In the world of tech, modify is abiding. R&D relentlessly pushes the limits of size, operation, and features. Newer and ameliorate models get released all the time, and the old ones before long disappear from stores. Just not all of them fade away... especially not for those of us who treasure applied science and particularly not for the products that made a divergence and left a mark.

We asked everyone on the TechSpot team to think about their height 5 favorite tech items released in the last decade. This article is a collective list of those products (later yous can share your ain with the community in the comments), so delight join us as nosotros go through our favorite tech from the 2022s: blasts from the past, that impressed us with their value for coin, outstanding performance, or those feel-adept vibes that they gave us!

Favorite CPUs

Many cores for the masses

  • Intel Cadre i7-4790K
  • Intel Core i5-2500K
  • Intel Skylake architecture
  • AMD Ryzen / Zen architecture

In 2022, AMD and Intel released their first desktop CPUs with more than four cores, and even those had only been around for a couple of years. X years of progress and a bold motion by AMD to shake upward the CPU marketplace means that we've all got some large favorites, as lots of great processors take appeared during this time.

For Shawn, it'southward his Intel Cadre i5-2500K -- however powering his primary rig 9 years on, with four cores of Sandy Bridge technology running at 3.7 GHz. Nick has fond memories overclocking his Core i7-4970K, all the style up to four.8 GHz, thanks to an enormous cooler and a fair flake of luck in the silicon lottery.

Top-left is Sandy Span, acme-right is Devil's Canyon, the bottom is Skylake

Intel carried on refining their design and manufacturing processes throughout the decade, and the Skylake architecture has essentially been with u.s.a. for five years now -- just faster and with more cores.

The fact that this fundamental CPU structure has stayed competitive for then long impressed Tim quite a lot, and given how many chips he's tested over the years, that'south well deserved praise. But, of course, the decade volition really exist remembered for two words: Zen and Ryzen.

In March 2022, AMD launched Zen -- an architecture to blackball the woes and bad memories of Bulldozer (certainly none of us gave those CPUs a 2nd thought), and with it, a raft of new 8-core CPUs. It took them just 36 months to go from the success of the likes of the Ryzen 7 1800X to the frankly bonkers 64 core, 128 thread Threadripper 3990X.

'Currently rocking a Ryzen 5 2600 and it's great.'

The prices were extremely competitive and the performance was what we had all hoped it would exist. Tim and many others in our squad felt the same way: Zen not only saved AMD, but put them right dorsum into the processor boxing with Intel, often coming out on meridian. To quote David: 'Currently rocking a Ryzen five 2600 and it'southward nifty.'

Only if we're all happy with erstwhile processors or mid-range new models, does it mean that the latest CPU powerhouses are but a chip superfluous?

Favorite Graphics Cards

They are billions (transistors, not dollars)

  • Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 Ti
  • Nvidia GeForce GTX 970
  • Nvidia Pascal GPUs
  • Nvidia GeForce GTX 660
  • AMD Radeon Hard disk drive 5770

Cipher shouts 'I love PC gaming' more than than slapping down a large chunk of money on a slice of hardware that pretty much does but one matter, but nosotros all love a good graphics menu hither. Sometimes it's for sentimental reasons: William chose the mid-range Nvidia GeForce GTX 660, as it was his very showtime GPU, and got him into PC hardware and reviews.

Julio highlights the GeForce GTX 970's longevity and value for money: this carte du jour is notwithstanding pretty capable, nearly 5 years on, as long as yous play at 1080p and plough down some of the visual settings.

Non to calibration -- the Pascal GP102 isn't that large!

Simply Nick, Tim, and other folks in the squad, felt that Nvidia's Pascal chips deserve the nigh plaudits -- especially the GeForce GTX 1080 Ti. Information technology set a bar for performance, chip size, transistor count, and (unfortunately) price tag that still resonates today.

It was monstrously good when it appeared, and if you bought ane iii years ago, you'll all the same have a great GPU now. Over to Nick: 'I replaced a GTX 980 Ti SLI setup with a single Pascal GPU, and couldn't believe how information technology managed to easily beat the erstwhile duo.'

Sadly for AMD, only one us had fond memories of a Radeon graphics card -- Cohen's first GPU was the Radeon Hard disk 5770 afterward putting up with several 'gaming laptops'. Yep, information technology's a fraction outside our time range, but as it was his gateway to PC gaming, we couldn't leave it out!

With value-for-money and longevity being common reasons backside our choices, nosotros're all hoping that prices become a lot more competitive; graphics cards are very expensive compared to how they were a decade ago, all the same-chosen upkeep ones.

Favorite PC parts and extras

The need for speed, style, and sound

  • Loftier refresh rate monitors
  • Solid state storage drives
  • LaCie Porsche Design 1TB portable external hard drive
  • Noctua case fans
  • Corsair Void Pro headset

While processors of all kinds take get increasingly more capable and faster over the past x years, it took a while for other parts in the PC puzzle to follow conform. Perhaps the most notable changes of late accept been in two areas: monitors and storage.

For many of us at TechSpot, the appearance of high refresh charge per unit monitors are long overdue. Fifty-fifty though high resolution, top quality screens have lots of benefits to them, both Tim and William concur on having a 144 Hz or college screen is far more useful: 'Once used, there's no going dorsum.'

Trust us on this one -- your eyes will thank you for it.

Some other PC component that took its fourth dimension to jump on the speed bandwagon was the hard drive. You lot could debate that it never really did as their storage capacities merely got larger. It was thanks to NAND flash that the industry turned for speed, the little slabs of silicon establish in USB memory sticks.

Solid state drives (ameliorate known as SSDs) are mandatory now and we're all big fans of them here. 10 years ago, $150 would accept got you an SSD with no more than 64 GB of storage and read/write speeds less than 300 MB/due south, but that was enough to shop the operating organisation and brand the computer experience and so much snappier.

Just as with 144 Hz monitors, William selected SSDs for his tech choice: 'An innovation that changed a whole industry; there's no way I would go dorsum.'

Sometimes nosotros love a slice of engineering science for aspects other than performance or new features. Humza has been using a Lacie Porsche Blueprint portable drive for 7 years at present, and chose it considering of its looks, experience, and steadfast reliability.

Adrian has a full passion for Noctua fans, particularly the comforting hum they brand, and fits them to everything -- even power supply units!

More than a few of united states mentioned headphones and gaming headsets: Humza chose the Steelseries Siberia V2, while Cohen picked the Corsair Void Pro. Tin you lot gauge who is talking about which 1 from these quotes?

  • 'Comfortable to wear for hours upon hours at a time, the audio quality is solid (not exceptional or amazing, but adept enough), and most importantly, information technology's affordable and durable'
  • 'The simply headset I've got lying around, and i that'due south still lightweight, comfortable, and sturdy plenty for coincidental gaming sessions.'

It doesn't actually thing because even though they're different products, they've been selected for the same reasons: comfort and reliability. And speaking of how things experience...

Favorite mice, keyboards, and controllers

Information technology's all in our hands

  • Razer Deathadder Elite
  • Logitech MX Principal
  • Logitech G502 Proteus
  • Das Keyboard 4 Professional
  • Microsoft Xbox One controller

It's kind of hard to get personal near a CPU or graphics card, as they just sit in a auto, doing their jobs. But mice, keyboards, and controllers are a dissimilar thing entirely. They are the immediate interface to the reckoner, the tactile link betwixt your brain and the computer'due south.

Fortunately, at that place's a wealth of brands and models out in that location, and nosotros all have our favorites. When it comes to mice, Julio swears by Razer'southward Deathadder, whereas Nick, Ivan and Cohen are Logitech fans, picking the MX Master and G502 as their meridian choices for digital rodents.

All four staff continue on buying the same models, just getting the latest version when the quondam ane has worn out, and that kind of loyalty only comes about when manufacturers get things just right.

Interestingly, keyboards didn't generate the same kind of response, with simply Shawn professing his love for mechanical keyboards in the form of the Das Keyboard iv Professional person: 'It'due south served me well for almost 6 years and its quirks are hands fixable.' Clacky and quirky -- what farther praise do you need?

When Cohen says 'information technology'due south the most comfortable, well-proportioned, and weighty (but not too much!) gaming controller I've ever used', you'll know exactly what he'south talking about. Okay, so the prototype below gives the game away, but he wasn't the only 1 of us to appreciate Microsoft'south gamepad.

Their first attempt, with the original Xbox, was a crime against humanity in some of our eyes, merely information technology has become perfection personified in the form of the Xbox One controller.

And while on the subject of the Xbox, the whole brand was one of David's picks:

'Always since Phil Spencer took over, Xbox has been become synonymous with consumer friendly gaming. Backwards compatibility, Xbox Game Pass, Adaptive controller, and the new Smart Delivery organization for the Serial X really brand Xbox a compelling make.'

Well, he's not wrong!

Favorite mobile, wearable, and small form devices

Computers come in all shapes and sizes

  • Apple MacBook Pro
  • Sony Xperia Z4
  • Apple Watch
  • Raspberry Pi

Of course, not every computer is a desktop PC, packed with millions of cores and Hz -- the past decade saw a boom in sales of mobile, clothing, and other digital number crunchers. Tackling laptops starting time, there was only 1 as far every bit Julio was concerned: Apple's MacBook Pro.

It'southward the model that others have constantly emulated, and although it's non perfect, his impression of the car (several models over the years) is echoed past millions effectually the earth: 'The most dependable laptop I've ever owned'. And this is from someone who's pretty much used them all.

Tablets became all the rage when Apple launched the iPad 10 years agone, but we've non been huge fans of them nor their two-in-one cousins (the tablet-laptop... a tabtop? Laplet?). Well, all bar Humza, who actually likes Sony's Xperia Z4.

'An underdog of a tablet and a shame that Sony didn't go along making these. Information technology's an amazing entertainment device, waterproof, great display, battery life, etc and is all the same considerately meliorate in some areas than the latest Android tabs.'

Wearables went from being a fad that nobody actually asked for, to one of the more than successful tech sectors in recent years, although some will say that they're all the same non existence asked for. Adrian disagrees with this line of thinking and picked the Apple Lookout man as being the reason why he'south at present interested in getting a fancy mechanical picket.

He also thinks that if nosotros run another article like this in the next decade, then we may well take more than to say on wearables. Why? In his words: 'The smartwatch is underrated because nosotros still haven't reached enough big screen fatigue and cities haven't digitized many services yet. Give it ten years, and I think well-nigh of u.s. will clothing one.'

But non everything in the last decade of computing was most OLED screens, brushed aluminum, or heart rate monitors in a spotter. For Nick, the shining star of this era was the Raspberry Pi.

'The Pi was a render to the gilt historic period of viii chip home computers -- cheap, simple, and the perfect springboard into the earth of programming.' They've sadly risen in cost over the years and at that place's plenty of contest against it at present, but come on -- a quad-cadre computer for under $50? Who wouldn't say aye?

We don't think computing devices can really become any smaller or more portable, simply who knows what some other 10 years of technological advances will bring.

Favorite mobile phones

Talk own't then cheap anymore

  • Motorola Droid series
  • Apple iPhone 4S, iPhone SE
  • Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc S
  • Nokia Lumia 930
  • Battery and wireless charging

The 2022s was as well the decade in which the smartphone commenced its domination of the entire tech industry. While many of them today are more powerful and more than expensive than the average laptop, our favorites weren't necessarily the best in the market at that time.

Nick and Cohen chose the Apple iPhone 4S -- they both loved the look and feel of information technology, a perfect residue between 3.5 inch screen size and mitt fit. David went with the Motorola Droid serial, equally he felt that the telephone, coupled with Verizon'southward marketing, really helped push Google's Android operating arrangement to the forefront.

Other choices were equally individual as the phones selected: Humza went with the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc S, as he has fond memories of its stylish pattern and superior screen quality. He all the same has it in his haversack today, eight years on!

Adrian picked his beginning proper smartphone, the Nokia Lumia 930, and despite its shortcomings (such equally the useless front camera and the paucity of apps and updates), he idea it was a great tool for virtually of his needs. He somewhen replaced information technology with some other favorite of his, the original iPhone SE, which will remain so until another comes along that he can hold comfortably in one hand.

Shawn also mentioned mobile phones, when asked for his favorite tech from the last decade, only he picked their batteries. We'll allow him explain why:

"People ofttimes complain nigh modern battery technology. And sure, we nevertheless haven't got the many advancements in battery tech we've been promised over the years, but when you step back and recall nigh it, today'south battery tech is darn impressive for what nosotros ask of it."

Information technology could exist said that smartphones today are generally all very similar, the market lacks variety simply again that was inevitable given the commoditization of smartphones. Lastly, Julio didn't option any specific phone either, rather he mentioned wireless charging every bit the one fundamental characteristic he's had to accept on the last few phones he's owned.

Favorite new tech for everyday utilize

Technology for anybody

  • Digital streaming services
  • Contactless payments
  • Apple tree AirPods
  • Google Chromecast 2.0
  • Amazon Kindle Oasis

Electronic devices and digital systems are often at the forefront of modify. Sometimes it's just a fad (e.g. 3D Television) simply others information technology's so revolutionary that the old is swept away in a blink of an heart. TV delivered via cablevision and air resisted many advances, leading to large corporations dominating the entire industry. Just in the last decade one of the biggest changes was how much traction digital streaming gained over cable subscriptions.

To David, services such as Philo, Sling, or YouTube TV, have helped many people intermission complimentary of expensive, restrictive cablevision contracts, and this technology was his first choice when asked about selecting favorites.

'I honey the flexibility of simply beingness able to cancel a service and chop-chop subscribe to another, if it gets new/meliorate features or channels. This is how cablevision should be.'

Although information technology took a good while to go as prevalent every bit it is now, payments via contactless credit and debit cards started to roll out during the mid-2010s. This was some other i of David's tech choices, citing its sheer convenience as being the main reason why it stands out for him.

Some of us in the team no longer carry any greenbacks, when we head out for shopping or nutrient, and we wonder if the next decade will contactless payments become the only way to pay for certain items.

Plenty of new gadgets and tech that appeared in the last decade were roundly criticized as being something that nobody would really want or derided equally zippo more than than a novelty particular.

Wireless in-ear headphones, digital media dongles for TVs, and east-books all barbarous into one of those two categories, at some bespeak. And yet they accept been firm favorites with some of the team, and millions of people effectually the world.

Adrian has lots of praise for the Apple AirPods and Amazon Kindle Haven, with the latter having a display that truly deserves the title of 'electronic newspaper.' Enquire David about the Google Chromecast and he rates it for turning his ordinary Telly into a smart, streaming hub for a very reasonable price.

Not everyone likes these item products, only you'll see ones just like them nearly everywhere you look these days.

It's more than only silicon, metal, and plastic

Non everyone on the team had a favorite slice of technology or gadget from the past decade. This isn't to say they're non interested in it or don't use whatever -- it would exist a wee bit odd for them to be working at TechSpot if they didn't! -- merely for Isaiah and Per, information technology's only simply at that place, in the groundwork doing what it's supposed to practise without fanfare.

Gadgets and hardware are just supposed to exist tools for a specific job, and nosotros don't exactly go all misty eyed and cornball over a favorite spoon or hairbrush. So why do nosotros have such articulate favorites? Some of our choices are the beginning of its kind for that person, opening a door to new experiences. For others, the conclusion was made through a professional's eyes, a clinic nod to the impressive design or engineering science.

But a lot of it all comes downwards to an clan with skillful times and feelings, and the joy that using it brings. We'll leave the last selection and words to Julio:

'Paradigm AMS-LCR home theater speakers are an absolutely odd choice, but about ix years ago I moved to a new firm, and I spent large bucks on a high allegiance sound organisation. I don't use it daily, but when I have time to sit and watch a expert picture or show, or when I take friends over and I put some live concerts, I tin can make the entire house rumble, and I truly enjoy that.'

Those are our blasts from the past -- let us know nigh your top choices in the comments below, from the absurd to the controversial, extravagant or economic.