A New Year awaits, and as we gear up for resolutions we’ll struggle to keep, it’s always fun to look back at the year gone by. And let’s be honest, as fair as PC tech is concerned, market conditions haven’t been great throughout 2025.
It’s one thing after another, and the joke’s absolutely on us enthusiasts. Following hot on the heels of the crypto boom and a global pandemic, we’re now in the midst of an AI-fuelled RAM shortage, whose ramifications will be felt well into 2026. Add that to a year of middling releases – competition in the CPU space just isn’t where we need it to be, while GPU prices remain stubbornly high – and you have good reason to squeeze a few more months from the current rig.
Still, if it’s not the PC, there’s always some form of tech upgrade that draws us in. The Club386 team has had to dig deeper into the memory banks to identify our best purchases of 2025, so if you’re in need of inspiration – or just a laugh at what we’ve spent our money on – here are the best upgrades we’ve acquired these past 12 months.
Ben’s 32GB DDR5 Memory Kit
I’ve bought some really cool tech this year, including a Nintendo Switch 2 and iPhone 17 Pro, but this seemingly modest memory – a 32GB (2x16GB) G.Skill Trident Z RGB 7,200MT/s DDR5 kit – is the hardware upgrade I’m most glad I bought. Who’d have thought such a simple pair of RAM modules would cost the same price as an RTX 5070 a few months later?
At the time, I just wanted to upgrade from a basic 6,000MT/s 16GB kit to give me some more headroom when I’m using Photoshop and have loads of browser tabs open. I just wanted 32GB of RAM, and I really like the look of these G.Skill modules, with the heatsink stylishly overlapping the RGB lighting diffuser.
G.Skill F5-7200J3445G16GX2-TZ5RK
“Featuring a sleek and streamlined aluminium heatspreader design, available in metallic silver, matte black, or matte white, the Trident Z5 RGB series DDR5 DRAM memory is the ideal choice to build a high-performance system.” – G.Skill
I bought the fastest RAM I could afford, and this 7,200MT/s memory kit from Overclockers cost me just £116.66 when I purchased it back in January. I’ve since watched the price inflate as the DRAM shortage works its dastardly magic, and it went up to £499.99 in December 2025 – over four times the price I paid.
I’m sorry if this reads a bit like a gloaty flex, but I promise you this comes more from relief than any kind of showing off. I’m just so glad I bought my new memory before all this chaos kicked off, as I’d otherwise still be struggling with just 16GB of RAM.
Fahd’s Gorgeous Wireless Controller
Having heard a lot of nice things about TMR (Tunnel Magnetoresistance) joysticks, I was on the hunt for a controller that came with them as standard. After conducting extensive research – it’s what us geeks do – I settled on this special edition GameSir G7 Pro Wuchang: Fallen Feathers Edition wireless controller due to its feature set and attractive design.
At €119,99, it certainly wasn’t cheap, especially when alternatives are available for half the price, but this one had most of the features I wanted on top of the TMR joysticks.
For instance, it supports both PC, Xbox, and Android devices, has an active dock that recharges the controller when not in use, and includes extra buttons that I could use for sprinting in games to avoid damaging my joysticks. But that’s not all. It also comes with removable magnetic face plates that are compatible with existing G7 plates, as well as a removable D-pad – with three different designs bundled in the box.
GameSir G7 Pro Wuchang: Fallen Feathers Edition
“As GameSir’s first wireless controller for Xbox, it features 2.4G wireless connection and one-press wake-up for Xbox consoles, providing you with fast, reliable gameplay and effortless console activation.” – GameSir
It was absolutely a treat, and I’m satisfied with my purchase despite the price. The TMR joysticks are as precise as they are reported to be, boasting 0% circularity error, meaning more uniform stick response/aiming, and a reduced reliance on large dead zones. They are also less stiff than other controllers I own, which I prefer. The analogue triggers use Hall effect with micro-switch trigger stops, alongside optical micro switch for the ABXY.
Unlike many cheaper alternatives, the G7 Pro offers up to 1,000Hz polling both in wired and wireless mode, though the speed is limited to 500Hz if you want the detailed rumble feedback. There is even a built-in gyroscope and the Wuchang skin is the cherry on the cake. Aside from the joysticks, the next best thing I like about my controller is the dock, which is used to not only charge but also hide the 2.4GHz dongle at the same time. Better yet, when you lift the controller, it automatically turns on, a small quality of life feature that I’ve absolutely come to appreciate.
Parm’s Smart Toilet Seat
The team often accuses me of talking crap, but what the heck, I’m not going to be dissuaded; my number one purchase of 2025 is a ‘smart’ toilet seat that brings me all sorts of joy.
This unusual purchase stems from a trip to Japan earlier this year, and the realisation that there’s more to taking care of your tush than handfuls of bog roll. Don’t worry, I won’t get anymore graphic than that, and certainly won’t run any benchmark tests, but let’s talk about what the Vevo seat entails.
On sale in the summer for £239 at Costco, it wasn’t the most expensive upgrade, and certainly cheaper than an entire smart toilet. Turns out authentic Japanese ‘Toto’ toilets can run into thousands of pounds! Just a seat is the cost-effective route, though you do need to factor in installation costs if you aren’t DIY-minded. As long as you have nearby access to power (easier said than done with British building regs), install and setup shouldn’t take longer than an hour or so. There’s plenty of adjustment to ensure the seat fits most domestic bases effortlessly, but it’s absolutely worth checking first. Measure once, measure twice, and then make it fit, as I always say.
VOVO VB-4100SR
“Heated seat with a 24h power saving mode and 3 adjustable temperature settings that can be turned on and off via the wireless remote.” – Vovo
Why on Earth go to all that trouble? Let me explain. Firstly, you might have noticed it occasionally gets chilly here in the UK. This here seat is heated, and words don’t do justice to how satisfying the warm plastic is to sit on each cold winter morning. I kid you not, if I ever have to use another loo, I now lower myself gingerly, fearing the frosty reception that awaits.
Once you’ve done your business – do note this typically takes longer as you don’t want to depart its warm confines – press the button on the side, or on the bundled remote control, to clean your nether region with a warm jet of water. Yes, even the spray of water is heated. There are two cleaning modes, rear and female, and the other half tells me latter works just as well. Both the angle and intensity of the spray can be adjusted to, err, hit the spot, and there’s enough pressure to provide a good clean.
Indeed, it reduces the need for toilet roll to such an extreme I reckon the seat will pay for itself in a few years’ time. Oh, and before you lift off, don’t forget to press the dry button. It’s not all that effective if I’m honest, but the warm jet of air sure does put you in the right frame of mind for the day ahead.
Bonus points: soaring memory prices aren’t likely to impact the toilet seat, and you’ll have no problem finding a plumber as they’re not going to be made redundant by AI anytime soon.
Sam’s 4K Blu-ray Player
In a world where streaming and digital licences are the norm, I remain a stalwart champion of physical media. Sure, building a library of film and television by way of optical discs can be expensive, but there’s simply no beating their viewing experience. That’s not forgetting the satisfaction I feel of being able to watch whatever I own, whenever I like, no searching or subscription needed.
I’ve owned a PlayStation 5 since release, which has served as a reasonable player of 4K Blu-rays in that time, but the enthusiast in me craved a fuller experience. I wanted a dedicated player with support for Dolby Vision, and whose HDMI input I could set and forget for the best cinema-like experience. Enter the Panasonic DP-UB820.
Always on the hunt for a bargain, I picked up a lightly used unit from Facebook Marketplace for just under £300 in August of this year. Since then, the player’s earned a permanent place on my media unit, quietly spinning up over 100 discs to date since my purchase. The player’s given my collection new life, spurring rewatches of old favourites and plenty of new additions, with my partner happily adding to our shared library after coming to appreciate the benefits and fun of collecting.
Panasonic DP-UB820
“This full-sized player pulls together everything we know about great sound & beautiful pictures. Unique chroma processing gets the most from UHD HDR content & ensures your 4K TV will shine.” – Panasonic
While Panasonic affords plenty of configurability with the DP-UB820, the manufacturer has done a superb job with the player’s out-the-box settings. I haven’t felt the need to tweak anything bar changing the HDR setting to OLED. It just works. 4K Blu-Rays, FHD Blu-rays, and even DVDs all look and sound fantastic on this unit, with brilliant upscaling giving those older formats a fresh sheen that helps them shine all the better on my 55in LG CX TV.
While I don’t recommend everyone buy their own DP-UB820 given its high cost, I firmly believe we’re better off as consumers purchasing 4K Blu-rays. As I mentioned earlier, the PlayStation 5 or even Xbox Series consoles are great-value options and double as gaming hardware. If you’re a lover of film and television, new and old, consider picking up some of your favourites on disc. You may just come to appreciate them in a new (Blu) light.
Tarinder’s Dumb Watch
Though there is no doubt in my mind that I love tech and all the wizardry that goes with it, advancing years have given me pause to truly appreciate fantastic workmanship and heritage. To my eyes, nowhere is this more evident than in the world of watches. Having been around for hundreds of years, watch evolution moves at a snail’s pace compared to tech, but that’s okay because there’s something wonderfully satisfying about wearing real craftsmanship on your wrist.
Celebrating a seminal birthday this year, I oscillated between which nice bit of kit would serve me best. Rather than go with the latest iPhone, I instead made the left-field choice of, wait for it, a Tudor Black Bay 58 watch. For many of you, that’s a hare-brained idea when a £100 timepiece does exactly the same thing, arguably with more accuracy – I happen to own several Seiko watches as daily drivers – but that’s missing the point. I enjoy wearing the Black Bay 58 because it brings a smile to my face each and every time. I can’t even tell you precisely why, other than the warm and fuzzy feeling inside isn’t related to incontinence.
Tudor Black Bay 58
“The Black Bay 58 is named after the year in which the first Tudor divers’ watch waterproof to 200 metres was introduced. Among other aesthetic allusions to this famous historic watch, this model has a 39mm diameter case, in keeping with the characteristic proportions of the 1950s.” – Tudor
She’s a beaut, right. So why this particular watch when there are literally thousands to choose from? I wanted something that was an understatement and didn’t shout bling the moment you laid your eyes on it. A watch that only other connoisseurs would recognise immediately and appreciate the style and substance. That ruled out most Rolexes – not that I could justify one – other than the regular Submariner that’s a tad large for my slim wrist.
Almost a year on from purchase, I still love my Tudor Black Bay 58. And that’s what’s it all about. There’s no rhyme or reason. I simply like it, and that’s enough for me. I’m becoming an analogue guy in an increasingly digital world!
