Ahead of the 8th European Hardware Awards that will be presented to the world on Monday 31st May 2021, over 100 specialist editors from EHA publications across the region have been deciding on a definitive list of the best hardware available in the market. Work on that list of nominations has now been completed and we’re ready to announce the finalists to the world!
In terms of scope and expertise, no editorial survey comes close to the one that the EHA runs to find the Best of the Best. Now in its seventh year, the EHA Awards 2021 promises to be a truly unique event.
In light of the on-going issues with the pandemic, on Monday 31st May 2021, there will be a special online ceremony to announce winners of the European Hardware Awards 2021, with vendors, distributors, resellers and manufacturers all tuned in to find out who wins. Due to the massive move to online working, gaming and entertainment, this year we have also added a new category specifically for streaming hardware for the first time, but the core categories remain largely untouched.
Thousands of products have been considered and we are now down to the ‘chosen few’. Voting has begun in all 43 categories, as our editorial teams decide which products are the best of the best on sale in Europe today.
Here are the finalists being considered by the editorial teams of the European Hardware Association:
Best CPU |
AMD Ryzen 5 5600X |
AMD Ryzen 7 5800X |
AMD Ryzen 9 5900X |
AMD Ryzen 9 5950X |
Apple M1 |
Intel Core i5 11400 |
Intel Core i5 11600K |
Intel Core i9 11900K |
Best ATX Motherboard |
ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero |
ASUS ROG Maximus XIII Hero |
ASUS ROG Strix B550-F Gaming |
Gigabyte B550 Aorus Elite V2 |
Gigabyte X570 Aorus Extreme |
Gigabyte X570 Aorus Master |
Gigabyte Z590 Aorus Tachyon |
MSI MAG B550 Tomahawk |
MSI MEG X570 Unify |
MSI MEG Z590 ACE |
MSI MPG Z590 Gaming Carbon Wi-Fi |
Best Micro ATX Motherboard |
ASUS TUF Gaming B550M-Plus |
Gigabyte B550M Aorus Elite |
Gigabyte B550M Aorus Pro |
MSI B460M Pro |
MSI MAG B550M Bazooka |
MSI MAG B550M Mortar |
Best Mini ITX Motherboard |
ASRock X570 Phantom Gaming-ITX/TB3 |
ASUS ROG Strix B550-I Gaming |
ASUS ROG Strix X570-I Gaming |
ASUS ROG Strix Z590-I Gaming |
Gigabyte B550I Aorus Pro AX |
Gigabyte X570I Aorus Pro |
Gigabyte Z590I Aorus Ultra |
Gigabyte Z590I Vision D |
MSI MEG Z590I Unify |
MSI MPG B550I Gaming Edge |
Best System Memory Series |
Corsair Dominator Platinum |
Crucial Ballistix |
G.Skill Trident Z |
HyperX Fury |
Patriot Viper Gaming Steel |
TeamGroup T-Force |
Best GPU |
AMD Radeon RX 6800 |
AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT |
AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT |
Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti |
Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 |
Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 |
Nvidia GeForce RTX 3090 |
Best AMD Based Graphics Card |
AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT (reference) |
ASUS ROG Strix Radeon 6800 XT LC |
ASUS TUF Gaming Radeon RX 6800 XT OC |
Gigabyte Aorus Radeon RX 6900 XT Master |
PowerColor Radeon RX 6800 XT Red Devil |
Sapphire Radeon RX 6700 XT Nitro+ |
Sapphire Radeon RX 6800 XT Nitro+ |
Sapphire Radeon RX 6900 XT Toxic |
Best Nvidia Based Graphics Card |
ASUS ROG Strix GeForce RTX 3080 |
ASUS ROG Strix GeForce RTX 3090 OC |
ASUS TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 3080 OC |
EVGA GeForce RTX 3060 XC Gaming |
EVGA GeForce RTX 3080 FTW3 |
Gigabyte Aorus GeForce RTX 3090 Xtreme |
MSI GeForce RTX 3080 Gaming X Trio |
MSI GeForce RTX 3080 Suprim X |
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Founders Edition |
Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Founders Edition |
Nvidia GeForce RTX 3090 Founders Edition |
Best Gaming Monitor |
Acer Predator X35 |
ASUS ROG Swift PG259QNR |
ASUS ROG Swift PG32UQX |
ASUS ROG Swift PG35VQ |
Gigabyte Aorus FI27Q-X |
LG UltraGear 27GN950 |
MSI Optix MAG274QRF-QD |
Samsung Odyssey G7 LC27G75T |
Samsung Odyssey G9 LC49G95T |
Best Professional Monitor |
Acer ConceptD CP3 |
ASUS ProArt PA32UCX-PK |
Eizo ColorEdge CG2730 |
EIZO FlexScan EV3895 |
LG 34WN50 |
LG Ergo 32UN880 |
MSI Prestige PS341WU |
Philips 499P9H |
Best CPU Cooler (air) |
be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4 |
be quiet! Pure Rock 2 |
be quiet! Shadow Rock 3 |
Cooler Master MasterAir MA624 Stealth |
Corsair A500 Dual Fan |
DeepCool AS500 Plus |
Noctua NH-D15 |
Noctua NH-D15S |
Noctua NH-U12A |
Scythe Mugen 5 |
SilentiumPC Spartan 4 |
Zalman CNPS20X |
Best CPU Cooler (water) |
Alphacool Eisbaer LT92 |
Arctic Liquid Freezer II 420 |
be quiet! Pure Loop 240 |
Cooler Master MasterLiquid ML360R RGB |
Corsair iCue H100i Elite Capellix |
Corsair iCue H150i Elite Capellix |
EKWB EK-AIO 360 D-RGB |
NZXT Kraken X53 |
NZXT Kraken X73 RGB |
NZXT Kraken Z53 |
Phanteks Glacier One 240 MP |
Best Case Fan Series |
Alphacool SL-15 |
Arctic BioniX P120 A-RGB |
be quiet! Pure Wings 2 |
be quiet! Silent Wings 3 |
Corsair iCue QL120 RGB |
Corsair ML120 Pro RGB |
Noctua Chromax Black |
Noctua NF-A12x25 |
Best Hard Drive |
Seagate Barracuda |
Seagate Exos |
Seagate Ironwolf |
Toshiba P300 |
Western Digital Gold |
Western Digital Red |
Best SSD |
Corsair MP400 |
Corsair MP600 Pro |
Gigabyte Aorus NVMe Gen4 SSD |
Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus |
Sabrent Rocket Q |
Samsung SSD 980 Pro |
Western Digital WD_Black SN850 |
Best NAS Device |
Asustor AS4004T |
QNAP TS-1677X-16G |
QNAP TS-453D |
QNAP TS-H886 |
Synology DiskStation DS1621+ |
Synology DiskStation DS1821+ |
Synology DiskStation DS920+ |
Best External Storage |
Samsung Portable SSD X5 |
Crucial X6 Portable SSD |
WD MyPassport SSD |
Crucial X8 Portable SSD |
SanDisk Extreme PRO Portable SSD v2 |
Gigabyte Vision Drive |
Samsung Portable SSD T5 |
Seagate FireCuda Gaming SSD |
WD WD_BLACK P50 Game Drive |
WD WD_BLACK D50 Game Dock |
Best ATX Case |
Phanteks Enthoo Pro 2 |
be quiet! Pure Base 500DX |
be quiet! Silent Base 802 |
Corsair 5000D Airflow |
Corsair iCUE 4000X RGB |
Fractal Design Define 7 |
Fractal Design Meshify 2 |
Lian Li PC-O11 |
Raijintek Paean Premium |
Seasonic Syncro Q704 |
SilentiumPC Ventum VT4 |
Best Micro ATX Case |
Cooler Master MasterBox MB400L |
Cooler Master MasterBox Q300P |
Cooler Master Silencio S400 |
Corsair Crystal 280X |
DeepCool Macube 110 |
DeepCool Matrexx 40 3FS |
Fractal Design Focus G Mini |
Fractal Design Meshify C Mini |
Kolink Citadel |
Best ITX Case |
Cooler Master MasterBox NR200P |
Cooler Master MasterCase H100 ARGB |
Fractal Design Era ITX |
InWin A1 |
NZXT H1 |
NZXT H200i |
NZXT H210i |
Raijintek Pan Slim |
Best PSU Series |
be quiet! Dark Power Pro 12 |
Cooler Master V SFX Gold |
Corsair AXi |
Corsair RMx |
Fractal Design Ion |
Seasonic Connect |
Seasonic Prime TX |
Best Gaming Mouse |
Corsair Dark Core RGB Pro |
Corsair Katar Pro XT |
Corsair Sabre RGB Pro |
Endgame Gear XM1 Revision 2 |
Logitech G Pro X Superlight |
Mountain Makalu 67 |
Razer Naga Pro Wireless |
Razer Viper 8K |
Best Gaming Keyboard |
Mountain Everest |
Corsair K100 RGB |
Corsair K100 RGB OPX |
Corsair K95 RGB Platinum |
Ducky One 2 |
GG Champion's Bane |
Logitech G512 GX |
Logitech G915 Lightspeed TKL |
Razer Huntsman V2 Analog |
SteelSeries Apex Pro |
Best Router |
ASUS RT-AC88U |
ASUS RT-AX86U |
AVM FRITZ!Box 7530 AX |
AVM FRITZ!Box 7590 |
Netgear Nighthawk AX12 |
Netgear Nighthawk XR700 |
Synology RT2600ac |
Best VR/AR Product |
HP Reverb G2 |
Oculus Quest 2 |
Valve Index |
Best Gaming Chair |
AKRacing Core |
Corsair T3 Rush Gaming Chair |
noblechairs EPIC |
noblechairs HERO |
noblechairs ICON |
Recaro EXO FX |
Best Streaming Equipment |
AVerMedia Live Gamer Duo GC570D |
elgato Cam Link 4K |
elgato Key Light Air |
elgato Stream Deck |
elgato Wave:3 |
EVGA XR1 |
Best Gaming Headset |
ASUS ROG Theta 7.1 |
Corsair HS60 Haptic |
Corsair Virtuoso |
Corsair Virtuoso RGB Wireless SE |
HyperX Cloud II Wireless |
HyperX Cloud Orbit S |
Best Headphone |
Apple AirPods Max |
Bose QuietComfort 35 II |
Creative Sound Blaster Jam V2 |
Huawei Freebuds Studio |
Sennheiser HD 560 S |
Sony WH-1000XM4 |
Urbanista Miami |
Best Earphones |
1MORE True Wireless ANC |
Apple AirPods Pro |
Huawei FreeBuds Pro |
Jabra Elite 85t |
KZ ZS10 |
OPPO Enco X |
Razer Hammerhead Pods |
RHA TrueConnect 2 |
Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro |
Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 2 |
Sony WF-1000XM3 |
Best Speakers |
Edifier S2000 MK III |
Edifier S880DB |
HiSense HS218 |
Logitech G560 |
Nubert nuPro X3000 RC |
Razer Nommo Pro |
Sonos Roam |
Teufel Concept C |
Best Mini-PC |
ASUS PN50 Mini PC |
Corsair One |
Gigabyte Brix GB-BSi5-1135G7 |
Intel NUC 9 Extreme NUC9i9QNX |
Lenovo Legion C |
ZOTAC Magnus One |
Best Gaming Desktop System |
Alienware Aurora Ryzen Edition R10 |
Corsair One |
ITDirect Custom Works Tomahawk |
Lenovo Legion T7 |
MSI Infinite X Plus |
MSI MEG Aegis Ti5 |
MSI MEG Trident X 10SF |
PC Specialist Gladius T |
PC Specialist Vidar |
Best Notebook |
Apple MacBook Pro M1 |
ASUS ROG Zephyrus Duo 15 |
ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 |
ASUS ZenBook Flip 13 OLED |
Dell XPS 13 |
Huawei MateBook 14 2020 |
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Nano G1 |
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7(i) |
MSI Prestige 14 EVO |
Best 2-in-1 |
ASUS ROG Flow X13 |
ASUS ZenBook Flip S OLED |
Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 9310 |
HP Envy x360 13-ay |
HP Spectre x360 14 2021 |
Lenovo Thinkpad X1 Fold |
Lenovo Yoga 9i |
Microsoft Surface Pro 7s |
Best Gaming Notebook |
Alienware M15 R4 |
ASUS ROG Flow X13 + ROG XG Mobile RTX 3080 |
ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 |
ASUS ROG Zephyrus Duo 15 SE |
ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 |
Gigabyte Aero 17 HDR XB |
Lenovo Legion 7 |
MSI GE66 Raider |
MSI GE76 Raider |
Best Smartphone |
Apple iPhone 12 |
ASUS Rog Phone 5 |
Google Pixel 5 |
OnePlus 8 Pro |
OnePlus 8T |
OnePlus 9 Pro |
OPPO Find X3 Pro |
RedMagic 6 Pro |
Samsung Galaxy S20 FE |
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra |
Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra |
Best Wearable |
Amazfit GTR2e |
Apple Watch SE |
Apple Watch Series 6 |
Fitbit Sense |
Huawei Watch Fit |
Huawei Watch GT2 Pro |
Xiaomi Mi Smart Band 5 |
Best Smart Home Product |
Amazon Echo Gen 4 |
Google Nest Audio |
Best Gaming Product |
AMD Radeon RX 6000 series |
AMD Ryzen 5000 series |
Microsoft Xbox One X |
Nvidia GeForce RTX 30 series |
Samsung Odyssey G9 LC49G95T |
Sony PlayStation 5 |
Best Overclocking Product |
Intel Core i9-11900K |
Intel Core i9-10850K |
Kingpin KPX |
Cooler Master MasterLiquid ML360 Sub-Zero Intel Cryo |
ASUS ROG Maximus XIII Apex |
AMD Ryzen 5 5600X |
Gigabyte Aorus Z590 Tachyon |
ASUS ROG Maximus XIII Extreme |
Best New Technology |
AMD Infinity Cache |
AMD Zen 3 architecture |
Intel Cryo Cooling |
Nvidia Ampere architecture |
Nvidia DLSS 2.0 |
Nvidia Reflex |
OPPO X 2021 Rollable Display |
Resizable Bar |
Thunderbolt 4 |
TSMC 5nm process |
Wi-Fi 6E |
Product of the Year |
AMD Ryzen 5000 series |
AMD Radeon RX 6000 series |
Apple MacBook Pro M1 |
Intel Tiger Lake CPUs |
Nvidia GeForce RTX 3000 series |
Samsung Odyssey G7 LC27G75T |
Sony PlayStation 5 |
KitGuru says: Be sure to tune in on May 31st to see the winners as they are announced!