What We’re Obsessed with This Week – Staff Picks Inside

I unboxed the Horizon Ryzen 7 RTX 5070 Ti Gaming PC earlier this week, and it instantly became the envy of our office. This pre-built beauty is powered by an AMD Ryzen 7 5700X3D processor (8 cores, 16 threads) and a GeForce RTX 5070 Ti 16GB GPU – a combo that delivers silky-smooth gameplay in every title I’ve thrown at it. In fact, the 5070 Ti’s performance often rivals last generation’s RTX 4080, meaning high framerates at 1440p max settings are a given.

Even when I’m streaming or multitasking, the 5700X3D’s massive 3D cache keeps CPU usage in check and frame rates steady. Plus, with 32GB of DDR4 RAM and a 2TB Gen4 NVMe SSD, I’ve had zero bottlenecks. Load times are practically non-existent, and I can alt-tab between games, Discord, and Chrome without a single hiccup.

The build quality is equally impressive. It’s housed in a Montech AIR 903 MAX case with a tempered glass side panel and mesh front, showcasing three stunning ARGB fans. It’s a real head-turner, and airflow keeps everything cool even under load. Inside, the cable management is neat and professional – no loose ends or rattling parts. Setup was genuinely plug-and-play: Windows 11 came pre-installed, and I was gaming within minutes.

Even better, this PC comes with two great freebies: a free copy of DOOM: The Dark Ages Premium Edition (part of NVIDIA’s RTX 50-series bundle) and a free MSI FORGE GK310 gaming keyboard, which has a surprisingly solid mechanical feel.

For value, this Horizon PC is hard to beat. You’re getting performance that rivals custom builds costing significantly more – especially considering most pre-builds at this price come with an RTX 4070 or lower. The 5070 Ti supports DLSS 4, meaning even the latest ray-traced titles run butter-smooth.

If I had to nitpick, this build runs on the older AM4 platform (DDR4), while newer CPUs use DDR5. But honestly? In gaming, the performance difference is minimal – the 5700X3D still outperforms many newer chips thanks to its cache advantage.

In short, if you’re after top-tier 1440p performance (and even capable 4K), this system is ideal. It’s also a great pick for streamers or content creators who need multi-core power. With the current £200 off deal and all the extras included, you’re getting a killer setup that’s ready to plug in and dominate – no assembly required.

2. 1TB Crucial P310 PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD

Storage upgrades might not be the flashiest part of a gaming setup, but the Crucial P310 1TB NVMe SSD seriously impressed me. I swapped out an older SATA SSD in my rig and the difference was instant—Windows 11 boots in seconds, and game load times are nearly gone. Cyberpunk 2077, Forza Horizon 5—all launch quicker and feel more responsive, and fast travel now feels, well... actually fast.

This compact M.2 drive uses PCIe 4.0 x4, offering up to 7,100 MB/s reads and 6,000 MB/s writes. That’s around twice the speed of most Gen3 SSDs, and up to 20× faster than a hard drive. Everything feels snappier—file transfers, video editing, even navigating folders is noticeably quicker.

What makes the P310 stand out is its price-to-performance. For around £60–£70, it’s a true Gen4 drive that punches well above its weight. It uses QLC NAND (which some budget SSDs struggle with), but Crucial has added a large dynamic SLC cache, keeping write speeds high during normal use. Even when copying large files (like a 50GB game folder), speeds held strong until the cache filled—which most users won’t hit during day-to-day gaming.

It also runs cool and quiet, and I haven’t seen any thermal throttling—impressive for a drive without a heatsink. Installation was dead simple: pop it into the M.2 slot, screw it down, and format. It’s Gen3 and Gen4 compatible, and comes with a reassuring 5-year warranty and a solid 220 TBW endurance rating.

If you’re a gamer on a budget, or just need fast, reliable storage for your game library, media, or OS, the P310 is ideal. It may not have DRAM or ultra-high endurance, but for gaming, you won’t notice. It’s a no-brainer upgrade that delivers next-gen speed at an entry-level price—and we’re big fans of that.

3. Kingston FURY Beast RGB 64GB (2×32GB) DDR5-6000 Memory Kit

As someone who always has 20 Chrome tabs open, music playing, and a game running, upgrading to 64GB of DDR5 felt like a breath of fresh air. This week I installed the Kingston FURY Beast RGB 64GB (2×32GB) DDR5-6000MT/s kit, and it instantly made everything smoother.

Each module runs at 6000MT/s with CL36 latency, which is ideal for AMD’s AM5 platform. Setup was easy—just enabled the EXPO profile in BIOS, and my system booted at the correct speed straight away. I saw a noticeable improvement in memory-heavy tasks and slightly higher minimum FPS in certain games. Plus, with 64GB, I can game, run a modded Minecraft server, edit video, and stream all at once—no slowdowns, no disk pagefile use. It’s overkill for most, but if you’re future-proofing or multitasking heavily, it’s perfect.

The design is just as impressive. The sleek black aluminium heatspreaders look great, and the RGB light bar is smooth and vibrant. Thanks to Kingston’s Infrared Sync Tech, both sticks stay perfectly in sync—no extra cables required. If RGB isn’t your thing, it’s easy to tweak or turn off using their CTRL software or your motherboard’s utility.

Performance-wise, this kit holds its own against pricier Corsair and G.Skill RGB kits, yet it comes in cheaper—especially with our discounted price (~£191). You get support for both AMD EXPO and Intel XMP, making it a flexible pick no matter your platform.

In short, this is ideal for creators, streamers, and power users who demand more from their PC. Even if you’re “just gaming,” some titles (Flight Sim, Star Citizen) can chew through 30GB+ of RAM. Having 64GB means never having to close apps or worry about background tasks. The only minor point? The lightbar adds some height, so check CPU cooler clearance—but in most cases, you’ll be fine.

All in all, the FURY Beast RGB 64GB kit delivers high-speed, high-capacity memory with a touch of flair—and it’s made my rig feel faster, smoother, and ready for anything.

4. AMD Ryzen 9 9950X 16-Core AM5 CPU

If the CPU is the brain of a PC, then the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X is a Mensa-level genius running on overclocked caffeine. I had the chance to test this 16-core, 32-thread beast in one of our high-end systems recently, and it blew me away.

This is AMD’s flagship Zen 5 chip for the AM5 socket, with a base clock of 4.3GHz and boost up to a blazing 5.7GHz, plus a massive 80MB of cache. Translation? It tears through everything—gaming, rendering, data-crunching, even all at once. I rendered a 4K video in Premiere while playing Apex Legends and saw zero slowdown. It’s around 33% faster than Intel’s Core i9-14900K in multi-threaded workloads, and nearly double the performance of the older Ryzen 5950X.

Despite the core count, single-threaded performance is superb, making it excellent for gaming. It held top-tier frame rates in every title I tested—whether aiming for high FPS in esports or smooth 4K in AAA games. Only AMD’s X3D variants (like the 7800X3D) might beat it slightly in some titles, but if you do anything else alongside gaming—streaming, video work, compiling code—the 9950X is in a different league.

It’s a 170W chip, so cooling matters. I used a 360mm AIO, and temps stayed manageable. Efficiency has improved over previous generations too—Gamers Nexus highlighted its better performance-per-watt compared to Intel’s high-end offerings. It runs great on any AM5 motherboard with a BIOS update, supports DDR5, PCIe 5.0, and even has basic integrated graphics, which is handy for troubleshooting.

The experience out of the box is rock solid—no weird bugs, stable clocks, and full access to tuning features like Precision Boost and Curve Optimizer. I managed a mild overclock, but even stock, this CPU flies.

Sure, it’s a premium product (usually around £600), and it needs good cooling and a strong PSU (750W+ recommended). But if you’re building a high-end machine that can handle anything, this is the chip to get.

To sum it up: the Ryzen 9 9950X is ideal for creators, power users, and gamers who want it all. It’s a no-compromise CPU that doesn’t just raise the bar—it sets it. Once you’ve experienced this level of performance, there’s no going back.

5. Thermaltake TGM-I27FQ 27″ QHD Gaming Monitor (IPS, 165Hz, 1ms)

I’ll admit, I was intrigued—and a bit sceptical—when I heard that Thermaltake, best known for cases and power supplies, had released a gaming monitor. But after spending a few days with the TGM-I27FQ, I can confidently say: they nailed it.

This is a 27-inch QHD (2560×1440) IPS panel with a 165Hz refresh rate and 1ms GTG response time, which hits the sweet spot for PC gaming. Out of the box, the build felt solid, with a fully adjustable stand (height, tilt, swivel, and portrait mode) that many monitors in this price range skip. The look leans “gamer” with its tripod base and RGB accent lighting on the back, plus a small projector that casts the Thermaltake logo onto your desk. It’s a fun touch—and thankfully, you can turn it off.

Performance-wise, it’s impressive. The colours are rich and vibrant thanks to 95% DCI-P3 coverage, and brightness hits 400 nits—enough to make HDR pop slightly more than expected for a DisplayHDR 400 panel. Games like Overwatch and Cyberpunk 2077 looked punchy and sharp. The slim bezels give it a clean front view, and setup was quick with both HDMI and DisplayPort cables included.

Where this monitor really shines is in motion clarity. The 165Hz refresh and responsive overdrive settings kept CS2, Valorant, and Rocket League feeling fluid and crisp. Even without strobing, ghosting was minimal, and enabling MPRT mode made things even sharper for fast-paced action. It supports both FreeSync Premium and G-Sync Compatible, so you’re covered regardless of GPU.

Bonus points for the built-in KVM switch. With USB-C input and USB-B uplink, you can control two systems from one setup—great if you use a PC and a laptop, or switch between work and gaming rigs. It even provides 15W charging via USB-C, which is handy for ultrabooks.

Compared to other 1440p monitors in the ~£300 range (like the Dell S2721DGF or LG 27GP850), the TGM-I27FQ holds its own—and then some. It includes features those often leave out, like RGB, a USB hub, full ergonomics, and KVM functionality.

Minor cons? The factory colour calibration was a bit warm, but a quick tweak fixed it. It’s also a bit bulky—especially the stand base—and while HDR is usable, it’s not true HDR (no local dimming). Still, for an IPS panel at this price, the black levels are decent.

All in all, Thermaltake’s first gaming monitor is a winner. It’s fast, colourful, packed with features, and versatile enough for both gaming and productivity. If you're after a reliable 1440p high-refresh monitor, this one definitely deserves a spot on your shortlist.

6. MSI FORGE GM300 Gaming Mouse

Rounding out this week’s picks is a peripheral that seriously punches above its weight: the MSI FORGE GM300 Gaming Mouse. Don’t let the budget price (around £12–£15 on CCL) fool you—this is a very capable wired mouse that delivers great performance for everyday gaming.

I first picked one up as part of a PC bundle and ended up using it on my secondary setup. Straight away, I was surprised by how comfortable it felt. It has a symmetrical shape that suits both left- and right-handed users (though the side buttons are right-hand focused). The size is medium (around 118mm long), and it fits my palm grip well without causing fatigue during long sessions.

The matte plastic finish feels smooth and doesn’t get slippery, and the build quality is solid—no creaks, and the scroll wheel has a decent, rubbery feel. It even includes RGB lighting around the sides and a glowing MSI dragon logo on the palm. You can toggle between lighting modes either via the mouse or using MSI Center software.

On the performance side, it packs an optical sensor rated up to 7,200 DPI. I played Halo Infinite and League of Legends with it, and tracking felt accurate and responsive across all four DPI presets. It polls at 1000Hz with a 1ms response time, so no issues with lag. The main switches are rated for 10 million clicks, and while the clicks are a little softer than high-end Omrons, they’re still satisfying. I especially liked that all 7 buttons can be remapped, and the DPI stages can be adjusted via software.

Compared to other budget mice, the GM300 feels like a step up. It reminds me of a slightly heavier Logitech G203, but with more features and RGB. Sure, it doesn’t have ultra-high DPI, fancy weights, or textured side grips—but it gets all the basics right.

Reliability so far has been excellent, and it even comes with a 3-year warranty through some retailers. For the price, this is an ideal choice for budget-conscious gamers, those building a new setup, or anyone who needs a solid spare mouse for travel or LAN parties. Minor cons? The RGB zones aren’t fully customisable, and you might notice some jitter at the max DPI—but realistically, most gamers won’t go near 7200 DPI anyway.

Overall, the MSI FORGE GM300 is one of the best-value peripherals we’ve tested—comfortable, capable, and a lot of mouse for very little money. A perfect way to round off this week’s picks!

Conclusion

Thanks for checking out this week’s CCL Staff Picks! We love sharing our hands-on experiences and research to help fellow gamers and PC enthusiasts make smart, confident choices—whether you're upgrading a single part or building an entire rig.

From high-performance pre-builts to reliable peripherals and powerful components, every item we featured this week has been chosen for its value, real-world performance, and gamer-focused design.

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Got questions about anything we featured? Our team’s always happy to help.

Until next time—happy building, happy gaming, and see you in next week’s roundup!