<img src="https://sb.scorecardresearch.com/p/?c1=2&amp;c2=10055482&amp;cv=4.4.0&amp;cj=1"> Skip to main content
PC Gamer PC Gamer THE GLOBAL AUTHORITY ON PC GAMES
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
flag of UK
UK
flag of US
US
flag of Canada
Canada
flag of Australia
Australia
  • Games
  • Hardware
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Guides
  • Video
  • Forum
  • More
    • PC Gaming Show
    • Software
    • Movies & TV
    • Coupons
    • Magazine
    • Newsletter
    • Community guidelines
    • links
    • Meet the team
    • About PC Gamer
PC Gamer Magazine Subscription
PC Gamer Magazine Subscription
Why subscribe?
  • Subscribe to the world's #1 PC gaming mag
  • Try a single issue or save on a subscription
  • Issues delivered straight to your door or device
From$32.49
View
Popular
  • Memorial Day Deals
  • Computex 2025
  • TES4: Oblivion
  • Elden Ring: Nightreign
  • GTA 6

Recommended reading

Miscellaneous technology on a blue background.
Hardware Who needs a day off?! I'm here tracking down the best Memorial Day PC gaming deals so you can take it easy
Colorful&#039;s Colorfire Meow range as seen at Computex 2025. The cat-themed PC is seen playing Doom: The Dark Ages .
Hardware The glorious juxtaposition of DOOM: The Dark Ages and Colorful's furry-friend-themed Meow range of PC goodies is one reason why we love Computex
Router, keyboard, and SSD on a blue background
Hardware Amazon and Newegg are going head-to-head with Gaming Week sales, so I've plucked out my 5 favorite deals from the bunch
Collection of products to illustrate potential Amazon Prime Day deals
Hardware I'm collecting the best Amazon Spring Prime Day PC gaming deals like a bargain-hunting treasure goblin
Miscellaneous technology on a blue background.
Hardware Best Memorial Day PC gaming deals in 2025
A Lian Li prototype liquid cooler with a motorised screen attached.
Hardware Computex 2025 showed that innovation in PC hardware often involves sticking a screen on something but don't let that distract you from the genuine improvements underneath
Lenovo Legion Go S
Hardware I feel like I can finally say we're at a point where buying new PC gaming gear doesn't mean settling for less
  1. Hardware

The Hardware We Love

Features
By Maximum PC ) published 20 February 2013

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an commission. Here’s how it works.

Maximum PC's Best of the Best Updated

Today is February 14th, otherwise known as Valentines Day , but we're not here to share chocolate and roses. No, our true love is in computer hardware ! We couldn't think of a better way to share the hardware we love than to give our Best of the Best section a big update.

This time around we've updated five categories: best mid tower case, best water cooler, best headphones and we've added two new sections: best ultraportable and best gaming notebook.

You can preview the new items we've added to our esteemed list in the gallery below, but if you haven't checked out the section in a while and are wondering what we think is currently the Best of the Best, click here . Agree/Disagree with our listings? Let us know in the comments!

Best Headphones: Razer Tiamat 7.1 Gaming Headset
If you're looking for a headset with great surround sound, look no further than the Kick Ass Razer Tiamat 7.1 Gaming Headset. The Tiamat also has powerful bass and is super comfortable.

Page 1 of 5
Page 1 of 5

Best Chassis: Thermaltake New Soprano
Chassis fans running at high RPMs can get loud, but the Kick Ass Thermaltake New Soprano case does a great job with soundproofing. The chassis also offers good cooling, easy installation, and slick aesthetics. It's also very affordable to boot.

Page 2 of 5
Page 2 of 5

Best Water Cooler: Corsair H80i
The H80i is the best-performing cooler we've reviewed yet. Yes, this includes double radiator coolers like the Corsair H100. Even more impressive is that it works with Corsair's Link cooling software, which allows you to customize the cool LED light based on temperatures and adjust fan RPMs on the fly. It is indeed one Kick Ass cooler!

Page 3 of 5
Page 3 of 5

Best Ultraportable: Acer Aspire S7
Acer's Aspire S7 really puts the "ultra" in Ultrabook. The notebook is beautiful, well-built, and offers impressive performance. Did we mention it has a gorgeous IPS touchscreen display?

Page 4 of 5
Page 4 of 5

Best Gaming Notebook: Maingear Nomad 15
The Maingear Nomad 15 is one awesome gaming notebook. It's got a beautiful 1920x1080 display and is uber powerful. It allows you to play the super graphically intensive game Far Cry 3 on "high" settings at 1080p with relative ease. What more could you ask for from a portable PC?

Page 5 of 5
Page 5 of 5
Maximum PC Staff
Read more
Miscellaneous technology on a blue background.
Who needs a day off?! I'm here tracking down the best Memorial Day PC gaming deals so you can take it easy
Colorful&#039;s Colorfire Meow range as seen at Computex 2025. The cat-themed PC is seen playing Doom: The Dark Ages .
The glorious juxtaposition of DOOM: The Dark Ages and Colorful's furry-friend-themed Meow range of PC goodies is one reason why we love Computex
Router, keyboard, and SSD on a blue background
Amazon and Newegg are going head-to-head with Gaming Week sales, so I've plucked out my 5 favorite deals from the bunch
Collection of products to illustrate potential Amazon Prime Day deals
I'm collecting the best Amazon Spring Prime Day PC gaming deals like a bargain-hunting treasure goblin
Miscellaneous technology on a blue background.
Best Memorial Day PC gaming deals in 2025
A Lian Li prototype liquid cooler with a motorised screen attached.
Computex 2025 showed that innovation in PC hardware often involves sticking a screen on something but don't let that distract you from the genuine improvements underneath
Latest in Hardware
Depressed Teenage Girl Lying On Bed At Home Looking At Mobile Phone
Texas Senate to vote on bill that restricts social media access for children, while parental consent for app s will be required from next year
Razer&#039;s QA Companion
Razer releases AI plugin for game engines to assist with logging bugs and Quality Assurance testing in games
Nick Bild on YouTube&#039;s Zapper Phone
Forget saving thousands for the newest iPhone. One hacker has turned his NES Zapper gun from Duck Hunt into a laser driven wireless phone
Corsair One i600
Corsair's new One i600 mini PC packs an RTX 5080 into a stunning understated wood case
The AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT graphics card on a red gradient background
AMD's exciting new mainstream RX 9060 XT GPU spotted in online benchmarks as June 5 launch day fast approaches
Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 3
Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 3 review
Latest in Features
A Lian Li prototype liquid cooler with a motorised screen attached.
Computex 2025 showed that innovation in PC hardware often involves sticking a screen on something but don't let that distract you from the genuine improvements underneath
Elden Ring: Nightreign
Sorry, nightfarers: Elden Ring Nightreign does not have crossplay
An Elden Ring Nightreign character clad in full armor, rearing back what looks to be a small crossbow before firing.
Elden Ring Nightreign launch times and release date
Persona 5: The Phantom X characters
Persona 5: The Phantom X is a solid RPG, but even adding gacha can't hide the fact that Persona 5's been stretched awfully thin over the last 9 years
A screenshot of the PC version of Elden Ring Nightreign, taken using maximum quality settings and Nvidia DLDSR enabled
Elden Ring Nightreign PC performance analysis: A bare-bones console port with glitches a-plenty
A 3D printed custom PC case build fashioned to look like a triumphantly-posed Palico from Capcom&#039;s Monster Hunter series. It has a long sword strapped to its backpack. A GPU features prominently in the sword&#039;s hilt. This was photographed on the show floor at Computex 2025.
Computex 2025 made me realise I have no time for extravagant PC parts, just give me a simple, solid design and function
  1. Annapro carrying case, GameSir Nova Lite controller, SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds, and Asus ROG Falchion RX Low Profile keyboard on a blue background with PC Gamer Recommended logo
    1
    Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads
  2. 2
    Best graphics card for laptops in 2025: the mobile GPUs I'd want in my next gaming laptop
  3. 3
    Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most
  4. 4
    Best 14-inch gaming laptop in 2025: The top compact gaming laptops I've held in these hands
  5. 5
    Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I've tested
  1. A kid doing ballet while other kids clap and a mom and a dog watch
    1
    To a T review: Not just wholesome, but wonderfully weird
  2. 2
    Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 3 review
  3. 3
    Elden Ring Nightreign review: A messy co-op action RPG that shouldn't be this good
  4. 4
    F1 25 review: Commendable upgrades, but this is fundamentally the same game as before
  5. 5
    NZXT H3 Flow case review

PC Gamer is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

  • Future's experts
  • and conditions
  • Cookies policy
  • with us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please or to comment

Please wait...