COMPONENTS AND PERIPHERALS

“Over the course of 2023 we saw decent incremental evolution with many components and peripherals. DDR5 memory became commonplace, and speeds rose and timings fell.”

This is the single biggest category of the Awards, and is arguably the most important. Whether upgrading a single part, or building from scratch, these are the things you will be thinking about most, and planning most carefully.

Over the course of 2023 we saw decent incremental evolution with many components and peripherals. DDR5 memory became commonplace, and speeds rose and timings fell. Juiced up CPUs and graphics cards demanded better cooling, and better case design, and the companies behind this gear delivered. Monitors and networking, especially, saw big leaps as OLED hit its stride, and prices fell. Wi-Fi 7 entered the game, though Wi-Fi 6 still holds court for the time being. 2023 saw old players enter new arenas, familiar product lines were refined and evolved, and with the covid-induced pricing panic largely behind us, it’s a great time to upgrade with some nice new kit.

MONITOR SAMSUNG ODYSSEY OLED G9

Samsung wasn’t going to be beaten by Alienware (or Asus) this year, offering a 49-inch ultrawide with a uniquely fast 240Hz refresh rate and 0.03ms response rate in the Double QHD format that is a sweet spot for ultra premium gaming.

HIGHLY COMMENDED: MSI Optix G274QPF-QD

FINALISTS: MSI Optix G274QPF-QD, HyperX Armada 27, Acer Predator X32 FP, MSI 342C QD-OLED, Asus ROG Swift OLED PG27AQDM, AOC Gaming 24G2SP, Dell 24 P2423D, Asrock G34WQ15R2B, Philips Evnia 34M2C8600, Samsung Odyssey OLED G9, Samsung Odyssey Neo G9 G95NC, Asus ROG Swift OLED PG49WCD.

KEYBOARD LOGITECH G PRO X TKL LIGHTSPEED

A perfect combination of rock solid durability and materials, combined with near-perfect layout and size. We especially like the media controls and volume wheel, and the wireless-plus-Bluetooth functionality that switches with a single button makes it a keyboard that can move from your PC to TV effortlessly.

HIGHLY COMMENDED: Asus Rog Strix Scope II 96 Wireless

FINALISTS Ducky One 3 Aura Keyboard, Razer BlackWidow V4 Pro, Logitech G PRO X TKL Lightspeed, Asus Rog Strix Scope II 96 Wireless, Corsair K70 Max.

PC CASE FRACTAL DESIGN TERRA

The Fractal Terra is a striking and mostly well-thought-out Mini-ITX case. Fractal has once again delivered one of the prettiest cases available – especially if you want a respite from the RGB and aggressive designs that dominate the gaming side of the PC realm.

HIGHLY COMMENDED: MSI MEG Prospect 700R, Nzxt H9 Flow

FINALISTS: TT Ceres, MSI MPG Velox 100P Airflow, Corsair iCUE 4000D RGB Airflow, Asus Prime AP201, Nzxt H9 Flow, MSI MEG Prospect 700R, Thermaltake CTE C750 Air, Be Queit! Shadow Base 800 FX, HYTE Y70 Touch, Fractal Design Terra.

ROUTER ASUS TUF GAMING AX4200

2023 (eventually) gave us a glimpse of Wi-Fi 7’s potential, but Asus’ budget TUF Gaming AX4200 wins thanks to its outstanding performance, features and value proposition.

FINALISTS: Asus ROG Rapture GT-AXE16000, Asus ROG Rapture GT6 gaming mesh, MSI RadiX AX6600 WiFi 6 Gaming Router, Asus TUF Gaming AX4200, DrayTek Vigor2135ax Netgear Nighthawk A8000, TP-Link Deco XE200 AX11000, Asus RT-AX1800S.

HIGHLY COMMENDED: MSI RadiX AX6600 WiFi 6 Gaming Router, TP-Link Deco XE200 AX11000

MEMORY MAKER G.SKILL

G.Skill’s memory covers every segment of the market, from ultra-enthusiast kits to more generic kits for basic systems. No matter how much capacity or speed you need, G.Skill has memory to suit.

HIGHLY COMMENDED: Kingston, Teamgroup

FINALISTS: PNY, G.Skill, Team Group, Corsair, Kingston, Adata.

MOUSE LOGITECH G PRO X SUPERLIGHT 2

The Superlight 2 does the basics, and it does them really, really well. Its cloudlike lightness makes it ideal for fast, intense games, but it’s a brilliant pointer for much more than just that. With supersmooth gliding and an excellent sensor, it’ll be a fantastic choice for gaming and productivity.

FINALISTS: MSI Clutch GM51 Wireless Gaming Mouse, Benq Zowie EC-CCW, Logitech G PRO X Superlight 2, SteelSeries Aerox 5 wireless, Glorious Model O 2 Wireless, Razer DeathAdder V3.

COOLING PRODUCT LIAN LI UNI FAN TL LCD

Fans are items every PC needs. Then there’s the Lian Li Uni fans with built in 1.6-in LCD screens. They look absolutely incredible. You might not need them, but you probably want them.

HIGHLY COMMENDED: Corsair iCUE Link Ecosystem

FINALISTS: Corsair iCUE H100i Elite LCD XT, Asus ROG Ryuo III 360, Teamgroup Siren Duo360, Thermaltake TH240 V2 Ultra, Corsair iCUE Link Ecosystem, Lian Li UNI FAN TL LCD, Thermalright Peerless Assassin.

GAMING HEADSET AUDEZE MAXWELL

Thanks to its audiophile-grade planar drivers, the Audeze Maxwell sounds fantastic, whether you’re gaming, chatting, or listening to music. You won’t find a better-sounding gaming headset at (or near) this price point.

HIGHLY COMMENDED: HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless

FINALISTS: HyperX Cloud III, Razer BlackShark V2 Pro (2023), HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless, Corsair HS55 Wireless, Audeze Maxwell, Corsair HS80 RGB, JBL Quantum TWS, SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro, Corsair HS65 Surround Wireless.