Just in time for the holidays, Den of Geek has curated a buyer’s guide to all of our favorite devices, gadgets, and gaming PC components, from everything you need to become a hardcore gamer or pro live streamer to the best mobile devices on the market. Best of all, we’ve included links that take you directly to where you can buy all of the products in this guide! Editor’s note: Den of Geek may receive a small commission from items purchased through the links in this story. Looking for more video game deals? Check out the best Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo deals here.
PC Gaming
Presented by be quiet! The Pure Base 500DX case manages this via high airflow intake panels and three 140mm fans, ensuring top cooling and near-silent operation. It doesn’t hurt that this case looks pretty darned stylish in the process. Learn more about the Pure Base 500DX.
be quiet! Silent Base 802 – $170
If you want something even more heavy duty, the Base 802 is just as stylish with all the cooling and quiet qualities of the 500DX. As well as the three 140mm fans, the Base 802 has plenty of customizable features, like a decoupled motherboard tray for an optional inverted layout and interchangeable top covers to let you choose between airflow and sound level. Learn more about the Silent Base 802.
be quiet! Pure Loop 280mm All-in-One Water Cooling – $95
If you really want to reduce the noise of a PC, then water cooling is the best option, and be quiet! has you covered here, too. The BW007 Pure Loop All-in-One Water Cooling System’s design causes minimal vibration, meaning very little noise is generated while your PC is kept nice and cool. And if you have a window into your PC’s innards, you’ll be pleased to hear it’s good looking too, with a stylish all-black aluminum design with white LEDs for illumination.
be quiet! Dark Power Pro 12 1200W PSU – $399
Okay, not everyone needs this much power, but if you do find yourself needing a PSU with four figures worth of wattage, then the modular Dark Power Pro is for you. Offering up to 94.9% of power efficiency, the frameless Silent Wings fan is virtually silent when operating at ordinary loads. Plus, it’s an overclocker’s dream with key switches between six 12V rails and a large 12V rail. Learn more about the Dark Power Pro.
be quiet! Pure Power 11 FM 750W PSU – $115
If you’re planning to pick up a GeForce RTX 30 Series GPU this holiday, you’re going to need a PSU that offers at least 750 watts of electricity to power this next-gen graphics card. be quiet! offers an excellent modular option in the Pure Power 11 FM — at an affordable price. And like all of the maker’s best products, it has a 120mm fan designed to keep things cool and quiet while you work on your Call of Duty KD ratio. Learn more about the Pure Power 11.
GeForce RTX 30 Series GPUs – $329 and Up
NVIDIA has continued to improve and expand its line of GeForce RTX 30 Series graphics cards over the past year. Assuming you can find one in stores at a reasonable price, the RTX 3060, 3070, 3080, and 3090 are all top-of-the-line options to upgrade your rig this holiday. A RTX 30 Series GPU will offer seriously enhanced graphical performance, and you should expect three-figure frame rates in even the most demanding titles as well as 4K resolutions, with the RTX 3090 already looking ahead at an 8K future. Shop GeForce RTX 30 Series GPUs.
GeForce RTX 30 Laptops – $849 and Up
Ray tracing is a feature so graphically revolutionary that NVIDIA named a whole series of GPUs after it. And after a big impact in the desktop gaming PC space, NVIDIA next turned to laptops. RTX 20 series laptops brought a whole new world of power to PC gamers who no longer had to choose between portability and power. Now NVIDIA has brought its Ampere architecture powered GeForce RTX 30 Laptop GPUs to the masses, and the results are as impressive as you’d expect from technology which the company describes as its “biggest generational leap ever.” There’s more to it than just pretty lighting effects, though: RTX 30 Series laptops pump up the frame rates and reduce the volume, all while delivering up to twice the power efficiency of the previous generation – something that’s pretty darn important for gaming laptops. Best of all, there’s an RTX 30 laptop for every budget! Shop GeForce RTX 30 Series Laptops.
Corsair K100 RGB Mechanical Gaming Keyboard – $180
There’s nothing better than a mechanical gaming keyboard with keys that click just right, tons of customization options, and durable design. That perfectly describes the Corsair K100, which has key switches with lightning fast input and 1.0mm actuation distance, dedicated macro keys, and a multi-function control wheel for everything from switching up the keyboard’s lightning to media jogging.
BenQ MOBIUZ EX2710 27″ 144Hz Gaming Monitor – $270
When it comes to PC gaming, beautiful resolution is great, but a high framerate is better. The BenQ MOBIUZ offers up to 144 frames per second, optimal for 120 fps-enabled shooters and any other modern games you want to throw at this monitor. As a bonus, it’s also compatible with the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X at 1080p and up to 120 frames per second.
NTENSE XTreme Riser Gaming Desk – $260
So you got your dream PC build, the perfect monitor, and an awesome keyboard and mouse setup, but you still need a place to set it all up. The NTENSE XTreme Rise gaming desk is the perfect solution for gamers who also want something that looks professional for work. The desk not only offers two levels for all your equipment — with enough space for a dual monitor setup, which everyone should have in 2021 — but also a cup holder and a hook for your headset. It also has two built-in USB ports so that you can charge your devices while you play/work.
DXRacer MASTER Gaming Chair – $519
So you have an excellent PC and a great gaming desk to go with it, but you still need a comfy chair that’s also stylish enough for Zoom calls with your work colleagues. That’s the very essence of the DXRacer MASTER, which forgoes the more flamboyant design of traditional gaming chairs for something a bit more subtle and serious. But you’ll still find all the features that make gaming chairs the perfect solution for people who have to sit at desks for hours at a time, such as a rail-mounted headrest and built-in lumbar support.
WD_BLACK D30 Game Drive 1 TB SSD – $150
Western Digital really has become the standard for internal and external SSDs. You’ll likely need one of the latter if you plan to play any modern games on your PC or consoles since their file sizes tend to be massive these days, weighing in at 100 GBs or more. If you’re looking to expand your games storage, definitely check out the durable WD_BLACK D30, which you can get with 500 GB, 1 TB, or 2 TBs of space. With a 900MB/s read speed, loading up a game from the D30 shouldn’t feel like a drag.
Custom PC Magazine Subscription
Are you planning to embark on your first PC build over the holiday? You can check out our all-in-one video guide to how to build a gaming PC. But if you’re looking for a resource that goes even more in-depth on the latest components and PC technology, you should really check out Custom PC, which features tons of articles and deep-dives that are sure to grab any PC building enthusiast. Subscribe to Custom PC. Of course, if you do have a high-powered PC, you can play amazing titles like Half Life: Alyx with the optional Oculus Link cable, too. And if you want in on Mark Zuckerberg’s metaverse future, this is the VR headset you’ll want.
Valve Index – $999
If money is no object, you have the PC grunt to run it, and you can actually get hold of one, then the Valve Index is the virtual reality headset to get this year. It lacks the immediacy of the Oculus Quest 2 and can’t run without a PC or the movement tracking base stations, but the room scale experience is second to none with crisp visuals and high refresh rates to really lose yourself in a virtual world. Pair with Half-Life: Alyx. Trust us.
Phones and Mobile Gaming
Apple iPhone 13 Pro – $999
Apple lovers know the deal already with the latest iPhone, but if you haven’t been converted yet, the biggest new features in the iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max are the upgraded cameras — including a new low-light performance mode and a cinematic video mode — a brand-new chip for lightning fast operation, improved battery life, and a fresh operating system.
Apple Arcade Subscription – $4/month
Apple Arcade is making mobile gaming easier than ever with an affordable subscription service that gives you access to over 200 curated games. Offerings include NBA 2K22 Arcade Edition, Angry Birds Reloaded, Lego Star Wars Battles, Sonic Racing, Fantasian (from the creator of Final Fantasy), and a remake of The Oregon Trail. And you can try them all now with a free one-month trial. Subscribe to Apple Arcade.
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G – $1100
The iPhone’s main competitor has dished out its best phone yet. The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G features the maker’s most powerful camera, which allows you to record 8K video, has an 100X zoom mode, and plenty of other neat tools. Battery life has been improved so you can capture video and photos for hours before giving it a charge.
Google Pixel 6 Pro – $899
Google’s Pixel smartphone line has long existed as a mid-tier option for users who don’t want to spend $1000 on a new iPhone as well as those who use Google’s other services and want all those tools integrated into their mobile experience. While the Google Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro still come ready-made for the Google app user, these phones make the jump to the premium space (and the price hike reflects that).
Razer Kishi Mobile Game Controller – $45
Whether you’re playing a mobile game on Apple Arcade, playing on an emulator on Android, or streaming something through Xbox Game Pass or NVIDIA GeForce Now, the experience is best with a mobile game controller. There’s no controller better (or more convenient) than the Razer Kishi, which basically turns your Android or Apple phone into a handheld console. On top of the ergonomic shape for maximum comfort, this accessory also has a USB-C charging port so you can charge your phone while playing. Convenient!
Apple AirPods Pro – $200
There’s one big reason you see so many people using AirPods these days: they absolutely rule. And the AirPods Pro are the best iteration of these headphones yet. On top of their comfortable design and excellent audio quality, they also feature active noise canceling so that you can play games, watch videos, or take calls with the built-in microphone in even the noisiest environments.
Logitech StreamCam – $130
Not all webcams are created equal, especially if you plan to stream your games. Fortunately, the Logitech StreamCam is a solution aimed squarely at streamers, with plenty of features that’ll come in handy when mid broadcast. Its smart auto-focus and exposure mean you won’t need to constantly adjust things, and this webcam is also ideal for those who want to maintain a solid 60 frames per second for their HD footage.
Razer Kiyo Streaming Webcam – $70
Even the best streaming cams need good lighting to make you really pop on Twitch or YouTube. You could buy a ring light or LED panel lights to brighten the scene — or you can get the Razer Kiyo, which comes with a built-in ring light for a fast, affordable solution. It’s also very compact. Simply clip it to the top of your monitor and get streaming! Buy the Razer Kiyo streaming cam. Buy the Hyper X QuadCast S mic here.
Blue Yeti Mic – $100
Now, if you want something a little more subtle for streaming (or starting your own podcast), you can’t go wrong with the Blue Yeti USB mic, a great plug-in and go option if you’re a beginner or just want a microphone that’s reliable and sounds great.
Lifestyle and Cord-cutting
XGIMI Halo True 1080p Portable Projector – $799
Want to turn your living room wall into a giant screen or watch a movie in your backyard? The XGIMI Halo True delivers one of the best portable projector experiences, but at a steep price. Still, if you can shell out the dough, you get clear 1080p resolution, access to all your favorite streaming apps, built-in speakers, and even a built-in battery that can last up to two hours without charge. This is perfect for turning your next camping trip into movie night.
