phenomenal performance at a reasonable price. This 12-core, 24-thread CPU has more than enough processing power for serious work, and manages to challenge enthusiast-class chips in the process. Throw in support for PCIe Gen 4 (and those tasty SSDs, in particular), and the fact that it comes with a decent air cooler, and this is a great overall package.

$500 www.amd.com

Reviewed: Vol. 24, No. 9, Page 72

› ASRock X570 Taichi

Regardless of whether the steampunk styling is to your taste, the X570 Taichi makes for a great starting point for any prospective Ryzen 3000 build. Strong performance comes as standard, and thanks to the swathes of metal covering the lower half of the board, this is a sturdy base as well. Power draw is a tad higher than similar X470 offerings, but M.2 throughput makes up for that, while the connectionrich I/O panel, complete with integrated shield, makes for a versatile basis for any machine.

$300 www.asrock.com

Reviewed: Vol. 24, No. 10, Page 82

› Zotac Gaming GeForce RTX 2060 6GB

Nvidia’s RTX graphics cards started rolling out at the end of last year, and while they’ve all seen updates with the Super renditions, only the original RTX 2060 really stands out as a must-buy graphics card. This is mainly due to the fact that its price tag isn’t absurd. While you won’t be playing ray-traced titles at the higher resolutions, it’ll trace those rays at 1080p, and normal games run smoothly at 1440p.

$333 www.zotac.com

Reviewed: Vol. 24, No. 4, Page 80

› EVGA GeForce GTX 1660 Super SC Ultra

Nvidia’s decision to release budget-focused cards based on Turing, but without the real-time ray-tracing support, may have been an odd pitch, but it paid off in terms of value for money. Releasing “Super” renditions was also something of an odd angle, but again, it paid off, resulting in near-1660 Ti levels of performance, for less money. The 1660 Super will rock 1080p gaming at the highest settings, and have a good try at 1440p if you ease back on the settings.

$230 www.evga.com

Reviewed: Vol. 24, No. 13, Page 80

› Asus ROG Crosshair VIII Formula

Asus went back to the drawing board for the Crosshair VIII Formula, and returned with a motherboard that rethinks how cooling works for Ryzen 3000. Anyone wanting to really push the top-tier Zen 2 chips need look no further than this behemoth of black metal and mirrors. You’ll want to be a bit of a pro with the old water cooling, but if you are, this will pay richly—we liked it so much that we used it in our big build last issue. The only obvious downside is the price.

$600 www.asus.com

Reviewed: Vol. 24, No. 12, Page 84

› Phanteks Eclipse P600S

There’s a lot of subjectivity when it comes to cases—if you don’t like the look of it, it doesn’t matter how good the airflow is or how easy it is to build inside—even so, when we looked at this case earlier this year, we honestly couldn’t find any serious negatives against it. The layout is fantastic, the build quality and material choices impeccable, and all for a lower price than you’d usually pay for such a premium case.

$145 www.phanteks.com

Reviewed: Vol. 24, No. 4, Page 84

› NZXT H510 Elite

NZXT has produced some incredible cases over the years, and the H510 Elite joins those ranks, thanks to its clean lines and combination of smoked glass and white base. This case boasts some brilliant cable management, impressive lighting capabilities, and thanks to that spacious bottom compartment, can be the foundation of a brilliant build. There is somewhat limited space for larger radiators, and it is a bit on the pricey side, but it’s still an incredible option.

$170 www.nzxt.com

Reviewed: Vol. 24, No. 10, Page 88

› Noctua NH-U12A

If you want serious cooling, you go water (either custom loop or an all-in-one), but if you want to stick with air, Noctua is often the answer. Its beige-themed range of CPU coolers may not look like much, but the cooling on offer is always impressive. The NH-U12A managed to keep our test Ryzen 5 2600X at a steady 60 C under full load, and idling at 30 C, while being whisper quiet. It can be tricky to install on some mobos, but well worth the investment.

$100 www.noctua.at

Reviewed: Vol. 24, No. 6, Page 87

› Zadak Spark RGB 16GB DDR4 DD 4,133MHz

High-performance RAM is tricky to recommend, simply because while there are some specific applications where you can see the performance benefits, for most day-to-day uses, you’ll be hard pushed to justify dropping so much cash on it. That said, this high-speed Zadak kit managed to wow us convincingly with its high bandwidth and low latency. It also happens to be a goodlooking pair of sticks, which could swing your decision if you have a windowed case to show off your investment.

$280 www.zadak.biz

Reviewed: Vol. 24, No. 11, Page 86

› Acer Predator X27

We’ve looked at plenty of screens in the last 12 months, but apart from one exception (see page 84), none of them have managed to surpass the screen we looked at back in the January issue. The Predator X27 offers up the best HDR implementation we’ve seen so far, thanks to its dynamic 384-zone local dimming. This is quite a bit of cash for a 27inch screen, even if it is a 4K, G-Sync model, with a 144Hz refresh rate. Still, if you want the best, you’ve got to pay.

$1,899 www.acer.com

Reviewed: Vol. 24, No. 1, Page 82

› Corsair MP600 1TB

One of the big stories with the release of the Ryzen 3000 series chips was support for PCI Express 4.0, and the Corsair MP600 was one of the first drives to hit the scene. It just so happens to be one of the best options as well, with its snazzy passive cooling and its frankly ridiculous transfer rates—particularly when it comes to 4.9GB/s sequential read and 4.2GB/s write speeds. If you want next-gen drive performance, you’ve found it.

$190 www.corsair.com

Reviewed: Vol. 24, No. 10, Page 84

› Audio-Technica ATH-M50xBT

Enjoying a proper studio-grade soundstage from Bluetooth headphones is rarer than you might think, especially if you’re looking for sound canceling at the same time. The ATH-M50xBT headphones check that specific box beautifully, though, offering up plenty of bass, but with crystal clear midtones and highs, in a package that folds up neatly when you’re out and about. Build quality is impeccable, they’re comfortable in use, and with a 40-hour battery life, you won’t want or need to take them off.

$199 www.audio-technica.com nica.com

Reviewed: Vol. 24, No. 1, Page ge 86

› Sennheiser GSP 670 The freedom you get from going wireless is often overused in this industry, but where headsets are concerned, there is a real benefit to not being anchored to your desk. We’ll admit that the GSP 670s are pricey, but the quality speaks for itself, and these produce an incredibly detailed soundstage, while also feeling luxurious, thanks to the headband that enables you to control how much pressure is applied to your head. The fact that you can connect using Bluetooth makes them versatile, too.

$349 https://sennheiser.com er.com

Reviewed: Vol. 24, No. 8, Page ge 88

› HyperX QuadCast HyperX knows what it takes to make quality hardware, and the company has hit the ground running with its QuadCast microphone. Anyone who needs to capture audio at a better level than is possible with a headset mic should take a look at this excellently spec’d device. The shock mount does a brilliant job of keeping your voice clear of pops and whistles, and while it can’t quite compete with professional studio equipment, it isn’t far off.

$140 www.hyperxgaming.com

Reviewed: Vol. 24, No. 6, Page 88

› Logitech G502 Lightspeed

We wish wireless gaming mice didn’t cost as much as they do, but there is enough cleverness involved here that those wanting to treat themselves to a tail-free experience need look no further. It nails the basics— being comfortable and boasting an excellent sensor— but manages to couple that with great battery life and enough customization options to please just about any hand. It’s absolutely riddled with buttons, and you can assign actions to the mouse wheel as well.

$140 www.logitech.com

Reviewed: Vol. 24, No. 8, Page 86

› Roccat Kone AIMO

The price of gaming mice seems to be rising on a daily basis, which is why it’s good to return to a wired mouse that doesn’t cost as much as a decent case, and underlines what really matters for any budding rodent. The Kone AIMO has a quality sensor, boasts solid construction and materials, and has a less-ismore ethos that sees it nail the fundamentals. This is a big mouse, though, so those with smaller hands may need to look elsewhere.

$80 www.roccat.org

Reviewed: Vol. 24, No. 2, Page 86

Elgato 4K60 Pro MK.2

If you’re planning on taking your streaming to the next level, you’ll have come across the Elgato name, and for good reason—it’s the standard for capture hardware. This, its latest offering, is capable of capturing 4K streams at up to 60Hz, or, if you’d prefer, 1080p at up to 240Hz, or 1440p at 144Hz. It’s easy to get up and running, too: Slide it into your machine, connect your source (PC, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, or PlayStation 4), and you’re good to go. Easy and effective.

$250 www.elgato.com

Reviewed: Vol. 24, No. 12, Page 86