{"id":1080029,"date":"2026-01-23T09:43:07","date_gmt":"2026-01-23T09:43:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/SZ7xR8eWYU5PDY7QMQesTk"},"modified":"2026-01-23T09:43:07","modified_gmt":"2026-01-23T09:43:07","slug":"pc-gamers-highest-rated-hardware-favourites-of-2024-plus-five-dishonorable-mentions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/pc-gamers-highest-rated-hardware-favourites-of-2024-plus-five-dishonorable-mentions\/","title":{"rendered":"PC Gamer’s highest rated hardware favourites of 2024, plus five dishonorable mentions"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Gear of the Year<\/div>\n
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\"PC<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>

(Image credit: Future)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Check out more of the year’s best tech in our <\/strong>PC Gamer Hardware Awards 2024<\/strong><\/a> coverage.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

To paraphrase an absolute belter from Andrew W.K., we here at PC Gamer do what we like and like what we do. Some may call us needlessly picky for it, but I prefer the word ‘connoisseur.’ Either way, that means it takes a lot for any hardware to nab a review score of 90 or more from us, and only 30 different bits of kit managed to do just that this year. So, let’s get a party going.<\/p>\n

Those 30 hardware hits mean we enjoyed five more favourites than last year<\/a>, though 2024’s extra candidates are really something special. It’s been a bumper year\u2014so much so we’ve even got a three-way tie for the best OLED gaming monitor (more on that in a bit).<\/p>\n

Besides that crowded edge of the podium, there are plenty of surprises ahead. For just one very honorable mention, who would have thought that we’d award a solid 92 to a Wi-Fi router of all things? Well, the TP-Link Archer GE800<\/a> doesn’t just deliver great performance, but also looks quite a bit like a not-so-miniature black obelisk straight out of Blade Runner. I don’t know about you, but that’s the sort of ostentation I think deserves<\/em> a 92.<\/p>\n

Interesting also to note is that, for the second year in a row, not a single graphics card features in our top five. As Nick wrote last year, this is in part down to high-performance cards simply costing too much while slightly less costly cards can’t compete in terms of performance. That doesn’t mean this particular hardware space is in a dire place, as our best graphics card guide<\/a> will attest. It just means that we’re hopeful 2025 will give us something in this arena worth shouting about.<\/p>\n

Besides graphics cards, there’s a healthy mix of bits of kit in our top five highest rated hardware\u2014and a not so healthy selection in our bottom five as well. That’s right, we’re not just here to celebrate; we’re here to shine a light into the shadowy corners of infamy for five deeply questionable hardware picks that received the lowest scores from us.<\/p>\n

Last year, MSI had the dubious honour of featuring not once, not twice, but three times<\/em> in our lowest-rated five. Has the company redeemed itself this year? Well, I don’t want to spoil anything but, with some scores in the forties among our lowest rated five this year, it’s still a long way to the top.<\/p>\n

The top 5 best products of 2024<\/span><\/h2>\n
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\"SteelSeries94%<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds<\/div>\n
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Now, I know what you’re thinking: “How much<\/em> for wireless earbuds that could feasibly pop out of my ears and get lost?” A reasonable concern, but as Jacob wrote in his SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds review<\/a>, these are a genuine game changer\u2014especially for those with cartilage that doesn’t usually play well with other earbuds<\/a>. Having ‘weird little ears’ is a pain I myself know all too well. So upon hearing that these earbuds not only sit pretty with a simple push-and-twist maneuver, but also deliver banging audio quality alongside Active Noise Cancelling, I’m starting to think it’s time I broadened my own horizons beyond my trusty over-ear headphones.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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For<\/h4>\n