The Hardware Unboxed Podcast - podcast cover

The Hardware Unboxed Podcast

Hardware Unboxedshows.acast.com
Steve and Tim from the YouTube channel Hardware Unboxed bring to you a weekly show discussing all the latest news and interesting topics in the PC hardware and gaming scene. With our decades of experience testing and benchmarking hardware, you'll be sure to enjoy various insights into tech and the occasional guest, especially if you love building PCs and playing PC games.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episodes

The Nvidia Propaganda Machine

Episode 65: Nvidia's marketing of late has been... misleading to say the least. This week we chat about a lot of the silly things the company has been saying around the GeForce 50 series launch CHAPTERS 00:00 - Intro 01:54 - Der8auer and the Nvidia Interview 14:17 - Nvidia Propaganda 23:53 - Demand Claims Are Misleading 27:39 - Companies Don't Want to be Honest 32:20 - This is Hurting the GeForce Brand 39:05 - Nvidia RTX Usage Claims 49:05 - Separate Embargoes Are Annoying 51:21 - Nvidia's Misle...

Mar 28, 20251 hr 21 minEp 65Transcript available on Metacast

GPU Pricing is Bad But Improving?

Episode 64: This week we're chatting about GPU pricing and supply, Intel missing a big opportunity with the B580, upcoming entry-level GPUs and how they should be positioned, and the Ryzen 9 9950X3D CHAPTERS 00:00 - Intro 02:43 - GPU Pricing Is All Sorts of Bad 16:30 - Bye Bye RTX 5090 Supply 29:22 - Intel Misses B580 Opportunity 41:05 - Entry Level GPU Discussion 1:06:34 - AMD Should Learn from RX 9070 1:17:47 - Ryzen 9 9950X3D Recap 1:26:36 - Updates From Our Boring Lives SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODC...

Mar 21, 20252 hr 49 minEp 64Transcript available on Metacast

The RX 9070 XT Has Impressed Us!

Episode 63: It's a mega podcast episode as we break down everything related to the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT, the Radeon RX 9070 and the GeForce RTX 5070 CHAPTERS 00:00 - Intro 03:52 - Radeon RX 9070 XT Pricing and Availability 31:37 - AMD Made the Right Call to Delay 46:35 - The RTX 5070 is Crap and the RX 9070 Isn't Much Better 1:02:03 - AMD Genuinely Listened to Feedback? 1:35:34 - Updates From Our Boring Lives SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST Audio: https://shows.acast.com/the-hardware-unboxed-podcast V...

Mar 10, 20252 hr 53 minEp 63Transcript available on Metacast

What Do We Make of Radeon RX 9070 XT Pricing?

Episode 62: AMD has officially revealed the Radeon RX 9070 XT and Radeon RX 9070 including pricing and first-party performance benchmarks. So what are our thoughts? CHAPTERS 00:00 - Intro 00:37 - Our Thoughts on RX 9070 XT Pricing and Strategy 41:25 - AMD Asking For Our Opinion? 51:35 - Our Thoughts on RX 9070 Pricing and Strategy 1:17:08 - Some Cool Features Here SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST Audio: https://shows.acast.com/the-hardware-unboxed-podcast Video: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqT8Vb3j...

Feb 28, 20251 hr 26 minEp 62Transcript available on Metacast

The RTX 5070 Ti Hasn't Impressed Us... AGAIN

Episode 61: This week we're talking about the RTX 5070 Ti and the ludicrous real world pricing we are seeing. Also, now that we have a current gen comparison, we're discussing the exact pricing AMD needs to achieve with the RX 9070 XT. CHAPTERS 00:00 - Intro 00:48 - The RTX 5070 Ti and its Ludicrous Price 39:16 - The Price the RX 9070 XT Needs to Be 1:04:43 - Updates From Our Boring Lives SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST Audio: https://shows.acast.com/the-hardware-unboxed-podcast Video: https://www.yout...

Feb 21, 20252 hr 33 minEp 61Transcript available on Metacast

RTX 5090 Power Connectors Are Melting... Again

Episode 60: Nvidia has announced a release date for the RTX 5070 Ti and RTX 5070, and AMD are about to announce RDNA 4. But the bigger story right now concerns, once again, the 12V-2x6 power connector used on GeForce 50 GPUs and its propensity to melt. CHAPTERS 00:00 - Intro 01:02 - Release Date Updates for Upcoming GPUs 14:34 - Power Cables are Melting Again 27:20 - Why Did Nvidia Change? 40:07 - How Have Things Gotten Worse? 49:08 - There's No Failsafe 1:05:58 - GeForce 50 Series Stock Discuss...

Feb 14, 20251 hr 29 minEp 60Transcript available on Metacast

Why is RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 Supply So Bad?

Episode 59: Supply of the RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 is basically non-existent. Why would Nvidia and AIBs do this, and who do we think is benefitting? That's what we explore in this week's podcast. CHAPTERS 00:00 - Intro 02:02 - The Current Supply Situation with RTX 5090 and 5080 19:28 - Nvidia Controls the Market to Create FOMO 35:28 - How Does Nvidia Make Money From Low Supply? 41:44 - High Street Prices Equals More Flexibility 52:54 - Updates From Our Boring Lives SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST Audio: h...

Feb 08, 20251 hr 27 minEp 59Transcript available on Metacast

The RTX 5080 Hasn't Impressed Us Either

Episode 58: This week we discuss the RTX 5080 (and how underwhelming it is), more implications for the GPU market, some current thoughts on the Arc B580 and Steve's lukewarm take on Radeon's future. CHAPTERS 00:00 - Intro 00:38 - Initial Thoughts on the RTX 5080 08:40 - The Configuration is Wrong 15:25 - Nvidia's Strategy 27:21 - Nvidia is Hurting Their Brand Now 37:13 - RTX 40 Series vs RTX 50 Series 45:44 - Difficulties in Achieving Gains vs Honest Marketing 55:17 - Current State of Intel Arc ...

Feb 01, 20252 hr 33 minEp 58Transcript available on Metacast

The GeForce 50 Series: Kinda Meh So Far

Episode 57: We're back for 2025 and ready to discuss the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090, the implications for the rest of the 50 series, Frame Generation and Nvidia's marketing, plus plenty more GPU stuff CHAPTERS 00:00 - Intro 00:41 - Initial Thoughts on the RTX 5090 21:11 - Nvidia Pulling the Intel CPU Strategy 29:57 - Competition is the Answer 37:07 - AMD Delayed Their GPUs to Respond 45:51 - Real RTX 5090 Price Predictions 49:48 - DLSS Multi Frame Generation Marketing 1:04:38 - Jensen's Marketing 1...

Jan 27, 20252 hr 55 minEp 57Transcript available on Metacast

Intel Delivers What AMD Couldn't: Great GPU Value

Episode 56: With the Intel Arc B580 now on shelves, we recap the launch and review. Was this a paper launch? Can Intel gain market share with this strategy? Should Intel cancel Arc GPUs? Does this spell trouble for AMD Radeon? CHAPTERS 00:00 - Intro 00:39 - Intel Arc B580 Launch Recap 19:58 - It's Not a Paper Launch 26:24 - This Launch Exposes Radeon's Blunders 30:50 - The Plan to Build Market Share 40:34 - Genuine Competition for Radeon? 58:25 - Updates From Our Boring Lives SUBSCRIBE TO THE PO...

Dec 16, 20241 hr 15 minEp 56Transcript available on Metacast

Intel Promises Battlemage GPU Game Fixes, Enough VRAM and Long Term Future (feat. Tom Petersen)

Episode 55: Intel's Tom Petersen joins the podcast to chat about Arc Battlemage! We discuss fixing and improving game compatibility, the importance of enough VRAM, hardware design decisions including the die size, the future of the Arc division, XeSS 2 frame generation and plenty more. CHAPTERS 00:00 - Intro 02:12 - The Journey from Alchemist to Battlemage 09:21 - Hardware Changes and Improving Game Compatibility 15:13 - The Importance of VRAM 20:11 - GPU Design Choices and Improvements 34:18 - ...

Dec 09, 20241 hr 27 minEp 55Transcript available on Metacast

Ray Tracing: Has it Been A Success for PC Gaming?

Episode 54: YouTube turned us Spanish! Also, we do a full recap on the state of ray tracing for PC gaming right now, looking back to the original RTX 20 series GPUs to how things are going now. Has Nvidia simply used ray tracing to upsell you on a more expensive graphics card? CHAPTERS 00:00 - Intro 00:40 - YouTube Turned us Spanish 13:50 - Ray Tracing, Where Does it Stand Right Now? 34:20 - Ray Tracing vs High Refresh Rate 42:27 - Ray Tracing is About the Upsell 53:41 - We Expected Ray Tracing ...

Nov 29, 20242 hr 38 minEp 54Transcript available on Metacast

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 Punishes Your CPU, GPU and VRAM

Episode 53: We've been testing games this week, including S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 and Flight Simulator 2024, so we discuss how these games run on PC. Loading issues, punishing CPU requirements, VRAM issues and more. CHAPTERS 00:00 - Intro 04:07 - Testing S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 14:51 - VRAM is An Issue Again 34:18 - Floaty Controls and Frame Generation 39:04 - Testing Flight Simulator 2024 46:51 - Updates From Our Boring Lives Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hardwareunboxed.bsky.social SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODC...

Nov 21, 20241 hr 7 minEp 53Transcript available on Metacast

Someone Has Blown Up Their Ryzen 7 9800X3D

Episode 52: More discussion on Arrow Lake and Intel's promised updates, a preliminary look at the 9800X3D that has blown up on someone's AM5 motherboard, a chat about how social media is crap now and yes... more discussion of 4K CPU gaming benchmarks. CHAPTERS 00:00 - Intro 00:31 - Intel Promises Arrow Lake Improvements 21:51 - Social Media Sucks Now 47:28 - Possible Installation Error Blows Up 9800X3D 58:56 - More Discussion of CPU Benchmarking at 4K 1:21:36 - Updates From Our Boring Lives Burn...

Nov 14, 20242 hr 42 minEp 52Transcript available on Metacast

AMD Wins With The Ryzen 7 9800X3D

Episode 51: After the impressive launch of the Ryzen 7 9800X3D, we go into more detail on our thoughts on the CPU, its performance, and Intel's troubles in the CPU market as a result. We also chat about CPU reviews, misconceptions and how people should think about buying a CPU. CHAPTERS 00:00 - Intro 00:49 - A Little Bit on the 9800X3D and Motherboards 16:01 - Extended Thoughts on the Ryzen 7 9800X3D 39:54 - Intel Are In Trouble 55:18 - CPU Testing Misconceptions 1:05:45 - How to Buy a Gaming CP...

Nov 08, 20242 hr 45 minEp 51Transcript available on Metacast

Intel Arrow Lake is Dead on Arrival (For Now)

Episode 50: Following on from the reviews of Intel Arrow Lake, we go into much more detail on the new CPUs, the review process and comparisons to Zen 5 reviews CHAPTERS 00:00 - Intro 00:25 - Arrow Lake Deep Dive 32:07 - The Difference Between Arrow Lake and Zen 5 Reviews 1:09:45 - 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://ww...

Nov 01, 20241 hr 17 minEp 50Transcript available on Metacast

MSI and AMD's Weird Relationship, X870 Testing, and Goodbye 5800X3D

Episode 49: We discuss X870 testing and motherboard quality, along with the 5800X3D being discontinued, and a bit of weirdness between MSI and AMD after MSI leaked 9800X3D performance numbers CHAPTERS 00:00 - Intro 00:43 - Updates from X870 Motherboard Testing 20:11 - The Ryzen 7 5800X3D Has Been Retired 31:00 - MSI Leaks 9800X3D Performance 34:52 - MSI's Weird Relationship with AMD 53:36 - Updates From Our Boring Lives SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST Audio: https://shows.acast.com/the-hardware-unboxed...

Oct 18, 20241 hr 3 minEp 49Transcript available on Metacast

Intel Arrow Lake Initial Impressions: Pretty Meh

Episode 48: Intel has officially announced Arrow Lake, so Tim and Steve discuss their initial thoughts on what Intel has shown so far. CHAPTERS 00:00 - Intro 01:19 - Initial Thoughts on Intel Arrow Lake 16:54 - Arrow Lake is More Efficient 28:06 - The Price is Disappointing 42:25 - Arrow Lake vs Zen 5 Expectations 47:40 - LGA1851 Platform 54:44 - Updates From Our Boring Lives SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST Audio: https://shows.acast.com/the-hardware-unboxed-podcast Video: https://www.youtube.com/chann...

Oct 11, 20241 hr 17 minEp 48Transcript available on Metacast

AMD Claims Zen 5 is Better Now, GPU Configurations Are Getting Worse

Episode 47: Along with the launch of X870 motherboards, AMD have claimed that several updates have improved Zen 5. We discuss that, as well as GPU pricing updates and how Nvidia's GPU configurations have gotten worse over the years. CHAPTERS 00:00 - Intro 04:17 - AMD Claims Zen 5 is Improved Thanks to "Updates" 31:20 - Intel Arrow Lake Launch Plans Confirmed 35:36 - AMD RDNA3 GPUs are Getting Cheaper 44:43 - Nvidia's GPU Configurations Are Getting Worse Over Time 1:14:12 - Updates From Our Borin...

Oct 04, 20242 hr 43 minEp 47Transcript available on Metacast

Ubisoft Crawls Back to Steam, Intel CPU Stability Update, 9800X3D Rumors

Episode 46: Ubisoft are headed back to Steam after forcing PC gamers to use their awful app for too long, Intel has provided another update on their Raptor Lake CPU stability issues and there's rumors of a Ryzen 7 9800X3D coming soon. We discuss all of that on today's podcast. CHAPTERS 00:00 - Intro 02:07 - Ubisoft Are Returning to Steam 18:51 - Intel Raptor Lake CPU Stability Update 34:23 - Ryzen 7 9800X3D Rumors 54:04 - Updates From Our Boring Lives NEWS ARTICLES https://x.com/assassinscreed/s...

Sep 27, 20241 hr 10 minEp 46Transcript available on Metacast

Intel Arrow Lake: Power Concerns, Rumors, Leaked Specs, Our Expectations

Episode 45: We work through the latest Intel Arrow Lake rumors to give our thoughts on what has been suggested so far, and hopefully what the motherboard platform will look like. CHAPTERS 00:00 - Intro 00:42 - God of War Ragnarok Testing 05:47 - AMD AGESA Code Reduces Zen 5 Latency 11:52 - Arrow Lake Rumors and Expectations 41:47 - Updates From Our Boring Lives NEWS ARTICLES https://videocardz.com/newz/intel-core-ultra-9-285k-box-design-has-been-leaked https://videocardz.com/newz/intel-core-ultr...

Sep 20, 20241 hr 1 minEp 45Transcript available on Metacast

AMD Exits The High-End GPU Market, Will It Work?

Episode 44: AMD has officially shifted gears in the GPU market, exiting the high-end market to focus on the mid-range with RDNA4. Is this a strategy that will actually work? Plus we chat about the PlayStation 5 Pro reveal from a PC gaming perspective. CHAPTERS 00:00 - Intro 00:36 - AMD Exits the High-End GPU Market 25:40 - AMD Says They Want to Gain Market Share 31:17 - AMD to Unify Their GPU Architecture Again with UDNA 40:20 - PlayStation 5 Pro Reveal Thoughts 58:59 - Updates From Our Boring L...

Sep 12, 20241 hr 15 minEp 44Transcript available on Metacast

Windows Ryzen Performance is Very, Very Messy

Episode 43: There are some performance issues in current builds of Windows that are driving Steve crazy, plus we discuss the latest news including the Ryzen 5 7600X3D CHAPTERS 00:00 - Intro 00:38 - Steve Goes Crazy Testing Windows 31:12 - 105W Zen 5 Modes Comes to AMD BIOSes 38:26 - The Ryzen 5 7600X3D 46:41 - 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 U...

Sep 06, 20241 hr 20 minEp 43Transcript available on Metacast

The Ongoing AMD Zen 5 Saga is Absurd

Episode 42: For some reason, AMD just keeps making weird statements about Zen 5 performance, so we're digging into them again this week's podcast CHAPTERS 00:00 - Intro 03:49 - What's The Point? 10:01 - AMD's David McAfee Responds 12:33 - The Zen 5 Windows "Optimization" Angle 22:19 - AMD's Poor Testing 39:02 - AMD Will Update Their Testing Methods 47:55 - This All Feels a Bit Absurd 57:39 - Zen 5 vs Intel Claims 1:05:09 - Updates From Our Boring Lives SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST Audio: https://sho...

Aug 23, 20241 hr 13 minEp 42Transcript available on Metacast

More Zen 5 Thoughts, Poor AMD Communication, Ryzen Windows Issues

Episode 41: Now that all the main Zen 5 processors (for now) have been released, we discuss more elements of the launch, including the weird Ryzen bug with Windows and AMD's communication issues at launch CHAPTERS 00:00 - Intro 00:38 - More Zen 5 Thoughts After the 9950X Review 14:52 - Impacts on the AM5 Platform 24:19 - What Role Did Leakers Play? 36:39 - The Ryzen Windows "Bug" 53:34 - AMD's Poor Launch Communication 1:22:07 - Updates From Our Boring Lives SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST Audio: https...

Aug 16, 20242 hr 40 minEp 41Transcript available on Metacast

Zen 5 is a Huge Disappointment So Far

Episode 40: We discuss all the fallout from Zen 5 reviews, including claims of extremely good efficiency, pricing, power limits and more CHAPTERS 00:00 - Intro 01:26 - Feedback on Zen 5 Reviews 06:38 - Zen 5 Power Efficiency 14:02 - Zen 5 Pricing Issues 22:36 - Are Zen 5 CPUs Extremely Power Limited? 31:27 - AMD's Launch Issues 43:12 - AMD Needs to Make Moves Soon 50:55 - How's Our Excitement for the CPU Market? 58:20 - Intel Has an Opportunity with Arrow Lake 1:11:06 - Updates From Our Boring L...

Aug 09, 20241 hr 29 minEp 40Transcript available on Metacast

Intel Stability Issues Get Worse & AMD Delays Zen 5

Episode 39: It's been a big week for news, so Steve and Tim spend most of the episode discussing AMD's decision to delay Zen 5, and the latest updates from Intel surrounding their CPU stability issues. CHAPTERS 00:00 - Intro 03:39 - AMD Delays Zen 5 18:32 - Updates and Discussion on Intel CPU Stability Issues 1:01:15 - 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 ...

Jul 26, 20241 hr 20 minEp 39Transcript available on Metacast

No Zen 5 Pricing (!?), Weird Performance Claims, Dodgy B840 Chipset

Episode 38: A lengthy discussion about all the latest Zen 5 information, including the lack of pricing, some weird performance claims, and new potentially misleading chipsets. Also we tackle some CPU rumors and chat about Star Wars. CHAPTERS 00:00 - Intro 00:40 - Our Good Choice Not to Attend the Zen 5 Tech Day 14:25 - No Zen 5 Pricing!? 26:03 - The B840 Chipset Looks a Bit Dodgy 36:59 - Bizarre Zen 5 Performance Claims 42:58 - Some CPU Rumors 59:13 - Updates From Our Boring Lives SUBSCRIBE TO T...

Jul 19, 20241 hr 22 minEp 38Transcript available on Metacast

Zen 5 Incoming, FSR 3.1 Testing and More Intel CPU Issues

Episode 37: A chat about the various projects we're working, everything from preparing for Zen 5, to testing FSR 3.1, more thoughts on the Intel CPU crashing saga and of course our various home projects. CHAPTERS 00:00 - Intro 00:38 - Lead Up To Zen 5 Testing 12:45 - Further Thoughts on FSR 3.1 Testing 29:44 - Intel Power and Crashing Situation Is Still Ongoing 53:53 - Intel Arc GPUs Actually Work Okay 1:04:02 - Updates From Our Boring Lives SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST Audio: https://shows.acast.co...

Jul 12, 20241 hr 23 minEp 37Transcript available on Metacast

Learning About PCs & The Future of Hardware Unboxed (feat. Video Editor Balin)

Episode 36: Live from Taipei for Computex again, Tim chats with the third team member at Hardware Unboxed, Balin, about working on a YouTube channel, learning about the PC industry, and all the stuff we get up to outside of work. CHAPTERS 00:00 - Intro 00:34 - Meet Balin, Hardware Unboxed Video Editor 13:05 - Learning About the PC Industry 23:06 - Meeting Other YouTubers 33:04 - Where is Hardware Unboxed Headed? 37:14 - Updates from Our Boring Lives SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST Audio: https://shows....

Jun 27, 202454 minEp 36Transcript available on Metacast