European Hardware Awards 2021 – Finalists Announced

In Awards by Andrzej Bania

Ahead of the 7th 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.

Vendors, distributors, resellers and manufacturers can find out more about the event – and book their complimentary tickets – by following this link.

The process by which products enter the nomination process, are analysed and voted for – is explained in detail over here.

In light of the massive move to online working, gaming and entertainment, this year we have 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