The year was difficult, which means that it is sacred to please yourself in honor of its end. In this text, we will go through a list of cool iron pieces that we would like to get ourselves and which are quite possible to find in stores. And don’t be afraid, there won’t be any TV sets for 150,000 rubles or game capsules for two million – we are people too.
Gaming computer
From year to year, we open this section with the most important section for any player – gaming hardware. But not at this time. Unfortunately, dealers will not calm down in any way: the price tags for new video cards and processors go beyond all reasonable limits, and our conscience does not allow us to recommend an RTX 3060 Ti for 50,000 rubles instead of the promised 40,000 or Ryzen 5 5600X for 36,000 rubles. Likewise with consoles. PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series would probably be one of the best gifts for the New Year holidays, but it’s trivial not to buy them today, and we do not recommend paying 70-80 thousand to dealers.
In general, as you understood, we will carefully bypass the new pieces of iron this time – however, this does not mean that we will have to remain completely without upgrades. Some useful things can be bought now.
External piping
Let’s start with the fact that even if it does not affect performance, it warms the soul and pleases the eyes. Personally, computer cases immediately come to mind. First, it’s always nice to just update the look of your PC. And secondly, this is a great reason to finally gather up the courage and redo everything as it should: lay the wires neatly, remove all the dust and finally change the thermal paste.
Housing
The first on the list is the Zalman S4 . For its 2,500 rubles, it looks very decent: a front panel for metal, a huge window in the entire side wall and good technical characteristics. Any motherboard can fit up to ATX, there is a reserve of 160 mm for a processor cooler, and the maximum length of a video card is limited as much as 315 mm. Enough space for hard drives: two slots for 3.5 inches and one for 2.5. The fans, by the way, were not spared either: two 120 mm in front and rear.
The next update candidate is also Zalman, but under the name R2 . Technically, this is almost a complete analogue of the S4, but with two 2.5-inch bays and a front turntable of 240 mm versus 120. Its main advantage is its beautiful white color and, again, a completely transparent side wall. It costs, by the way, not much more: 3000 rubles.
If you climb higher in price, then we recommend taking a closer look at two more models. The first one is Fractal Design Meshify C Dark TG (7500 rubles), a perfectly assembled model with an original front grille and a lot of space for assembling a system of almost any complexity. And in contrast to it, we would put Thermaltake H200 RG Snow RGB (6000 rubles) – clear shapes, white color and RGB backlight synchronized with motherboards.
Cooler
The next item is cooling. No matter what they say, quiet and efficient CPU coolers are a double pleasure. Looking at the low temperatures warms the heart, and the complete absence of unnecessary overtones is a real delight for the ears. As a rule, in such collections they like to recommend huge liquid systems with two or three fans, but in fact they are needed only by overclocking fans and those who are worried that after 60 ° C the stone will begin to degrade sharply. Therefore, we are for the classics: large towers, a bunch of pipes and a quiet fan with a size of 140 mm.
Unfortunately, it’s not cheap to get off here, so for quality we go directly to be_quiet and Thermalright . The first has a good option with a tower for four heat pipes and a 120 mm slow-speed fan – called Pure Rock 2 Black (3800 rubles). The second has in stock the younger True Spirit 140 Direct (3500 rubles) for five pipes with a 140-mm turntable.
We will also throw case fans here. As for the firms, we advise you to stick to the same two – Thermalright and be_quiet – and add Noctua to it . Yes, for each turntable from these companies you will have to pay under 1000 rubles, but in terms of the noise / performance ratio, they are out of competition.
Iron
As we have already said, we will not recommend heavy hardware from the top segment now. Our opinion is this: we have to wait until prices get into a rut. Of course, if you are completely unbearable, and the funds allow, then nothing is better than an RTX 3000 or Ryzen 5000 for your computer, and giving them to yourself is a nice thing.
Well, for now, we will go through what is also still relevant. So, for example, in anticipation of a drop in prices for fresh Ryzen, you can still pick up memory for yourself. We advise you to focus on 3600 MHz at once in order to save yourself from any bottlenecks in the future. Which sets to buy is up to you, since first of all you need to focus on your motherboard and the official support list. But if you are too lazy to delve into this, then, as a rule, Kingston HyperX Fury does not have problems with support , Thermaltake modules also pleased with omnivorousness this year . In terms of volume, as usual, focus on your needs. In general, just like last year, two 8 GB slots are enough for a gaming computer, but if you have money, you can splurge on two 16 GB each.
You can also please yourself with a new drive. With hard drives, everything is clear: Western Digital has few competitors , and in terms of price / quality ratio, its Blue series with the ending EZRZ is still the best. But with an SSD, everything is much more complicated. If you still haven’t tried how comfortable it is to work with fast drives, then be sure to get yourself a drive with at least 240 GB. The simplest, Kingston A400 , will cost about 2,500 rubles today. If you have had an OS on an SSD for a long time, then you should think about a full transfer of the entire gaming machine to modern drives. In general, you can stop at 480 GB, but taking into account the size of modern games, we recommend that you immediately look towards 960 GB models. Conditional WD Green SSD WDS100T2G0Acan be found for about 8500 rubles, and the recognized leader from Samsung – 960 EVO MZ-76E1T0BW – will cost about 10 thousand.
Naturally, if you are on Ryzen and plan to upgrade to a new generation, then you can already please yourself with a new motherboard. We don’t see much sense in taking the top-end X570 , so we recommend the more logical B550 . In the ASUS , for example, there is an excellent model of the PRIME-PLUS is B550 (10.5 thousand rubles.) With normal cooling of food and a decent set of connectors on the I / O panel lines. Gigabyte also has interesting models – for the fifth Ryzen it is quite possible to take the shortened B550M Aorus Elite (8,000 rubles), the capabilities of which will be enough for even the most fastidious users.
We will very carefully recommend the power supplies here. “Carefully”, because we are supporters of this opinion: if they do not strain with noise and do not spark, then in general let them work for themselves until they break. But if you’ve already set aside money for an upgrade to the RTX 3080, then you should think about decent nutrition for it. The list here, as with fans, is small: look at be_quiet, Enermax and Seasonic . For 700 W options, the price tag starts at about 6,000 rubles – for example, this is how much they ask for Be quiet System Power 9 (5,500 rubles).
Monitors
Okay, let’s digress from the internal hardware and look at something more tangible – namely monitors. Still, replacing the latter can bring the picture to a qualitatively new level. Where to look today? As always, it depends on what you are playing now and what level of power your PC has.
Ideally, of course, immediately jump to some 4K model like the Philips 278E1A at 60 Hz and for 25,000 rubles – or already on the much more technologically advanced Samsung U32R590CWI (30,000 rubles) with a VA matrix, a bend of 1500R and a frequency 60 Hz. And if it does abut the quality and slaughter houses all piggy banks, you can look in the direction of the recently tested contact the LG 27GN950 (89 000 rubles.) – a 27-inch model at 4K frequency of 144 Hz and 10-bit color. But the most important thing about it is almost full HDR, realized through zone dimming, as well as a reborn Ambilight, which illuminates the wall behind the screen in accordance with what is happening on the screen.
From the same completely insane price range, the Acer Nitro EI1 could be a cool gift(54,000 rubles). Nominally, this is more likely Full HD, but only one monitor can fit two of them at once. That is, the matrix resolution is 3840 x 1080 here, and the diagonal is 43 inches. At the same time, the aspect ratio is 32: 9 – that is, as if they actually connected two monitors into one and removed the nasty frame between them. If this does not seem particularly impressive, add that the Nitro El1 is also curved. Moreover, its radius is very steep – 1.8 meters. Surprisingly, the most important thing is not lost behind the external characteristics – the picture quality. It is a VA with a high contrast ratio, 144Hz frequency and 90% DCI-P3 coverage, which allows you to play HDR content in HDR400 standard. Acer did not forget to add AMD FreeSync 2 technology, which will come in handy when the video card is unable to deliver the required 144 frames per second at 3840×1080 resolution.
As for the external strapping, the monitor case is made of plastic, the frame thickness is literally a few millimeters, there is a small Acer logo below, and all this is held by a massive leg with a boomerang support. In this case, the stand allows you to adjust the panel tilt angle. For those looking to free up a desk, you can move the panel onto a standard VESA mount. The main thing is not to forget that the monitor pulls 9.3 kg, so it’s better to look for a third-party stand stronger.
Another very unusual monitor is the MSI Optix MPG341CQR (60,000 rubles). This is another elongated model, but in a more logical 21: 9 format. Matrix – VA with a diagonal of 34 inches with a resolution of 3440×1440. Maximum brightness is 400 nits with DCI-P3 coverage of about 85%. This means that HDR content can be activated on the monitor. For gaming, MSI has a 144Hz refresh rate, 1ms response time, AMD FreeSync support, and 1800R flex. As it is now accepted, the monitor case is frameless, and a powerful boomerang leg with adjustments in height, tilt angles and rotation is used as a support. If desired, of course, the stand can be detached and the panel can be moved to any stand with VESA 100 support.
However, everything described above is already a standard for such monitors, and we have selected this particular model for other reasons. Firstly, MSI has cool matrix adjustment software. Through it, you can adjust any parameter in general, ranging from brightness and ending with the ratio of colors, and then tie them up to launch the desired program. Secondly, MSI is actively promoting a backlit theme that reacts to in-game events. Specifically, this model has a strip of LEDs along the bottom edge, which can display the number of cartridges or health in the same CS: GO . Thirdly, MSI has built a small camera here that recognizes a specific user in the face: for him it will unlock the computer, immediately load the specified programs, and also change the color profiles.
However, let’s go down from heaven to earth. We perfectly understand that 4K, extended FHD and others like them are cool, but only a few are looking in their direction. In the world of iron, there are much more urgent and interesting models on the usual Full HD. So, for example, if you are still using TN-matrices, then it makes sense this year to switch to VA or IPS, which will show a much more beautiful and high-quality picture. For about 12,500 rubles, you can get a 27-inch curved VA 60 Hz – Samsung C27F396FHI . Yes, it has a simple stand and thick frames, but this usually does not interfere with games. Another good option is Philips 271B8QJEB(16,000 rubles) – this is also 60 Hz, but already IPS with slightly more honest colors and coverage of almost 90% sRGB. If we talk about faster models, then a normal VA in a good case and at 144 Hz will cost at least 23,000 rubles, and it will be MSI Optix MAG271C with a curved screen, the control system already described above, a more or less normal stand with a minimum of adjustments and even backlight. However, you can save some money: for 18,500 rubles, HP has a 27x model with similar characteristics . In terms of design, equipment, control system and assembly, everything is much more modest, but in the picture it is very close to MSI.
Laptops
We understand that a laptop is insanely expensive, but what the hell is not kidding: a lot of decent models came out this year. The first to come to mind, of course, are budget options up to 100,000 rubles. And the funny thing is, they are all on Ryzen. The most striking examples are ASUS TUF Gaming A17 (90,000 rubles), for which we have already released a review , and also the recently tested Acer Nitro 5 (71,000 rubles). The latter, perhaps, scored a little more points of our sympathy.
It is a classic gaming laptop by design, with a molded lid and well-beveled edges. The screen frame on the sides is not very thick – 9 mm, but from the top and bottom it is already 24 and 15 mm. In terms of connectors, the layout is standard: on the left are LAN, two USBs of the third version and a 3.5 mm jack. On the right is HDMI 2.0 and a couple of USBs, one of which is Type-C. The screen is IPS with Full HD resolution and 144 Hz. Its coverage, however, is not very wide – 52% sRGB. But the laptopboasts a full-size keyboard with a normal numeric keypad, red backlighting and no combination locks in the gaming area. Acer did not disappoint in network technologies: the gigabit wired module based on the gaming Killer E2600 and the sixth generation WiFi from Intel are also in place. The sound here is based on a Realtek chip, which rocks gaming headsets well and copes with a pair of built-in speakers located on the sides and directed slightly downward.
Nitro has a huge number of configuration options. The simplest – i5-8300H and GTX 1650 – start at 58,000 rubles. Slightly more productive – Ryzen 5 4600H with GTX 1650 Ti – can be found for 70,000. Well, the top ones – on the i7-10750H and RTX 2060 – will cost 113,000 rubles.
As an alternative of the same segment can be viewed and the MSI GF65 Thin . It is interesting in two ways at once. The first is a very thin case for this price point: only 2.1 cm and weighs 1.86 kg. The second one is configurations that are unusual for the market and a nice price. This model on RTX 2060 and Core i5-9300H is quite realistic to find for 85,000 rubles. Yes, you will almost immediately have to buy a second 8 GB memory strip for it, but it’s worth it: the rest of the laptop is more than adequately equipped.
The lid and space around the keyboard are covered with metal sheets, and the rest of the body is made of matte plastic. The screen sits on two hinges and is built on both fast 120/144 Hz panels with a small color gamut, and on more modest in speed, but better quality 60 Hz models. The GF65 has an interesting set of connectors: MSI has abandoned the standard rule of “three regular USBs plus one Type-C” and moved to the “two plus two” option. Thus, she removed almost all the ports on the right side and made room for additional ventilation holes. The cooling system here, by the way, is called Cooler Boost 5: these are three radiators, two turbines and six heat pipes at once, four of which are in the RTX 2060.
The keyboard of the GF65 is full-sized and backlit, but without the number pad. The touchpad is an office one without separate keys. Two speakers of 4 W each are responsible for the sound; their familiar Realtek serves them with the support of Nahimic software.
Of the cool models of this year, I would also like to mention the Acer Enduro N3 (140,000 rubles). It is, of course, not playable at all and very expensive, but conceptually the model is very unusual. The fact is that this is a rugged laptop for working in the fields. It is not afraid of shaking and falls from a low altitude, it can operate at a humidity of 95% and temperatures up to -20 ° С, as well as at an altitude of up to 4.5 km. These properties were achieved not only due to the reinforced case, but also due to the non-standard cooling system. Local fan called Aquafanthrows out all the moisture that gets in, and the keyboard has drainage holes through which, in theory, even spilled tea leaves will crawl through. Unusually, the screen coverage here is Gorilla Glass, like on smartphones. Naturally, such a machine weighs a lot: almost 2 kg with a thickness of 2.5 cm.
In terms of specs, the Enduro comes with an Intel Core i7-10210U processor ranging from 1.6 to 4.2 GHz. The RAM is allocated 16 GB DDR4, and for data storage they put SSD 512 or 1024 GB. Acer also leaves a small loophole for those who like to play: we are talking about the discrete NVIDIA GeForce MX230 . Of course, Cyberpunk 2077 cannot be launched on it, but it is quite possible to drive in Pillars of Eternity or Divinity: Original Sin 2
Accessories
On this, we will finish directly with iron and move on to all sorts of cool little things and accessories. New Year is always a great excuse to update all your game inventory. As for keyboards, we, as always, adhere to the golden rule: it is best to take mechanics right away. Yes, it’s not cheap, but they don’t have such a thing as “the press didn’t pass” or “the combination didn’t work”, but they serve for years. Not a single mechanic has yet died in our company – even the first SteelSeries 6Gv2 clicks normally nine years after the purchase (the caps only had to be replaced). So don’t be afraid of investing here – the main thing is to invest wisely.
When buying a mechanic, there are exactly two conditions: to buy exclusively Cherry MX and to choose a model on the basis of the “cheapest” principle. Yes, you read that right: you open Yandex.Market, fill in the conditional Cherry MX Red, put the filter “by price” and take the first one that comes across. At the time of this writing, we had HP OMEN Encoder 6YW76AA Black for 6200 rubles. Why is it so easy to choose? Because all manufacturers – HP , HyperX , Corsair , ASUS – buy the filling from the German company Cherry, and they themselves make only the case, put the original backlighting and adjust the software. That is why it is almost impossible to spoil Cherry.
In case the mechanics seem too expensive, take the membrane, but don’t pay too much for it. The most worth spending on is the magical N-key rollover that indicates no blocking.
With mice, unfortunately, it’s not so easy to choose, because a mouse is like an armchair: you have to sit on each one and take the model specifically for yourself.
The top best-selling mice today, of course, is the Logitech the G . According to the company itself, it goes best with the G502 model on its own Hero 25K sensor. It produces 25,600 dpi, that is, in theory, the sensor lens can transmit irregularities up to 1 micron (1/50 of a human hair), and holds acceleration up to 40 G. At the same time, the mouse itself is assembled into a durable plastic case with rubberized sides and a system of removable weights, which allows you to adjust the weight in the range from 121 to 139 grams.
In addition to two clicks on the Omron, the G502 has nine more buttons: the DPI switch, instant sniper mode, and two keys under the index and thumb. All of them, of course, are configured through the proprietary Logitech G Hub application , and the specified profiles are saved in the internal memory. By the way, the wheel of the G502 is also interesting: firstly, it works for both the usual and horizontal scrolling. And secondly, as is customary with many Logitech mice, it can be switched to free mode, in which it spins without fixation in positions.
However, when choosing a mouse, be guided by the following rule. First, look at the sensor, and then choose according to the shape and number of possibilities. For sensors, we advise you to immediately search for the older PWM 3389 and its derivatives. Mice based on them are sold for 2,000 rubles ( A4Tech Bloody P30 Pro ) and 9,000 ( HyperX Pulsefire Dart ).
For wireless mice, keep in mind that a little blood is not enough here. For long battery life, stable communication, minimal delays and an accurate sensor, you will have to pay at least 6-7 thousand rubles. Quite good options here are ASUS ROG Pugio II (7,000 rubles) or Gladius II (7,300 rubles) based on the PAW3335BT sensor .
Since we started talking about game manipulators, let’s remember about steering wheels with joysticks: they are usually rarely bought with their minds, but in the impulse to “take something cool” they go with a bang. Of course, if you take the issue seriously, then you will have to fork out at least fifteen to twenty thousand – this is how much the cheapest steering wheel with Force Feedback ( Thrustmaster T-150 ) and a more or less accurate joystick for flying ( Logitech X-56 Rhino Saitek Pro Flight ). But let’s be honest with ourselves: such things are actively used for a month and a half, and then they go to the shelf to collect dust. Therefore, purely for pampering, it is better to take some Hori Racing Wheel APEX (8000 rubles) from the steering wheels , and from the joysticks – Logitech Extreme 3D Pro (2000 rubles) orThrustmaster T.Flight Hotas X (6500 rubles). By the way, steering wheels and joysticks can also be found on Avito or Yulia: as we have already said, these toys quickly get bored, and almost new models are sold at flea markets.
On New Year’s, it makes sense to think about updating the sound park. For TVs and consoles, we can safely recommend the Yamaha YAS-108 soundbar (15,000 rubles): it sounds very worthy, takes up minimum space and is familiar with all popular interfaces. You can pick up a small 2.1-system like Edifier M1360 (3200 rubles) for your computer . If you mostly play with headphones, and the speakers are needed only because, so far, then you can limit yourself to a Bluetooth speaker with AUX-input and powered by USB. Good examples for 4000-7000 rubles: JBL Go 2 , JBL Charge 4 , Sony SRS-XB12 , LG XBOOM Go PL2 .
Here we will also add smart columns with “Alice” from “Yandex” . We will not recommend older models: a little expensive for a toy, but the younger Yandex.Station Mini (4500 rubles) can be bought. Moreover, if he comes in, then it will be possible to take to her all sorts of adult curiosities like smart relays for light, air purifiers and even a washing machine.
Speaking of adult curiosities: let’s add all kinds of designers here. Gamers can visit the LEGO game series : their “Mario” is now on sale with great discounts of forty percent. Of course, you are unlikely to play them, but the toys look great on the shelf. You can also find themed series from LEGO – especially those who are fans of Star Wars or Minecraft are lucky . The Danes have literally dozens of sets on these topics.
If you, like many, perceive LEGO as some kind of childish prank, then you can please yourself with truly adult constructors on Arduino . Here you will need a soldering iron, and you will have to remember the lessons of computer science and mathematics, and in general, assembling your own “smart” light bulb is more than cool. It is better to buy such things in sets. We advise the lazy to look at the sets from ” Amperka ” like ” Matryoshka X ” (4500 rubles): they are expensive, but they are well designed and complete with human instructions. We will send the strong in spirit to AliExpress : there, for 2500-3000 rubles, you can buy much more advanced sets, but they will not be designed so beautifully, and it is not a fact that all the details will be working.
We will bring up 3D printers from the same area. Let’s say right away: we do not know why they are needed at home and what to do with them at all, but the very idea that for the conditional 17-20 thousand rubles you can print yourself Dumgai or a set of figures for D&D, really excites.
