TechRadar Australian PC Awards 2026: Finalists Announced

Now more than ever, Australians need expert guidance to navigate the rapidly evolving world of technology. Choosing trustworthy tech is critical, especially with products and pricing changing quickly. Any investment in a PC – whether desktop, laptop, or tablet – for gaming, creation, or productivity, requires informed decision-making.

To meet this need, TechRadar has expanded the annual Australian PC Awards to cover more tech products than ever before. The experts who rigorously test the gear have rated products and services from the past year, selecting the best of the best across 40 categories. From PCs and components to monitors, keyboards, mice, headphones, handheld gaming PCs, and essential services like NBN, we’ve highlighted the devices and services Australians should consider.

The 2026 TechRadar Australian PC Awards: Clarity You Can Trust

The 2026 TechRadar Australian PC Awards are designed to provide clarity and confidence in your purchasing decisions. Built on expert opinions and hundreds of hours of testing, these Awards represent our highest recommendations. Here are the finalists, each thoroughly tested and selected from hundreds of products. The huge winners will be announced on March 15th!

What’s New This Year?

To cover every base that matters, we’ve added 13 new categories to the TechRadar Australian PC Awards! This includes new Internet awards, covering the best NBN provider for Budget, High-speed, and Gaming, as well as the best overall NBN provider. The TechRadar team has extensive experience testing and rating NBN deals, and the winners will deliver the performance and value you expect.

We’ve also expanded monitor categories, reflecting the rapid pace of change in display technology. New awards recognize the best in Everyday, Gaming, and Creator/Professional monitors. More component categories have been added, and existing awards refined for relevance.

Antivirus and complete Security Suites is another new addition. The TechRadar team provides year-round coverage of PC, Mac, and mobile security.

Finalists by Category

Best Motherboard Maker

• Finalists: [Details not provided in source]

Best AMD Motherboard

• Finalists: [Details not provided in source]

Best Intel Motherboard

• Finalists: [Details not provided in source]

Best Graphics Card Maker

• Finalists: [Details not provided in source]

Best Budget Graphics Card

• Finalists: [Details not provided in source]

Best Premium Graphics Card

• Finalists: [Details not provided in source]

Best Budget CPU

• AMD Ryzen 200 series
• AMD Ryzen 5 9600
• AMD Ryzen 5 9500F
• AMD Ryzen 7 7500X3D
• AMD Ryzen 5 5600F
• Intel Core Ultra 5 Processor 245
• Intel Core Ultra 5 Processor 235
• Intel Core Ultra 5 Processor 225
• Intel Core Ultra 5 Processor 225F
• Intel Core Ultra 5 Processor 235U

Best Mid-Range CPU

• AMD Ryzen 7 9700F
• AMD Ryzen Al 7 350
• Intel Core Ultra 7 Processor 265
• Intel Core Ultra 7 Processor 265H
• AMD Ryzen Al Max 385

Best Premium CPU

• AMD Ryzen Al Max+ 395
• AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D
• AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 9995WX
• AMD Ryzen 9 9955HX3D
• Intel Core Ultra 9 Processor 285
• Intel Core Ultra 9 Processor 285HX

Best Internal Storage Maker

• Finalists: [Details not provided in source]

Best External Storage Maker

• Finalists: [Details not provided in source]

Best NAS

• Finalists: [Details not provided in source]

Best Budget Laptop or 2-in-1

• Finalists: [Details not provided in source]

Best Premium Laptop or 2-in-1

• Finalists: [Details not provided in source]

Best Gaming Laptop

• Finalists: [Details not provided in source]

Best Desktop PC

• Finalists: [Details not provided in source]

Best Handheld

• Finalists: [Details not provided in source]

Best Tablet

• Finalists: [Details not provided in source]

Best Retailer for PC Enthusiasts

• Finalists: [Details not provided in source]

Best Memory Maker

• Finalists: [Details not provided in source]

Best Air Cooling Product

• Finalists: [Details not provided in source]

Best AIO Cooling Product

• Finalists: [Details not provided in source]

Best Monitor Maker

• Finalists: [Details not provided in source]

Best Productivity Monitor

• Finalists: [Details not provided in source]

Best Gaming Monitor

• Finalists: [Details not provided in source]

Best Creator/Pro Monitor

• Finalists: [Details not provided in source]

Best Keyboard

• Finalists: [Details not provided in source]

Best Mouse

• Finalists: [Details not provided in source]

Best Gaming Headset

• Finalists: [Details not provided in source]

Best Case

• Finalists: [Details not provided in source]

Best Router

• Finalists: [Details not provided in source]

Best NBN Provider: Overall

• Finalists: [Details not provided in source]

Best NBN Provider: Budget

• Finalists: [Details not provided in source]

Best NBN Provider: High-speed

• Finalists: [Details not provided in source]

Best NBN Provider: Gaming

• Finalists: [Details not provided in source]

Best Security Suite

• Finalists: [Details not provided in source]

Excellence Award

For the person, product, or technology that advanced the PC more than any other in 2025.

• Gabe Newell
• AI everywhere
• Intel Arc B-series
• AMD Radeon RX 9000 series
• Valve
• AMD Strix Halo
• MSI
• Nvidia
• ARM
• QD OLED

Gold Award

The company that impressed us the most, over the past year. Every company with a finalist product or service is eligible. The winner, along with all other TechRadar 2026 Australian PC Awards winners, will be announced on March 15th!

Epic Fail

• Apple
• AI
• Borderlands 4
• Cloudflare outage
• Intel
• Memory shortage and price surge
• Meta AI stage fail
• Micron/Crucial
• Microsoft
• Nvidia
• Optus 000 outages

Our mission is to help you choose the best gear and services for your life, and we believe we have the experience and expertise to do so. These Awards leverage the combined knowledge of the Future Publishing network.