The Hardware Unboxed Podcast

See the Sapphire Nitro+ Range Here: https://www.sapphiretech.com/en/consumer/nitro-radeon-rx-9070-xt-ple-polar-16g-gddr6 https://www.sapphiretech.com/en/consumer/mb_nitro_x870ea-ple-polar Episode 121: AMD has finally brought FSR 4.1 technology to RDNA 2 graphics cards and attempted to fix FSR frame generation frame pacing. We chat about that, how RDNA 3 has aged relative to RDNA 4, and the current situation with RTX 5080 pricing going through the roof. CHAPTERS 00:00 - Intro 01:37 - AMD's Latest FSR Releases 16:00 - How Has the RX 7900 XTX Aged? 26:40 - RTX 5080 Pricing is Crazy! 1:16:11 - Updates From Our Boring Lives SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST Audio: https://shows.acast.com/the-hardware-unboxed-podcast Video: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqT8Vb3jweH6_tj2SarErfw SUPPORT US DIRECTLY Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/hardwareunboxed LINKS YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Hardwareunboxed/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/HardwareUnboxed Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hardwareunboxed.bsky.social Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 120: This week we chat about AMD finally releasing FSR 4.1 for RDNA 2 graphics cards, Nvidia CPU overhead still being a thing, DLSS 5 model updates, and whether we should continue benchmarking the RTX 5090 now that it's been discontinued CHAPTERS 00:00 - Intro 00:41 - AMD Releases FSR 4.1 for More GPUs 17:55 - Nvidia's CPU Overhead on GPUs 39:19 - Advanced Shader Delivery is Here 45:47 - DLSS 5 Has a New Model 54:19 - Should We Keep Benchmarking the RTX 5090? 1:18:50 - Updates From Our Boring Lives SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST Audio: https://shows.acast.com/the-hardware-unboxed-podcast Video: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqT8Vb3jweH6_tj2SarErfw SUPPORT US DIRECTLY Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/hardwareunboxed LINKS YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Hardwareunboxed/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/HardwareUnboxed Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hardwareunboxed.bsky.social Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 119: Nvidia has reportedly discontinued the GeForce RTX 5090, sending that GPU silicon to RTX Pro graphics cards. We chat about that, as well as efforts to combat shader compilation stutter with SCSKiller, and the Epic Games Store getting a makeover CHAPTERS 00:00 - Intro 01:39 - The RTX 5090 Has Been Discontinued 28:28 - Shader Compilation Stutter Can Be Fixed 57:16 - Epic Games Store Gets Vibe Coded Remake 1:08:12 - Updates From Our Boring Lives SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST Audio: https://shows.acast.com/the-hardware-unboxed-podcast Video: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqT8Vb3jweH6_tj2SarErfw SUPPORT US DIRECTLY Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/hardwareunboxed LINKS YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Hardwareunboxed/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/HardwareUnboxed Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hardwareunboxed.bsky.social Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 118: Steve and Tim chat about what sort of PC build actually makes sense right now, if you wanted to get into PC gaming and were facing the reality of what hardware costs at the moment. Also, we go completely off the rails and talk about the current AI situation. CHAPTERS 00:00 - Intro 02:19 - What Gaming PC Build Makes Sense Right Now? 31:18 - Current Market vs Crypto Boom 42:00 - Our Random Thoughts on the Current AI Situation SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST Audio: https://shows.acast.com/the-hardware-unboxed-podcast Video: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqT8Vb3jweH6_tj2SarErfw SUPPORT US DIRECTLY Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/hardwareunboxed LINKS YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Hardwareunboxed/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/HardwareUnboxed Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hardwareunboxed.bsky.social Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 117: Steve and Tim have been busy testing games this week, so we dive into some thoughts on The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Remastered, as well as Gears of War E-Day. We also chat a bit about this week's EVGA story, and how Nvidia allocated GPUs to them, and why times were tough for the AIB as a result. CHAPTERS 00:00 - Intro 03:34 - Testing The Witcher 3 Remastered 26:20 - Testing Gears of War E-Day 35:35 - Nvidia Allocation at EVGA 51:37 - G.Skill Replaces (Not Refunds) Someone's DDR5 1:00:57 - Updates From Our Boring Lives SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST Audio: https://shows.acast.com/the-hardware-unboxed-podcast Video: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqT8Vb3jweH6_tj2SarErfw SUPPORT US DIRECTLY Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/hardwareunboxed LINKS YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Hardwareunboxed/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/HardwareUnboxed Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hardwareunboxed.bsky.social Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 116: Steve managed to obtain and test the Radeon RX 9050 4GB so we discuss just how bad it is, and the way it prays on customers. Then we have a chat about DLSS 5, the direction of graphics, how long until this feature is good and whether it even makes sense. CHAPTERS 00:00 - Intro 01:53 - Steve Tests the RX 9050 4GB 15:10 - It's an Anti-Consumer Scam Product 31:23 - Is the RX 9050 4GB Usable in Some Games? 43:02 - We've Tested DLSS 5 Now 1:01:45 - Are Graphics the Most Important Part of PC Games? SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST Audio: https://shows.acast.com/the-hardware-unboxed-podcast Video: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqT8Vb3jweH6_tj2SarErfw SUPPORT US DIRECTLY Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/hardwareunboxed LINKS YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Hardwareunboxed/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/HardwareUnboxed Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hardwareunboxed.bsky.social Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Official Store – Insta360 Link 2: https://bit.ly/MonitorsBFLink2store Amazon – Insta360 Link 2: https://geni.us/pByQNb Insta360 Webcam Collection: https://store.insta360.com/collections/4k-webcams Episode 115: We update everyone on the current situation with the YouTube view count. Then we dive into Steve's story about how he managed to kill several sticks of DDR5 memory on an Asrock motherboard. CHAPTERS 00:00 - Intro 00:42 - The YouTube view count change has increased our views 12:38 - Steve killed a few kits of DDR5 memory 47:47 - Steve's network troubles with Telstra 5G 1:00:08 - Tim installed a new SSD (thanks Samsung) 1:15:50 - Updates from our boring lives SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST Audio: https://shows.acast.com/the-hardware-unboxed-podcast Video: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqT8Vb3jweH6_tj2SarErfw SUPPORT US DIRECTLY Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/hardwareunboxed LINKS YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Hardwareunboxed/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/HardwareUnboxed Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hardwareunboxed.bsky.social Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 114: Two big topics in this week's podcast: Steve had a melting incident with his RTX 5090, and we chat about the re-announcement and release of DLSS 5 technology. CHAPTERS 00:00 - Intro 00:48 - Steve had a 5090 melting incident 42:41 - DLSS 5 initial impressions 1:14:44 - Updates from our boring lives SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST Audio: https://shows.acast.com/the-hardware-unboxed-podcast Video: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqT8Vb3jweH6_tj2SarErfw SUPPORT US DIRECTLY Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/hardwareunboxed LINKS YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Hardwareunboxed/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/HardwareUnboxed Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hardwareunboxed.bsky.social Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Official Store – Insta360 Link 2: https://bit.ly/MonitorsBFLink2store Amazon – Insta360 Link 2: https://geni.us/pByQNb Insta360 Webcam Collection: https://store.insta360.com/collections/4k-webcams Episode 113: We chat about Nvidia's Gamescom announcements, including DLSS 4.5 Ray Reconstruction, the ReBAR toggle and the absence of DLSS 5. We also discuss the recent semi-confirmation of Zen 6 on AM5 and what to expect, and look at a GPU tweaking tool that potentially exposes dangerous settings. CHAPTERS 00:00 - Intro 01:53 - Nvidia at Gamescom 13:04 - Where was DLSS 5? 21:04 - Zen 6 on AM5 Confirmed 30:21 - mvolt utility exposes dangerous settings 48:18 - Golden samples discussion 1:05:22 - Updates from our boring lives SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST Audio: https://shows.acast.com/the-hardware-unboxed-podcast Video: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqT8Vb3jweH6_tj2SarErfw SUPPORT US DIRECTLY Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/hardwareunboxed LINKS YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Hardwareunboxed/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/HardwareUnboxed Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hardwareunboxed.bsky.social Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 112: For some reason, YouTube decided to change the view counter. Also, AMD didn't bother sampling RX 9050s for review, but we reviewed it anyway. Later in the podcast we chat about some of the weird matchups between AMD and Nvidia that have been created due to high GPU prices CHAPTERS 00:00 - Intro 00:39 - YouTube Changes the View Counter 13:44 - RX 9050 Review Samples were Blocked 41:00 - Nvidia vs AMD GPU Pricing 51:36 - Nova Lake Naming Leak 58:49 - Updates From Our Boring Lives SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST Audio: https://shows.acast.com/the-hardware-unboxed-podcast Video: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqT8Vb3jweH6_tj2SarErfw SUPPORT US DIRECTLY Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/hardwareunboxed LINKS YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Hardwareunboxed/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/HardwareUnboxed Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hardwareunboxed.bsky.social Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 111: Are reviewers who get review samples, get early access to products and have affiliate links truly independent? We discuss this in the podcast, after we watched a video from someone claiming MKBHD is not truly independent. A good one to hear our thoughts on how we approach reviews and conflicts of interest Peter's video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8ccXGQfXik Buy a mattress using our Amazon affiliate link, which we earn a commission from: https://amzn.to/4xE8bVQ CHAPTERS The entire podcast discusses this one topic SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST Audio: https://shows.acast.com/the-hardware-unboxed-podcast Video: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqT8Vb3jweH6_tj2SarErfw SUPPORT US DIRECTLY Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/hardwareunboxed LINKS YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Hardwareunboxed/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/HardwareUnboxed Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hardwareunboxed.bsky.social Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 110: Fanboys on Reddit got very upset that we trashed the upcoming Radeon RX 9050 and 4GB GPUs in general, claiming that these models are not sold to consumers, and also not actually gaming GPUs. So we naturally decided to take on and dismantle these idiotic comments in this week's podcast. CHAPTERS 00:00 - Intro 01:00 - Reddit gets upset about our 4GB GPU video 46:17 - Asus rejects RTX 5090 sale then jacks up price 56:47 - Updates from our boring lives SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST Audio: https://shows.acast.com/the-hardware-unboxed-podcast Video: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqT8Vb3jweH6_tj2SarErfw SUPPORT US DIRECTLY Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/hardwareunboxed LINKS YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Hardwareunboxed/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/HardwareUnboxed Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hardwareunboxed.bsky.social Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 109: AMD has done something unfathomable: they're releasing a brand new 4GB GPU in the year 2026. We talk about the new Radeon RX 9050 and why this graphics card seems like a giant turd, both the 8GB and 4GB variants. CHAPTERS 00:00 - Intro 00:30 - AMD Radeon RX 9050 Discussion Begins 40:24 - Why Not Just Re-Launch an Old GPU? 48:12 - The Days of Good Cheap GPUs are Over 1:09:02 - Updates From Our Boring Lives SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST Audio: https://shows.acast.com/the-hardware-unboxed-podcast Video: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqT8Vb3jweH6_tj2SarErfw SUPPORT US DIRECTLY Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/hardwareunboxed LINKS YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Hardwareunboxed/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/HardwareUnboxed Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hardwareunboxed.bsky.social Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 108: LG has been very naughty, caught installing their bloatware application on to PCs without the consent of monitor buyers. Seems dodgy, so we talk about that. We also look over the latest DLSS 5 announcements from Nvidia's recent presentation. CHAPTERS 00:00 - Intro 00:40 - LG Installs Bloatware on Monitor Buyers' PCs 33:35 - Nvidia Shows More DLSS 5 Details 56:20 - Updates From Our Boring Lives SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST Audio: https://shows.acast.com/the-hardware-unboxed-podcast Video: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqT8Vb3jweH6_tj2SarErfw SUPPORT US DIRECTLY Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/hardwareunboxed LINKS YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Hardwareunboxed/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/HardwareUnboxed Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hardwareunboxed.bsky.social Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 107: We chat about some of the latest CPU releases, including the Ryzen 7 5800X3D 10th Anniversary Edition, and the Ryzen 7 7700X3D, which doesn't make a ton of sense when nobody is doing platform upgrades. Also, we thought it was quite amusing that Nvidia's hotspot GPU temperature has now been uncovered, so we discuss that whole situation. CHAPTERS 00:00 - Intro 01:02 - The Ryzen 7 7700X3D has Launched 08:32 - The Ryzen 7 5800X3D Actually Makes Sense 24:53 - Nvidia GPU Hotspot Temperature Situation 40:24 - Steam Machine Thermals and HDMI-CEC 01:04:55 - Updates From Our Boring Lives SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST Audio: https://shows.acast.com/the-hardware-unboxed-podcast Video: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqT8Vb3jweH6_tj2SarErfw SUPPORT US DIRECTLY Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/hardwareunboxed LINKS YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Hardwareunboxed/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/HardwareUnboxed Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hardwareunboxed.bsky.social Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 106: We chat about Sony ending production of physical games in 2028, and the implications that has for game ownership. Plus we talk about the challenges Nvidia faces with improving GPU performance, and the future of gaming as a result. CHAPTERS 00:00 - Intro 00:30 - Life Update 02:35 - A chat about recent content 06:00 - Playstation ending disc support 32:06 - Has GPU performance really hit a ceiling? 44:00 - The future of gaming? 53:34 - Is Radeon in the same boat as Nvidia? 01:01:03 - Why games aren't getting better? 01:19:36 - Our Boring Lives SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST Audio: https://shows.acast.com/the-hardware-unboxed-podcast Video: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqT8Vb3jweH6_tj2SarErfw SUPPORT US DIRECTLY Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/hardwareunboxed LINKS YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Hardwareunboxed/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/HardwareUnboxed Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hardwareunboxed.bsky.social Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 105: We give some additional thoughts on how bad the Steam Machine is, and yes, we think it is very bad. Then we chat briefly about the Ryzen 7 5800X3D being re-released. CHAPTERS 00:00 - Intro 00:31 - Yeah we haven't changed our mind on the Steam Machine 16:45 - Microsoft increased the price of the XBOX 21:20 - Steam Machine is the new Verge PC 28:28 - Pre Built as a HTPC 34:33 - Playstation/XBOX is easier to use than Windows 46:22 - Our thoughts on Valve 50:00 - 5800X3D is back and a good buy? 1:01:24 - Updates from Our Boring Lives SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST Audio: https://shows.acast.com/the-hardware-unboxed-podcast Video: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqT8Vb3jweH6_tj2SarErfw SUPPORT US DIRECTLY Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/hardwareunboxed LINKS YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Hardwareunboxed/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/HardwareUnboxed Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hardwareunboxed.bsky.social Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 104: Upon our return from Computex, we chat about the current graphics card market, including AMD's bizarre release of the Radeon RX 9070 GRE. CHAPTERS 00:00 - Chat About the Radeon RX 9070 GRE 22:42 - The Current State of GPU Sales 50:08 - Updates From Our Boring Lives SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST Audio: https://shows.acast.com/the-hardware-unboxed-podcast Video: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqT8Vb3jweH6_tj2SarErfw SUPPORT US DIRECTLY Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/hardwareunboxed LINKS YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Hardwareunboxed/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/HardwareUnboxed Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hardwareunboxed.bsky.social Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 103: Some people got upset that we claimed Nvidia didn't deliver on their promised ray tracing future. So we discuss that, the RTX 20 series, how ray tracing was marketed, and whether we think it's lived up to the original hype CHAPTERS 00:00 - Chat About Ray Tracing 55:12 - Updates From Our Boring Lives SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST Audio: https://shows.acast.com/the-hardware-unboxed-podcast Video: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqT8Vb3jweH6_tj2SarErfw SUPPORT US DIRECTLY Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/hardwareunboxed LINKS YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Hardwareunboxed/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/HardwareUnboxed Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hardwareunboxed.bsky.social Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 102: We chat about the Ryzen 9 9950X3D2 Dual Edition situation: the CPU itself and how it performs, AMD's decision not to provide review samples and more. CHAPTERS 00:00 - Chat About 9950X3D2 1:04:20 - Updates From Our Boring Lives SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST Audio: https://shows.acast.com/the-hardware-unboxed-podcast Video: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqT8Vb3jweH6_tj2SarErfw SUPPORT US DIRECTLY Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/hardwareunboxed LINKS YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Hardwareunboxed/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/HardwareUnboxed Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hardwareunboxed.bsky.social Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.