The Tom's Hardware 2017 Gift Guide

Season's Greetings!

11/25/2017 Update: added five new items to slides 20 through 24.

11/18/2017 Update: added five new items to slides 15 through 19.

11/2/2017 Update: added five new items to slides 10 through 14.

As we enter the biggest shopping holiday of the year, everyone will be working to find the perfect gifts for the PC enthusiasts in their lives. This can be difficult, but we happen to know a little bit about enthusiasts and gamers, so we put together this gift guide to show you some of the best ideas we've come across for that loved geeky one in your life.

Of course, if you're reading this and you're a regular visitor of Tom's Hardware, you're probably the biggest tech enthusiast you know. If that's the case, simply point your friends and family here to help them find the perfect gift for you.

These aren't your typical PC parts -- the things we usually write about. For gift ideas like that, please visit all of our Best Picks articles (easily accessible from our home page). Also make sure to come back and check out this slideshow again and again, because we'll be updating it a couple times with more ideas.


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Grindbay USB Rechargeable AA Batteries

These batteries have a 1450 mAh capacity, and they are only rated for roughly 500 charges, but they have one special feature: they can be recharged via USB. No need to worry about losing the charger between charges. You can also recharge them anywhere there is a USB port.

Aukey 104 Vintage Typewriter-Style Keycap Set

Aukey designed these caps to mimic the keys of a vintage typewriter, which were (Editor: and are, you young whippersnappers) typically rounded. The keycap market is wide, deep, and often weird, and even these caps are a bit outside of the norm. With these, you're getting a fun look moreso than sublime quality. These caps are made of ABS plastic, and they come with a keycap removal tool to make the replacement process easier. They're Cherry MX compatible, which means you can use them on switches from manufacturers such as Kailh, Gateron, and Outemu.

Metro Datavac Duster

Although compressed air works well for cleaning out PCs, eventually the air runs out. What about something that's more reusable? The Metro Datavac Duster is essentially a compact air compressor designed to push air with sufficient force to clean out your PC without damaging any components. This model is also ESD safe, and it comes with a few attachments to get dust out of those hard to reach places.

LED Light Strip

LED light strips are an easy way to add some color to a PC case. This kit includes four LED strands that are roughly each 20" long. This should be more than enough to cover the inside of the average PC case with the bright 5050 LEDs. The lights are USB powered, but they are not designed to be controlled by USB. Instead, a remote is included to control the color of the lights.

Optimal Shop PSU Tester

Whether you're building a new PC or troubleshooting an existing one, you want to ensure the PSU is working properly. This simple, affordable PSU tester lets you quickly determine if the power supply is providing sufficient power over any of its power connections.

Logitech G13 Programmable Gameboard with LCD Display

This feature rich keypad includes 25 programmable keys, an LCD panel, a thumbstick, and a few other fixed-function keys. The LCD panel can display in-game information, messages from friends, or information about your PC. It also has a soft palm rest for comfort during long gaming sessions.

Nintendo Super NES Classic Edition

The Super NES Classic Edition is designed to look like a miniature version of the classic 1990s SNES console. It also comes loaded with 21 of the best games ever released for the SNES, including The Legend Of Zelda: A Link To The Past, Super Metroid, Super Mario World, and Super Mario RPG: Legend Of The Seven Stars. This system is an excellent gift for fans of the original, as well as for younger gamers who've never experienced the joys of Super Nintendo.


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Akust Anti-Vibration Rubber Fan Screws

Case fans are essential to keeping your PC cool and functional, but the noise they generate can be bothersome. Anti-vibration rubber fan screws help to remedy this situation by keeping the fans from vibrating against the case, which reduces the amount of noise they produce. Because these are technically unnecessary, they often don't make it into a system builder's budget, which means your techie friends likely won't have them, which will make them very well appreciated.


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Logitech M570 Wireless Trackball

For some, a trackball mouse is a superior alternative to the traditional PC mouse. The mouse remains stationary, while the trackball is maneuvered by your fingers to navigate the cursor around the screen, and some users believe this gives them superior control, but it isn't for everyone. There are newer, more expensive models, but this is one of our favorites.

Netgear AC1200 Range Extender

Netgear's AC1200 WiFi extender's key function is to pick up a wireless 802.11ac signal and rebroadcast it to extend the signal coverage area. In this mode, the repeater can also provide wired network access to PCs via the RJ-45 port. It can also function as a compact router, however, if connected directly to an Internet modem with an Ethernet cable.

Michael Justin Allen Sexton is a Contributing Writer for Tom's Hardware US. He covers hardware component news, specializing in CPUs and motherboards.
  • JoeMomma
    I have the Corsair Flash Survivor Stealth 128GB. You didn't mention it's main reason for existence. Toughness! It is waterproof to 100 meters and I have seen one dropped from a 10 story building and still work (with a few minor scratches).
    Reply
  • IInuyasha74
    All flash drives are water proof if you just let them dry out first. Had several get dropped in water over the years and continue to work. Just had to let them dry first.
    Reply
  • elbert
    The steam link is on sale for70% off from steam so its only $14.99.
    http://store.steampowered.com/app/353380/Steam_Link/
    Reply
  • BaRoMeTrIc
    Steam Link is currently 14.99 on Steam. So definitely don't buy it from Amazon.
    Reply
  • 10tacle
    ^^Wow that's a serious deal for a Steam Link. SOLD! Price is good through 11/6.

    Regarding gift cards for Steam and whatnot, keep an eye on Groupon and Dealcatcher. Regularly you'll see a discounted offering. Here's an example for a $60 12-month Xbox Live (Gold) membership for $48 that Dealcatcher linked to eBay:

    https://www.ebay.com/itm/Microsoft-Xbox-LIVE-12-Month-Gold-Membership-for-Xbox-360-XBOX-ONE-/141607184417?rmvSB=true

    But I'll wait for Cyber Monday before buying any tech stuff. Almost always you will get a better deal than the so-called Black Friday "deals" out there.
    Reply
  • Firedrops
    That G13 Gamepad really hurts... I wish they'd update it already, don't want to buy Razer and have yet another background software running.
    Reply
  • lazymangaka
    A 128GB MicroSD card is also a must-have for all of those new Nintendo Switches that will be opened on Christmas morning. The 32GB of internal space goes quickly, especially if you're buying most of the games digitally.
    Reply
  • bloodroses
    Not sure I'd put the SNES Classic Edition in the gift guide list. While it's a neat little device for retrogamers, the thing is harder to find than the Tickle Me Elmo was; outside hiked ebay prices.
    Reply
  • rabbit4me1
    Apparently the clown cars inside I guess cuz the guy that wrote this was really a bozo he has no idea what's out for Christmas and he completely missed the Jedi challenge thingy... Sad and he got paid to do this article
    Reply
  • rabbit4me1
    Apparently the clown car is in sight and this bozo doesn't really know what's hot and not for Christmas in the tech world. He completely missed the Jedi challenge thingy you use the cell phone with that's cool as all get out. Sadly he was paid for this ...sad..
    Reply