by Call us pedantic, overly critical, picky, fussy, whatever. The simple truth is that everyone at PC Gamer has not only very high standards, but also a mass of experience in many different areas. So when it comes to reviewing hardware, every piece of device that passes through our hands is scrutinized.
We only give the highest review scores to products that meet or exceed those standards and throughout 2023, 25 were awarded with a review score of 90% or more.
You might be surprised by what’s on the list, with some brands you might not expect or have never heard of before. There are some notable names missing, however, but that means the competition is very healthy, in the major PC hardware sectors.
Minor spoiler: there is not a single graphics card in our list below. You probably won’t be surprised, of course, because GPU prices are generally too high for our liking. And those that are price wise do not stand up in terms of performance. Maybe this will change next year and on the 2024 list some beautiful graphics cards.
But almost everything else is there: gaming headsets, CPUs, complete PCs, monitors, and more. There’s a good range of outfits to tempt and that’s a nice way to end the year.
However, since I’m a total grinch, I’ve also included an additional list: The five lowest scoring products we reviewed in 2023. Since three of the entries all come from the same manufacturer, no someone will end the year jolly and not me!
The 5 best products of 2023
Sabrent 6-Port Docking Station For Steam Deck
Not everything has to be a technological marvel to get a top review score. This sturdy, well-built dock is much better than the price suggests. It doesn’t suffer from the lack of USB Type-C that the competition does, although you won’t find an ethernet connection. It’s a fair trade, especially since you won’t find anything as good for the same low price of $30.
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Philips Evnia 34M2C8600
Philips might not be a brand you usually associate with PC gaming but it hit the ball right out of the ballpark with this OLED monitor. However, it is very expensive and does not have high resolution, but the panel itself is glorious. Everything else is the monitor of our choice for HDR gaming. Get one and you’ll never use a non-OLED screen again.
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A glossy OLED panel lets tech sing
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Super fast performance
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Fewer OLED disadvantages than the competition
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Holy hell, does it overclock
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Audio-Technica ATH-M50xSTS StreamSet
Most gaming headsets have pretty weak microphones, but that’s not the case here. In fact, it’s probably the most accurate headset we’ve tried. Sure, they’re expensive and the lack of audio controls takes some getting used to, but the build and sound quality make up for it. Don’t let the fact that it’s wired put you off, either.
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Alienware 34 AW3423DWF
This or the Philips Evnia 34M2C8600? They both use exactly the same QD-OLED panel from Samsung and both have a glossy anti-glare coating that makes HDR gaming really shine. Well, the differences are small: this Alienware is a bit cheaper but not as fast as the Philips model. They are too matched to separate, which is why they have the same scores.
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Still fairly expensive
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average pixel density
ThunderX3 Core gaming chair review
Few gaming chairs protect their owners as well as the ThunderX3 Core, especially at this price. Plush materials abound, with a wide range of ergonomic features, there’s little not to like here. It makes your favorite office, Secretlab’s Titan Evo, seem overpriced.
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Top rated PC gaming equipment in 2023
A total of 25 products, reviewed in 2023, achieved a review score of 90% of the higher products. That’s just 15% of everything we used, played, sat on, typed with, and poked about inside. So rest assured that even though they are not in the top five, the other 20 positions are taken by products that are simply excellent.
Titan Techno VRLA
Solid. imposition. Well built. Hardware specifications are pretty fair. The VRLA Tech Titan is all of these things and the fact that it manages to achieve this without being too expensive explains why we rated this gaming PC so highly.
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Asus ROG Strix Scope II 96 Wireless
Full size and compact seem like contradictory terms when it comes to keyboards, but the Scope II 96 is exactly that. It’s also a very capable gaming keyboard, with a top-notch typing experience. Shame about the software but nothing is perfect, right?
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Audeze Maxwell
If you were told that this provides the best listening experience you’re going to get in a gaming headset, you’d think something was wrong. But no (apart from the iffy software) and the microphone isn’t too bad either. On the money, there is nothing to touch them.
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Great sound
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Long battery life
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Fast charging
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Comfortable
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Good son
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Driver Intel Core i5 13400F
Under $200 for a ten-core CPU that’s really good at gaming? Yup, and even though you can’t overclock it and it has no integrated graphics chip, this is a great little processor. It can use a little power when running full speed, though.
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Higher power draw than 12th Gen model
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No secret overclocking 🙁
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AMD’s cheapest Zen 4 CPUs are the best for content creation
ASRock Z790 Riptide Wifi
In recent years, ASRock has gained a reputation. The latest motherboards are just like this one: Great value for money, without compromising on features. This is not the best option if you are into heavy overclocking, but storage and networking options, this is almost perfect.
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LG OLED Flex 42
How wild is this? With the push of a button, the panel switches between being curved or completely flat. Choose the first for gaming, the second for movies and media. Add in OLED’s stunning colors and it’s a great experience. You will, of course, pay a very steep price for such luxuries.
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So damn expensive
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No DisplayPort
AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D
Want the best CPU for anything but gaming? Then you get the Ryzen 7 7800X3D – no ifs or buts. There are better options if you want more versatility but this thing will work its way through any game you have.
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Top gaming performance
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Super efficient
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Cool running
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Meta quest 3
Comfortable, well priced, and easy to use, the Quest 3 is the perfect headset for you, if you’re looking to take those first steps into the world of VR gaming. You will want something more powerful, if you are already a serious virtual gamer.
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Framework 13 (2023) AMD’s flagship program
Looking for a laptop that handles office work and gaming? What about customization? Framework 13 offers all this and more. It’s not a true modular laptop but you’ll be able to upgrade it for years to come.
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True 1080p performance
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stellar productivity chops
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Cheaper than the best Intel
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And it’s better, too
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Better battery life
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Logitech Chorus
Logitech’s Chorus is a fairly niche product: It’s a plug-in speaker system for VR headsets. But if you have the Meta Quest 2, the Chorus will completely transform its audio chops. It’s a bit pricey but it’s much more comfortable than using a pair of headphones over your VR headset.
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Asus ROG Azoth
Sometimes hardware reviews give you tough decisions to make. The ROG Azoth is the best gaming keyboard Asus has ever made and one of the best enthusiast level keebs you can buy. But for $250, you need a solid reason to get one. Fortunately, what it offers makes up for the price tag.
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How many?!
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Damned Armored Crest
Nextorage NEM-PA 2TB
Nextorage might be a brand you’ve never heard of and yes, it’s just an SSD, but it’s ex-Sony engineers and has the latest hardware on the market. Despite this, the price tag is very competitive, as is the performance. And just look at that chonky heatsink!
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The five lowest scoring products in 2023
All was not sweetness and grace in this computer hardware world. Here are the five lowest scoring products we reviewed in 2023. And as you’ll soon see, there were a few common themes running throughout our base rated products.
MSI Titan GT77 HX
This is what happens when you put in an ugly chassis full of the most expensive, powerful and energy-hungry hardware. Hot and noisy, with little in the way of refinement to justify its exorbitant price tag.
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Laptop roars when pressed
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Chassis is ugly
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The Mini LED screen is a little disappointing
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$5,300 is an obscene price
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So much software
MSI MEG Trident X2
Another MSI product and another model showing all the same faults as the Titan GT77 HX. Some of the hardware inside is the best you can get but it’s not all, the whole package falls short of being worth the $5,999 asking price.
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MSI Cyborg 15
Yes, 2023 was not the best year for MSI. This Cyborg laptop looks very sleek and is very quiet in use, but the performance is far below the hardware inside. Add in software problems and poor storage options, and you have a rather disappointing affair.
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Silent operation
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It doesn’t get too hot
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Asus ROG Raikiri Pro
For something more than double the price of a standard Xbox controller, you’d expect magic touches and special features everywhere. Asus managed to get some of it right, but if the buttons on a controller aren’t spot on, what’s the point of even trying?
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Maingear MG-1 | Arc A750
Sounds like a well-built and stylish gaming PC, yes? That is because it is, but beyond what it looks, there is only disappointment. Budget-grade parts compete with a revolutionary Intel Arc GPU, all at a price that suggests it should be much better than it actually is.
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It’s too expensive for the GPU
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Intel arc driver problems
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Many games are not optimized for Arc
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The QA on a LEGO product is not real
