The year 2025 has been a remarkable period for PC gaming technology, bringing forth a variety of innovative products that have significantly elevated the gaming experience. Despite challenges such as the introduction of new graphics card generations and fluctuating memory prices, the industry has continued to push boundaries. These awards celebrate the pinnacle of this year's hardware advancements, acknowledging devices that combine exceptional performance with great value, ranging from powerful portable gaming solutions to high-speed storage and processing units.
Among the standout contenders, the Razer Blade 16 clinched the title for Best Gaming Laptop. This model marks a triumphant return to Razer's signature sleek design, offering a portable yet robust platform capable of handling demanding games and professional tasks alike. Its redesigned chassis accommodates enhanced cooling without sacrificing its svelte profile, making it a versatile companion for both daily work and intense gaming sessions. The laptop's impressive on-battery gaming performance further solidifies its position as a top-tier all-rounder, representing a significant evolution from its predecessors.
For visual fidelity, the KTC H27T22C-3 was crowned Best Gaming Monitor. This monitor distinguishes itself by offering an excellent 1440p gaming experience at an unexpectedly affordable price point, rivaling many 1080p panels. Boasting a rapid 210 Hz refresh rate and a 1 ms response time, it delivers smooth and responsive visuals. Despite a few minor trade-offs, such as limited HDR capability and a basic stand, its vibrant IPS panel, strong brightness, and accurate colors make it a superior choice for budget-conscious gamers seeking high-resolution performance.
In the burgeoning handheld gaming PC market, the Lenovo Legion Go S SteamOS emerged as the Best Handheld Gaming PC. It successfully integrates powerful performance with the streamlined experience of SteamOS, leveraging the capable Z1 Extreme chip for enhanced gaming. While minor issues like trackpad support persist, its comfortable design, appealing aesthetics, and solid performance for under $1,000 make it a compelling option. The adoption of SteamOS, despite some compatibility limitations with anti-cheat software, ensures a more console-like and efficient gaming environment.
The WD Black SN8100 earned accolades as the Best SSD, setting a new benchmark for PCIe 5.0 drives with its blistering speeds. Achieving sustained read speeds of 14,900 MB/s and write speeds of 14,000 MB/s, this SSD offers unparalleled performance for both gaming and professional applications. Its efficient thermal management, maintaining low temperatures even under heavy load, makes it a robust and reliable storage solution for those willing to invest in cutting-edge speed. This drive demonstrates the rapid progress in storage technology, delivering high-end performance at an increasingly accessible price point.
The AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D was recognized as the Best Gaming CPU, an achievement that highlights AMD's dominance in high-performance processors. After a considerable wait, this CPU proved its mettle by topping gaming performance charts, even outperforming other highly rated models. Its advanced 3D V-cache technology allows for elevated clock speeds, enabling it to excel in both gaming and content creation. While its premium price positions it for enthusiast builders, its unparalleled capabilities justify the investment for those seeking the ultimate processing power.
The Gigabyte X870 Aorus Elite Ice was celebrated as the Best Motherboard, blending striking aesthetics with robust functionality. This white motherboard offers an impressive array of features at a competitive price, including multiple PCIe and M.2 slots for storage expansion and numerous USB ports for connectivity. Its thoughtful design prioritizes storage aspects, with several Gen 5 M.2 slots, making it an excellent foundation for high-performance builds. The Aorus Elite WiFi7 Ice strikes an optimal balance between cost, features, and performance, standing out among AMD AM5 motherboards.
The Be Quiet! Light Mount was honored as the Best Gaming Keyboard, living up to its name with exceptionally quiet operation. This keyboard features silent tactile switches and extensive dampening, offering a unique typing experience that avoids the typical mushiness of quiet keyboards. Beyond its acoustic performance, it boasts premium features like PBT keycaps, high polling rates, vibrant RGB lighting, and convenient macro keys. Its combination of silence, solid build quality, and comprehensive features makes it a favorite among users seeking a refined and quiet input device.
In the competitive realm of gaming mice, the Corsair Sabre V2 Pro Ultralight was named Best Gaming Mouse. Its remarkably light 36g design represents a significant leap forward in the ultralight market, achieved without compromising structural integrity. While it foregoes some non-essential features like extensive RGB and prolonged battery life, its focus on competitive FPS gaming—with a high-performance sensor and robust build—makes it a game-changer. This mouse offers a genuine advantage for players who prioritize speed and precision.
The Razer BlackShark V3 secured the award for Best Gaming Headset, perfecting a long-standing formula. This iteration features titanium drivers with a unique "driver plug" to minimize distortion, delivering an incredibly detailed and powerful audio experience. Lighter than its Pro counterpart, it offers superior comfort for extended use, whether gaming or in a professional setting. Its HyperSpeed Wireless interface provides ultra-low latency, making it ideal for competitive gamers who demand instantaneous audio response. This headset strikes an impressive balance between audio quality, comfort, and performance.
Finally, the Amazon Basics USB Condenser Microphone was recognized as the Best Gaming Microphone, largely due to its exceptional value. Priced under $30, this microphone delivers audio quality that far surpasses its cost, performing on par with devices several times more expensive. Its robust build, despite the minimalist feature set, ensures durability. While it lacks advanced software and additional functionalities, its primary goal of capturing clear and rich audio is achieved with impressive effectiveness, making it an outstanding budget-friendly choice for streamers and gamers.