Top 5 Staff Picks Week 3: Components

It was an easy installation in my desktop, and the thermal control (Dynamic Thermal Guard technology), ensures I get reliable and durable performance.

Dan, Product

I'm really happy with the TUF GAMING GeForce RTX™ 3070 Ti graphics card - it is an absolute beast! It's been upgraded with all-metal shrouds, three powerful axial-tech fans, and independent heatsinks for the GPU and memory. That means you get amazing power and cooling, without worrying about your PC overheating, and the health of your GPU is never at stake.

The three fans use dual ball fan bearings, so you can rely on consistent performance and longevity. Plus, the two side fans spin counter-clockwise to reduce turbulence and noise, and a stop mode halts all fans when the GPU temp falls below a certain temperature. This mean you get a nice economy mode without tweaking anything.

The heatsink is designed with MAXCONTACT technology to improve surface smoothness and enhance thermal transfer. And with ASUS' military-grade capacitors and TUF components, you know this card is built to last.

It's not just the performance that's impressive - it looks great in my case: the design is sleek and industrial, with an all-aluminium shroud and a protective metal backplate with a wide vent. The RGB element on the top can also be customized.

GPU Tweak III makes performance tweaking and system monitoring easy, and you can even use QuantumCloud to earn extra money by sharing your graphics card's computing power (although I have not tried this yet!).

Overall, if you're a serious gamer looking for a powerful and reliable graphics card, the TUF GAMING GeForce RTX 3070 Ti is definitely worth checking out.

Joy, Branding

As an Apex Legends and Warzone gamer, I absolutely love this GPU. The benchmarks are absolutely perfect for competitive gaming, but also with a few of my AAA titles like Control and Call of Duty! The WINDFORCE 2X cooling system on this graphics card is incredible, and the reason I purchase it. My previous graphics cards had issues with overheating because I like to do some video editing as well as gaming. The two 90mm unique blade fans, alternate spinning, and 3 composite copper heat pipes direct touch GPU, 3D active fan, and screen cooling work together to provide incredibly efficient heat dissipation.

The 3D Active Fan provides semi-passive cooling, which means that the fans remain off when the GPU is in a low load or low power game, allowing for silent gameplay when the system is running light or idle. The heat pipes direct touch the GPU, maximizing the direct contact area, while the graphene nano lubricant can extend the life of the fan by 2.1 times, making it quieter as well.

This graphics card is also built strong, with a compact size of less than 200mm in length, making it easy to install in any small chassis (I have an ATX but this would be okay in an m-ITX, too. It was a cinch to install, and performance has been awesome!

Jordan, Marketing

I chose the Kingston FURY Beast DDR4 memory upgrade because it's a cost-effective solution that provides a powerful performance boost of up to 3733MHz. As a creative professional who uses Photoshop and does minimal gaming, having a high-performance memory is crucial for a smooth and efficient workflow. The memory is available in different capacities, speeds, and latencies, so I was able to choose one that's compatible with my system's needs.

What I love about the FURY Beast DDR4 memory is its Plug N Play functionality. I was in a hurry to meet a deadline, but needed to get the memory sticks installed, and it was a breeze. They allow for automatic overclocking at 2666MHz without the need for manual configuration, which is great for me since I'm not in any hurry to do much more overclocking. The low-profile heat spreader design ensures that the memory stays cool during intensive usage, which is important for maintaining the performance and lifespan of the memory.

The FURY Beast DDR4 memory is also both Intel XMP-ready and ready for AMD Ryzen, so it's flexible and compatible with different systems. Overall, it's an easy and reliable solution for enhancing my system's performance without breaking the bank. With its speed, capacity, and compatibility, it's a great choice for anyone looking to elevate their creative workflow.

Mark, Content

I recently purchased a GIGABYTE UD series motherboard to pair with a great value (discounted) Ryzen 5000-series CPU, and it has been the perfect partner! This motherboard is designed to deliver precision power delivery to the most power-hungry components of my system, ensuring enhanced performance and scalability - but all at the right price point for my budget machine.

One of the standout features of this motherboard is the Realtek 8118 Gaming LAN (with automatic bandwidth allocation) which ensures that I always have the highest network priority for my games and applications.

The HDMI 2.1 support is great for the monitor I have, especially for watching Netflix - offering twice the bandwidth, and support for native cinematic 21:9 ratio, full HDR, and HDCP 2.3.

The main reason I chose this motherboard is its Smart Fan 5 technology, which allows me to keep my gaming PC cool while maintaining optimal performance. With Fan Stop, I can even achieve fan silence by mapping any fan to stop completely when temperatures drop below a specified threshold.

With this being a slightly older board, the Q-Flash Plus feature makes updating the BIOS a breeze, without having to install the CPU, memory, or graphics card. With solid plated ATX 12V 8pin power connectors and Start Sulfurization Protection, this motherboard offers stable power supply and ultra-durability for a longer lifespan. Overall, I couldn't be happier with my purchase!

Hollie, Marketing