The bit-tech and Custom PC Awards 2009

Best Chassis Manufacturer: Antec

Nominees: Cooler Master * Lian Li * SilverStone *Thermaltake

Antec’s cases haven’t always gone down brilliantly at bit-tech, but this year the company’s offerings were much more to our liking, and clearly to yours as well – beating Cooler Master, Lian Li, SilverStone and Thermaltake is no mean feat. A back to basics approach has helped. Antec’s cases, such as the Nine Hundred Two opt for stark simplicity where many rivals try too hard to go for style, and when it comes to cooling, they’re clearly extremely well designed, with large, quiet fans. And who can forget the Skeleton, which was easily the most entertaining case we’ve ever seen?

Best PC & Laptop Manufacturer: Dell

Nominees: Alienware * HP * Scan * Samsung

Yes, yes, obviously we all build our own PCs with our fair hands, but whether it’s for friends, family or work, there's often a need to buy pre-built machines. Alienware might be flashy, and Samsung’s got netbooks sorted, but PC building behemoth Dell won this award. Its machines cover many bases, is aggressive on price and in recent years it’s worked at service and reliability.

Best Retailer: Scan

Nominees: Amazon * Ebuyer * Novatech *OverClockers UK

Knowing what piece of kit you want to buy is the part of the process most enthusiasts spend the time on – because ideally the actual purchasing should be short, sweet and painless. A good retailer should offer a fast, efficient website with fast, efficient service with excellent customer support. Two internet giants – Amazon and Ebuyer garnered enough votes to make it into the top five, but it was independent UK retailers who did the best. Lancashire-based retailer Scan came out top however, thanks to another strong year which saw them revamp their website while continuing to stock the best products for PC enthusiasts.

Overclocking & Cooling Award: Arctic Cooling

Nominees: Cooler Master * Noctua * Thermaltake * Zalman

Overclocking sorts the great from the guff when it comes to PC components, and with this award we wanted to recognise companies whose kit helps push CPUs and graphics cards as far as possible. Arctic Cooling came out on top, presumably thanks to the legacy of its Freezer 7 and Freezer 64 HSFs.

Best Modding Manufacturer: Dremel

Nominees: Akasa * Scythe * Thermaltake * Zalman

Modding is hugely important to bit-tech and CPC, and while we feature lots of modders and their creations, with our awards we wanted to allow people to show their appreciation for the firms that help their work. No surprises then that Dremel won – and deservedly so, because just as having a light sabre is essential for a Jedi, a Dremel is key for modding.