We’ve seen plenty of great hardware launches this year! As we approach 2022, we’re taking a look back at our favourite hardware of 2021.
Kicking things off has to be graphics cards. This year both Team Green and Team Red have launched some incredible cards, but we’re going to look at just one from AMD and one from NVIDIA. Both of the gaming GPUs are aimed at the casual gamer, but offer excellent graphical performance and the latest gaming features for AAA games at an affordable price.
INNO3D GeForce RTX 3060 Twin X2 OC LHR 12GB GDDR6 PCI-Express Graphics Card
- 12GB GDDR6 RAM
- 1792MHz Boost Clock
- Real-Time Ray Tracing
- DLSS Resolution
- VR Ready
The perfect entry point into the RTX 3000 series for most gamers, the RTX 3060 graphics card launched on the 25th of Feb this year and brought with it a whole host of gaming features. This INNO3D variant has been built from the ground up to tackle the latest AAA games with RTX on at 60FPS. What’s more, with dual 90mm fans, four heat pipes, and a cooler surface area of 391840mm2, this GPU will stay cool whilst you game.
Not only is this graphics card a beast of an entry into RTX gaming, but you can also stream like a boss, thanks to next-generation hardware encoding. Furthermore, the NVIDIA Broadcast app takes your streams to the next level with AI-enhanced voice, video, and backgrounds to entice your audience. This is powered by 2nd generation RT and 3rd gen Tensor Cores, which offer double the throughput.
MSI Radeon RX 6600 XT Gaming X 8GB GDDR6 PCI-Express Graphics Card
- 8GB GDDR6 RAM
- 2607MHz Boost Clock
- Real-Time Ray Tracing
- FidelityFX Super Resolution
- VR Ready
Team Red launched the Radeon RX 6600 XT in October 2021, and this MSI variant of the GPU offers great gaming performance alongside exceptional cooling capabilities. The TORX Fan 4.0 is designed to deliver focused airflow onto the updated FROZR 8 cooling system, with pairs of fan blades working together to provide outstanding cooling.
Game, stream, and create like a boss thanks to this AMD gaming GPU’s powerful performance. DirectX Raytracing (DXR) brings a whole new level of graphical realism to games through effects like reflections, global illumination, and shadows, thanks to AMD RNDA 2 architecture support for hardware-accelerated raytracing.
Intel brought their Twelfth Generation Alder Lake CPUs to the market earlier this year. With support for DDR5 and a whole new core layout with Performance and Efficient cores. These processors are exceptionally powerful for productivity and gaming alike.
Intel Core i9-12900K 3.20GHz (Alder Lake) Socket LGA1700 Processor
- 12th Gen Alder Lake
- 16 Cores 24 Threads
- 5.2GHz Single Core Max Turbo
- DDR5/DDR4 RAM
- PCIe 4.0 / 5.0
The i9-12900K CPU offers incredible single-threaded performance alongside a significant improvement in multithreaded ability and PCIe 4.0 / 5.0 support. This intel processor houses 8 Performance and 8 Efficient cores for a total of 16 cores and 24 threads. Furthermore, with a 5.2GHz single-core max turbo and great integration with Windows 11, this CPU is ideal for next-gen gaming, streaming, and content creation.
To use the latest 12th generation intel Alder Lake CPUs, you’ll need a similarly powerful and feature-rich Z690 motherboard
ASUS ROG Maximus Z690 Formula – Intel Z690 DDR5 ATX Motherboard
- Intel 12th Gen LGA 1700
- Z690 Chipset
- DDR5 4 x DIMM
- 2 x PCIe 5.0
- 5 x M.2 Slots 6 x Sata
This ASUS motherboard is the perfect companion to an Alder Lake Intel CPU. This motherboard is ideal for any high-end PC, with intelligent features, such as AI overclocking and system monitoring, to help push your gaming PC to the maximum. Additionally, the genuinely striking white on black design with RGB throughout makes this motherboard look great in any PC case. What’s more, in addition to GameFirst VI, AI Networking optimises performance and allocates bandwidth in real-time, allowing game data to be prioritised.
With Intel’s 12th gen CPUs supporting DDR5 and AMD processors with DDR5 support on the horizon, it’s time to embrace next-generation memory. DDR5 RAM offers excellent performance and a significant increase in total potential capacity, not to mention clock speeds which have also had a substantial boost.
TeamGroup Delta RGB 32GB (2X16GB) DDR5 PC5-51200C40 6400MHz Dual Channel Kit – White
- DDR5 Memory 2 x 16GB
- 6400MHz RAM Speed
- 1.35v VDIMM
- CAS 40-40-40-84 Timings
- White Design With RGB
Modelled after stealth aircraft, this TeamGroup RGB DDR5 RAM clocks in at an insane 6400MHz and looks stylish whilst doing it. With support for XMP 3.0 and featuring on-die ECC, this memory is perfect for gaming, streaming, and content creation. This 32GB dual-channel DDR5 memory kit has professional thermally conductive silicon and a reinforced PMIC cooling design to ensure your RAM stays cool even during the most demanding tasks.
And to keep your PC running at the best possible settings you’ll need a serious cooling solution. AIO coolers bring all the benefits of water-cooling without the hassle of having to build and maintain a full loop.
Lian Li GALAHAD AIO SL 360mm High Performance RGB CPU Water Cooler – White
- 360mm Radiator Design
- Triple 120mm SL ARGB PWM Fans
- ARGB Lighting on Waterblock
- Intel and AMD Compatible
The Lian Li Galahad AiO water-cooler was updated this year to include three 120mm Lian Li Uni Fans with sophisticated RGB lighting. Not only is this cooler extremely effective at siphoning heat out of your gaming PC but with a white aluminium design and customisable RGB lighting, it features a fantastic aesthetic.
Modern AAA games have become larger and larger with greater and more comprehensive graphics and quality. To get the most out of your gaming PC, an NVMe PCIe 4.0 SSD offers a great advantage, with games being able to load faster, so you’re straight into the action.
SEAGATE 500GB Beskar Ingot FireCuda 530 SSD PCIe Gen4 NVMe M.2 Solid State Drive with EKWB Heatsink
- 500GB M.2 SSD
- Read 7000 mb/s and write 3000 mb/s
- PCIe 4.0
- Firecuda Range
- Inspired by The Mandalorian
Wield the deadliest M.2 SSD in the galaxy. This officially licenced Beskar Ingot Drive will not only look great in your gaming PC, but also packs a punch. With PCIe 4.0 support and read/write speeds of up to 7000/3000MB/s, this drive is ideal for getting an edge in the latest AAA games. As part of the legendary FireCuda SSD range, you’re guaranteed reliability with this Mandalorian inspired M.2 NVMe SSD.
Having the most powerful gaming PC is great to flex on all your fellow gamers. However, the best components need a truly aesthetically pleasing gaming PC case to look their best. We’ve selected two of the best PC case to launch this year, and they’re both guaranteed to draw attention.
Kolink Big Chungus Shredded Edition Mid-Tower ARGB Showcase – Black
- Mid Tower ATX PC Chassis
- 4 x Kolink aRGB fans
- 2 x Tempered Glass Panels
- Support For Up To a 310mm Long GPU
More of a monolithic futuristic statue than a traditional PC chassis, the Kolink Big Chungus Shredded is insane. This absolute unit of a PC can fit so much hardware in it. All jokes aside, the Big Chungus Shredded from Kolink is a truly striking mid-tower case that is sure to get attention online and in person. With support for up to an ATX motherboard, four aRGB fans, and two elevated tempered glass panels, this innovative ATX chassis is perfect for showing off your high-end hardware.
Lian Li O11 Dynamic Mini-S Mid-Tower Tempered Glass – White
- Mid Tower ATX PC Chassis
- 2 x Tempered Glass Panels
- Primed for Liquid Cooling
- Developed by der8auer
- Modular Design
The Mini Snow is an absolute fan favourite, and it is easy to see why. This Lian Li mid-tower chassis has plenty of space for custom builds and two large tempered glass panels on the front and side to show off your hardware easily. Developed in collaboration with renowned overclocker, der8auer, this stunning all white case has a modular design with various options for water-cooling and motherboard type. With the all-white “snow” aesthetic, you can make your hardware the star of the show.
Looking for more?
If you’re looking to finish off your dream setup, make sure to check out our guide on the Top Ten Amazing Gaming Chairs of 2021 and Overclockers UK’s Guide to the Best Peripherals of 2021! If you’re more into a perfectly crafted system built to order, then make sure you see our guide to the best gaming PCs of 2021.
- 8 min read
Robert Mullane
Author
When not working, you'll find me in VR or losing in bottom-tier Valorant matches. I write about all topic's tech and gaming with a particular focus on representation in gaming, virtual reality, and LGBTQ+ themes. If you're still not fed up with me, you can also catch me over on the Overclockers UK TikTok and YouTube accounts.
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I would consider buying Hyperx SSD than SEAGATE. Last year, I bought a Hyperx SSD from BuyKingston and till now, I haven’t yet faced any issue at all. My pc was lagging until I introduced that SSD.