THE BEST PC HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE OF 2021/2022

THE BEST OF THE BEST, AS CHOSEN BY THE PCWORLD EDITORS.

- BRAD CHACOS

If 2020 was a banner year for PC hardware (fave.co/3kOkMD1), expectations came crashing back down to earth in 2021. The reason? Chip shortages and the supply chain crunch. Simply getting your hands on new hardware proved to be frustratingly difficult for most of the year, and even when you could find something to buy, it often sold for a staggering mark-up.

But that doesn’t mean PC vendors took their foot off the gas. We tested some truly impressive hardware in 2021, including blazing-fast next-gen SSDs and notebooks that run laps around yesteryear’s models. Are you into streaming video? Hardware that helps you look and sound as impressive as possible took major strides forward in 2021. And this year we’re expanding our list of top picks to include the best software available, as what you use all that computing power for is just as vital.

For this list, we asked PCWorld’s tech experts to share their favorite picks in their areas of expertise. Without further ado, this is the best PC hardware and software of 2021 and 2022. Yes, we’re looking forward to next year, because until even newer products begin launching in 2022, many of the wins on this list will remain very relevant, especially with no end to the chip shortage in sight (fave.co/3wOPaBP).

BEST GPU: RYZEN 5000 APUS