All of the PC Gamer {hardware} evaluations from 2022

It has been an fascinating yr for PC gaming {hardware}. After a provide scarcity that spiked each demand and pricing we have had a slew of latest goodies hitting our check labs, and possibly even your desktops. Although possibly it is not been essentially the most thrilling yr.
We have had each the brand new graphics card architectures from AMD and Nvidia, in addition to the primary flush of Intel’s Arc GPUs, too. There have additionally been new processor generations from each Intel and AMD as nicely, with the crimson workforce lastly launching a complete new socket with its AM5 Zen 4 chips. However someway they nonetheless really feel totally predictable, relatively iterative and/or infeasibly costly, and relatively risk-free.
However we’ve, in fact, had the Steam Deck.
Exterior of that we have had a bunch of gorgeous SSDs, nice peripherals, new, extremely speedy reminiscence, and a lastly OLED gaming screens. After all, there have been some package that hasn’t fairly made the grade, nonetheless, and for some motive it all the time appears to have been me shelling out absolutely the lowest scores of the yr. Am I a nasty individual?
With scores starting from 43% all the way in which as much as a heady 98% (for an influence provide no much less) this has been an enchanting yr of PC gaming {hardware}. December was the worst month for assessment scores, marking a relatively inauspicious finish to the yr, with a mean of simply 74%. Although a lot of that’s going to be all the way down to me giving the faux-LEGO gaming keyboard our worst rating of the yr, dragging every thing else down.
Our greatest month, in contrast, was April with a mean assessment rating of 83%. There have been a minimum of 4 separate merchandise netting a rating above 90% in April, and a whole lot of excessive 80s in there, too. February, the month of the Steam Deck, additionally averaged 83%, however over simply 11 evaluations. For us, meaning April’s rating unfold over 18 evaluations wins.
In complete, we have reviewed 209 totally different merchandise over the yr, so let’s look again, month-by-month at each single certainly one of them from 2022.
January 2022
With out the unprecedented overclocking potential contained in the i5 12400 I might be heartily recommending this chip kinds the premise of your subsequent finances gaming PC construct. With it, this processor stands an excellent probability of turning into the legendary processor of Intel’s Alder Lake era.
For
- Nice inventory efficiency
- Low energy
- Stays cool
- Holy hell, does it overclock
In opposition to
- BCLK OC could get patched out
- Requires a complete new motherboard
- Gigabyte RTX 3050 (opens in new tab) – 77%
- Gigabyte RX 6500 XT (opens in new tab)– 47%
- Gigabyte M28U (opens in new tab) – 86%
- Corsair One i300 (opens in new tab) – 89%
- Kingston Fury Renegade 2TB (opens in new tab) – 88%
- HP Omen 45L (opens in new tab) – 79%
- OneXPlayer Mini (opens in new tab) – 64%
- Gigabyte Z690 Aorus Professional (opens in new tab) – 86%
- Keychron K2 V2 (opens in new tab) – 82%
- Razer Kraken V3 HyperSense (opens in new tab) – 73%
- Razer Seiren V2 Professional (opens in new tab) – 81%
- Victrix Gambit Wi-fi (opens in new tab) – 63%
- Velocity Micro Raptor Z55 (opens in new tab) – 83%
- Akko Prunus Lannesiana 3098B (opens in new tab) – 87%
- Corsair Dominator Platinum DDR5-5200 (opens in new tab) – 77%
- Workforce T-Pressure Delta DDR5-6400 (opens in new tab) – 78%
- Roccat Pyro (opens in new tab) – 89%
- AndaSeat Na’Vi Version (opens in new tab) – 78%
- NZXT Capsule USB (opens in new tab) – 80%
- Cooler Grasp MM731 (opens in new tab) – 70%
- MSI MAG B660M Mortar WiFi (opens in new tab) – 81%
February 2022
It is a handheld gaming system firstly, and it does that so nicely it is nearly comical how less expensive it’s than different handheld PCs, which are likely to value round $1,000. It does not even make sense to name them rivals. The Steam Deck is in a category of its personal.
For
- Nice worth
- Extremely versatile
- Nicely constructed
- Can change the way in which you sport
In opposition to
- Cumbersome
- Battery life takes work
- Huawei Mateview GT (opens in new tab) – 79%
- Corsair iCue 5000T RGB (opens in new tab) – 85%
- Thrustmaster TCA Yoke Pack (opens in new tab) – 88%
- Grasp & Dynamic MG20 Wi-fi (opens in new tab) – 82%
- Focusrite Scarlett 212 Studio bundle (opens in new tab) – 84%
- MSI Vigor GK50 (opens in new tab) – 71%
- EPOS H3Pro Hybrid (opens in new tab) – 89%
- Hannspree HG392PCB (opens in new tab) – 75%
- Boulies Grasp Sequence (opens in new tab) – 86%
- MSI MAG B660 Tomahawk WiFi (opens in new tab) – 86%
March 2022
Alienware 34 QD-OLED (AW3423DW)
It’s been an extremely very long time coming. However OLED awesomeness has lastly come to the PC. LCD know-how nonetheless has the sting for latency, however this quantum dot-enhanced OLED display screen is unbelievable on the subject of distinction, HDR efficiency, and response. Web consequence? Merely certainly one of, if not the, finest gaming screens ever.
For
- Fabulous distinction and hues
- Stupendous pixel response
- Real HDR functionality
In opposition to
- Not a terrific all-purpose panel
- Latency is not a powerful level
- No HDMI 2.1
- Asus ROG Circulate Z13 (opens in new tab) – 58%
- BeyerDynamic MMX 100 (opens in new tab) – 93%
- Razer Blade 17 (opens in new tab) – 85%
- Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 (2022) (opens in new tab) – 75%
- Origin 5000T Millenium (opens in new tab) – 88%
- Fanatec Gran Turismo DD Professional (opens in new tab) – 88%
- Asus TUF RTX 3090 Ti (opens in new tab) – 71%
- Razer Kraken V3 Professional (opens in new tab) – 74%
- G.Ability Trident Z5 RGB DDR5-6400 (opens in new tab) – 79%
- Hyte Y60 (opens in new tab) – 77%
- Thrustmaster T248 (opens in new tab) – 86%
- ASRock B660 Metal Legend (opens in new tab) – 73%
- DXRacer Craft Sequence (opens in new tab) – 78%
- Thronmax MDrill One Professional (opens in new tab) – 92%
- MSI Clutch GM41 Wi-fi (opens in new tab) – 78%
April 2022
Mountain has taken all it is learnt from its first keyboards and created the best-feeling, most usable 60% gaming keyboard I’ve ever used. It is strong, dependable, responsive, and affords the very best typing expertise round. It is also handsome and surprisingly expandable with the numpad accent, various switches, and PBT keycaps.
For
- Nice typing really feel
- Reassuringly sturdy
- Responsive
- Elective modular numpad is nice
In opposition to
- Base Camp software program stays a minor weak level
- General package deal will get costly
- AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D (opens in new tab) – 81%
- Intel Core i9 12900KS (opens in new tab) – 66%
- CyberPower Infinity X125 (opens in new tab) – 82%
- WD Black SN770 1TB (opens in new tab) – 87%
- NZXT H1 V2 (opens in new tab) – 91%
- AOC U28G2XU (opens in new tab) – 84%
- Bang & Olufsen Beoplay Portal (opens in new tab) – 88%
- Razer Leviathan V2 (opens in new tab) – 78%
- ASRock Z690 Aqua Gaming (opens in new tab) – 78%
- HyperX Cloud Wi-fi (opens in new tab) – 90%
- Elgato HD60 X (opens in new tab) – 77%
- Hyte Revolt 3 (opens in new tab) – 85%
- Cherry MX 10.ON (opens in new tab) – 85%
- Cherry HC 2.2 (opens in new tab) – 72%
- Vissles V84 (opens in new tab) – 89%
- NZXT Perform MiniTKL (opens in new tab) – 73%
- AndaSeat Kaiser 3 XL (opens in new tab) – 95%
Might 2022
SteelSeries Arctis Nova Professional
The Arctis Nova Professional Wi-fi headset delivers smashing sound high quality that sits above a lot of its friends within the wi-fi gaming house. With spectacular connectivity, quick charging, hot-swappable batteries, and nice adjustability, it is supremely versatile. It comes at a steep worth, however I am happy with that.
For
- Smashing bass and audio high quality
- Intuitive and informative new Sonar parametric EQ
- Comfy, gentle, and extremely adjustable
- DAC is an amp and quick charging spare battery dock
- Noise cancellation for mic and ear cups
In opposition to
- Can solely skip or pause music with headset buttons over Bluetooth
- Frightfully loud glitch noises when going out of vary
- AI noise cancelling is a bit weak in the meanwhile
- G.Ability Z5i (opens in new tab) – 76%
- Philips Brilliance 498P9Z (opens in new tab) – 75%
- Acer Predator XB323QK (opens in new tab) – 83%
- Philips Momentum 279M1RV (opens in new tab) – 80%
- XGIMI Aura 4K UST (opens in new tab) – 83%
- Phanteks Evolv Shift XT (opens in new tab) – 81%
- DXRacer Air Mesh (opens in new tab) – 43%
- Corsair HS55 (opens in new tab) – 85%
- Wired2Fire Reaper (opens in new tab) – 85%
- Drop + Sennheiser PC38X (opens in new tab) – 88%
- Silicon Energy XS70 2TB (opens in new tab) – 89%
- Lenovo Legion 5 Professional 16 (opens in new tab) – 65%
- Viewsonic VX2882-4KP (opens in new tab) – 82%
- Samsung T7 Defend (opens in new tab) – 85%
- Kioxia Exceria Professional 2TB (opens in new tab) – 71%
June 2022
The Ducky One 3 units a excessive commonplace for gaming keyboards. It seems nice, feels nice, and is constructed to outlive the apocalypse. Plus it is available in cheaper than some premium keyboards at present.
For
- Lovely
- Constructed to a really excessive commonplace
- Will outlive most PC builds
- Color-matched cable
- PBT keycaps
In opposition to
- No Play/Pause/Skip keys
- DIP switches do not work on mine
- Look elsewhere for RGB backlighting
- Alienware Aurora R13 (opens in new tab) – 73%
- Acer G550 Nitro (opens in new tab) – 71%
- Redux Good Tier PC (opens in new tab) – 82%
- HP Omen 27U (opens in new tab) – 80%
- Sony Inzone M9 (opens in new tab) – 87%
- NZXT Streaming PC (opens in new tab) – 83%
- MSI RX 6750 XT Gaming X Trio (opens in new tab) – 71%
- SteelSeries Aerox 5 Wi-fi (opens in new tab) – 75%
- Vertagear SL5000 (opens in new tab) – 79%
- Asus RX 6750 XT Strix OC (opens in new tab) – 66%
- Corsair K70 RGB TKL Champion Optical (opens in new tab) – 83%
- Gigabyte Aorus 17 XE4 (opens in new tab) – 84%
- Corsair Darkish Core RGB Professional SE (opens in new tab) – 80%
- CLX Set (opens in new tab) – 68%
- Streamplify Cam (opens in new tab) – 78%
- Origin EVO17-S (opens in new tab) – 85%
- Streamplify Mic (opens in new tab) – 85%
- MSI RX 6650 XT Gaming X (opens in new tab) – 74%
- Govee Dreamview G1 Professional (opens in new tab) – 80%
July 2022
The Corsair AX1600i is the very best efficiency PSU out there on at present’s market, even a number of years after its launch. Corsair did nicely to be the primary to undertake GaN MODFETs and the totem-pole APFC converter in a desktop PSU and this gamble paid off. If there have been a PSU to get shut, it would be the Be quiet! Darkish Energy Professional 1500W, however Corsair takes the highest spot right here.
For
- Highly effective with prime efficiency in all sections
- Excessive construct high quality
- Silent operation
- Software program management
In opposition to
- Tremendous costly
- Small distance between peripheral connectors
- AMD Ryzen 5 5500 (opens in new tab) – 65%
- Razer Blade 14 (2022) (opens in new tab) – 81%
- Corsair TC200 (opens in new tab) – 87%
- AOC AGON PD32M (opens in new tab) – 77%
- AMD Ryzen 7 5700X (opens in new tab) – 67%
- AMD Ryzen 5 5600 (opens in new tab) – 85%
- Razer Barracuda Professional (opens in new tab) – 52%
- Gigabyte Z690I Aorus Extremely Plus (opens in new tab) – 86%
- MSI Oculux NXG253R (opens in new tab) – 80%
- Razer Deathstalker V2 Professional (opens in new tab) – 70%
- Razer Key Mild Chroma (opens in new tab) – 78%
- Alienware M17 R5 AMD (opens in new tab) – 83%
- Razer Enki Professional (opens in new tab) – 90%
- iBuyPower Gaming RDY SLHBG216 (opens in new tab) – 83%
- G.Ability Trident Z5 RGB DDR5-5600 C:28 (opens in new tab) – 68%
- Corsair Xeneon 32UHD144 (opens in new tab) – 80%
- Corsair RM750X (2021) (opens in new tab) – 87%
- Seasonic TX-1000 (opens in new tab) – 92%
- Alienware Aurora R14 Ryzen Ed (opens in new tab) – 73%
- Austrian Audio PG16 (opens in new tab) – 68%
- HyperX Clutch controller (opens in new tab) – 78%
- Be Quiet! Pure Energy 11FM 550W (opens in new tab) – 85%
- Aftershock UItracore (opens in new tab) – 90%
- Silverstone SX1000 Platinum (opens in new tab) – 81%
- XPG Pylon 450 (opens in new tab) – 75%
August 2022
The Wooting 60HE can be a hit in as soon as once more proving an organization needn’t be a large operation to create a sensible, fully-featured, and pretty priced product. The Wooting 60HE actually is not low cost at $175 (opens in new tab)(opens in new tab), although it feels a good worth for what you are getting: a supremely well-rounded gaming keyboard with unmatched flexibility.
For
- Main analogue options
- Genuinely useful in-game
- One of the best utility round…
- …which may even run in your browser
- Vibrant RGB results
- Wonderful high quality
- Extremely customisable
- Spare switches included
In opposition to
- No adjustable toes
- 60% measurement is not for everybody
- PBT keycaps at present US solely
- F1 video games do not play good with analogue capabilities
- Logitech G735 (opens in new tab) – 74%
- Jsaux Steam Deck Dock (opens in new tab) – 73%
- HP Omen 45L (opens in new tab) – 81%
- JBL Quantum TWS (opens in new tab) – 87%
- Secretlab Magnus Professional XL (opens in new tab) – 88%
- NZXT Canvas 32Q Curved (opens in new tab) – 80%
- Logitech G715 (opens in new tab)– 68%
- ASRock DeskMeet B660 (opens in new tab) – 77%
- Innocn 40C1R (opens in new tab) – 81%
- Corsair Voyager A1600 (opens in new tab) – 72%
- Roccat Kone XP (opens in new tab) – 91%
- Thermaltake Sub Zero (opens in new tab) – 81%
September 2022
Zen 4’s least fascinating chip may simply shock you.
For
- Outperforms the 5800X3D in gaming
- Hits 5.15GHz underneath full all-core masses
- Eco Mode is ace
In opposition to
- Struggles towards Intel’s newest
- Asus ROG Cetra TWS (opens in new tab) – 77%
- Samsung QN90B Neo QLED (opens in new tab) – 87%
- Acer Predator Helios 300 (opens in new tab) – 88%
- Gravastar Sirius Professional (opens in new tab) – 57%
- Audeze Euclid (opens in new tab) – 74%
- Logitech G Professional Racing Wheel (opens in new tab) – 86%
- AMD Ryzen 9 7950X (opens in new tab) – 81%
- Logitech G705 (opens in new tab) – 68%
- Sony WH-1000XM5 (opens in new tab) – 89%
- Artistic Outlier Professional (opens in new tab) – 85%
- Gigabyte M32UC (opens in new tab) – 87%
- HyperX Cloud Stinger 2 (opens in new tab) – 70%
- Roccat Burst Proi Air (opens in new tab) – 74%
- Tronsmart Onyx Ace Professional (opens in new tab) – 71%
- 512 Audio Tempest USB Mic (opens in new tab) – 79%
- Neat Bumblebee II (opens in new tab) – 66%
- Prism+ PG270 Extremely (opens in new tab) – 78%
October 2022
Nvidia RTX 4090 Founders Version
In itself, nonetheless, the RTX 4090 is a wonderful graphics card and can fulfill the efficiency cravings of each one who may ever countenance spending $1,600 on a brand new GPU. That is whether or not they’re inconceivably well-heeled avid gamers, or content material creators not prepared to go all-in on a Quadro card. And it’ll deservedly promote, as a result of there is no different GPU that may come close to it proper now.
For
- Wonderful gen-on-gen efficiency
- DLSS Body Era is magic
- Tremendous-high clock speeds
In opposition to
- Large
- Extremely-enthusiast pricing
- Non-4K efficiency is constrained
- Excessive energy calls for
- Intel Core i5 13600K (opens in new tab) – 96%
- Logitech G502 X (opens in new tab) – 89%
- Logitech G Cloud (opens in new tab) – 65%
- Intel Arc A770 LE (opens in new tab) – 69%
- BenQ X3000I (opens in new tab) – 75%
- Razer Deathadder V3 Professional (opens in new tab) – 89%
- Intel Core i9 13900K (opens in new tab) – 89%
- Alienware X14 (opens in new tab) – 78%
- Asus ROG Crosshair X670E Hero (opens in new tab) – 78%
- Intel Arc A750 LE (opens in new tab) – 70%
- Samsung 990 Professional 2TB (opens in new tab) – 85%
- SK Hynix Platinum P41 2TB (opens in new tab) – 90%
- Essential P3 Plus 2TB (opens in new tab) – 70%
- SteelSeries Enviornment 7 (opens in new tab) – 75%
- Colourful RTX 4090 NB EX-V (opens in new tab) – 80%
- Gigabyte X670 Aorus Elite AX (opens in new tab) – 90%
- Elgato Wave DX (opens in new tab) – 82%
- Turtle Seaside Stealth 700 Gen2 Max (opens in new tab) – 83%
- WD Black SN850X 1TB (opens in new tab) – 88%
- ASRock X670E Professional RS (opens in new tab) – 82%
- Nanoleaf Smarter Necessities (opens in new tab) – 85%
- Ergotune Supreme V3 (opens in new tab) – 80%
November 2022
NZXT Streaming Plus BLD Equipment
The NZXT Streaming Plus BLD Equipment is straightforward to suggest, and a terrific possibility for anybody seeking to purchase a gaming PC proper now. Certain, you are going to need to spend a while piecing it collectively, however you may achieve this figuring out that each one the parts are assured to work nicely collectively and you will doubtlessly get a greater understanding of your PC within the course of.
For
- Good parts for the cash
- Genuinely enjoyable to place collectively
- Clear constructing information…
In opposition to
- Some components of the information are generic
- And it takes time
- Origin EVO16-S (2022) (opens in new tab) – 84%
- Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 FE (opens in new tab) – 79%
- Acer Nitro 50 (opens in new tab) – 65%
- ABS Grasp (opens in new tab) – 86%
- Razer Basilisk V3 Professional (opens in new tab) – 80%
- Construct Redux Good (opens in new tab) – 85%
- iBuyPower Gaming RDY SLMBG218 (opens in new tab) – 80%
- MSI MEG X670E ACE (opens in new tab) – 82%
- Asus ROG Strix RTX 4090 OC (opens in new tab) – 84%
December 2022
If the $999 price ticket on the RX 7900 XTX can meaningfully stick round for some time, and by that I imply you might have to have the ability to purchase this card for that price ticket or comparable, the RX 7900 XTX will exist as a terrific 4K graphics card for an extremely high-end PC construct in 2023. Sure, there are higher, and the RTX 4090 is now undeniably the highest canine for gaming, however It is all about weighing up what you really want and what you may afford—i.e. in all probability not an RTX 4090.
For
- A lot quicker than an RX 6950 XT at 4K
- Much less energy hungry too
- $999 price ticket
- A lot improved ray tracing capabilities
- Frickin’ chiplets!
In opposition to
- Not a constant RTX 4080 competitor
- Runs actual sizzling
- Consumes a whole lot of energy
- Low common clock pace
- Asus ROG Swift PG42UQ (opens in new tab) – 88%
- Thermaltake Argent E700 (opens in new tab) – 72%
- XGIMI Horizon Professional (opens in new tab) – 87%
- HyperX ProCast (opens in new tab) – 87%
- MelGeek Pixel (opens in new tab) – 43%
- ASRock Z790 Livemixer (opens in new tab) – 76%
- Bitfenix Nova (opens in new tab) – 61%
- Aerocool Zauron (opens in new tab) – 81%
- Aerocool Hive (opens in new tab) – 81%
- Kolink Nimbus (opens in new tab) – 74%
- Aerocool Tomahawk (opens in new tab) – 63%
- Kolink Encourage K11 (opens in new tab) – 75%
- Kolink Encourage K8 (opens in new tab) – 69%
- AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT (opens in new tab) – 75%
- Corsair Xeneon Flex OLED (opens in new tab) – 68%
- Asus ROG Maximus Z790 Hero (opens in new tab) – 86%
- Zotac RTX 4080 Amp Excessive AIRO (opens in new tab) – 82%