Maximum PC - No BS Podcast

Cheaper Windows 8, smaller PCs, SSDs of the future, reader questions, and a rant We've assembled once again in the podcasting dungeon to argue about Windows 8 and the latest hardware; also known as the No BS Podcast episode #220. We begin by discussing Microsoft's strategy to give Bing a shot in the arm by packaging the search engine with a more-affordable version of Windows 8.1, and then we chat a bit about Nvidia's 800M mobile GPU series and its ability to conserve battery life. Next Gordon gives us his thoughts on wee PCs and finally Josh talks about his recent visit to Intel's SSD testing facility. We finish by answering reader questions, giving you our Editor's Picks, and letting Gordon pontificate in his trademark manner.     Editors' Picks Tom McNamara: Pixel Dungeon Gordon Ung: Surface Pro Josh Norem: Team Viewer, GFYcat.com Jimmy Thang: KeePass Stalk us on the following networks: Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes Become a fan on Facebook Tweet us on Twitter Subscribe to us on Youtube Check out our Windows 8 app in Microsoft's app store Subscribe to our RSS feed If you have any feedback or questions feel free to: Email us at maximumpcpodcast@gmail.com or Leave us a voicemail at 877-404-1337 x1337 Subscribe to Maximum PC in print or on Google Play, iTunes, Kindle, Nook and Zinio. Thanks for listening!

New GPUs, new APUs, and the same ol' Windows 8 complaints It's time for Episode #219 of the No BS Podcast! We kickoff with AMD's continuation of its Kaveri APU line and discuss whether or not you need one in your next build. Next, we announce the return of Rig of the Month, a segment where you, the reader, can submit photos of your badass custom PC. After that, we switch gears and focus on Nvidia's new power-saving architecture and share our thoughts of the new GPU code-named Maxwell. We wrap it up by answering your questions, sharing editors' picks and delivering a no BS rant.    Editors' Picks Tom McNamara: Intel Ark App for Android & iOS Gordon Ung: Centech USB power meter Josh Norem: BF4DB.com & Hurricane 2 Canless Air System Jimmy Thang: Plantronics Backbeat Go 2 Bluetooth wireless stereo earbuds  Stalk us on the following networks: Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes Become a fan on Facebook Tweet us on Twitter Subscribe to us on Youtube Check out our Windows 8 app in Microsoft's app store Subscribe to our RSS feed If you have any feedback or questions feel free to: Email us at maximumpcpodcast@gmail.com or Leave us a voicemail at 877-404-1337 x1337 Subscribe to Maximum PC in print or on Google Play, iTunes, Kindle, Nook and Zinio. Thanks for listening!

Big Changes at Microsoft, AMD unleashes Mantle, and more. On this episode of the No BS Podcast #218, the staff spends a lot of time discussing Microsoft because we just can't quit them. First up we discuss its new CEO, Satya Nadella before moving on to upcoming changes to Windows 8.1, and finally the recent news of the company asking advanced users to help their friends get off Windows XP. Next we chat about AMD's Mantle API before closing by answering listener questions and delivering our picks of the week. Gordon then brings the podcast to a thundering conclusion with one of his signature rants.   Editors' Picks Tom McNamara: Leatherman Juice C2 Gordon Ung: Frankie on PC Josh Norem: BF4stats.com Jimmy Thang: GeForce Experience Chris Zele: Recuva Stalk us on the following networks: Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes Become a fan on Facebook Tweet us on Twitter Subscribe to us on Youtube Check out our Windows 8 app in Microsoft's app store Subscribe to our RSS feed If you have any feedback or questions feel free to: Email us at maximumpcpodcast@gmail.com or Leave us a voicemail at 877-404-1337 x1337 Subscribe to Maximum PC in print or on Google Play, iTunes, Kindle, Nook and Zinio. Thanks for listening!

Spotlights on 4k tech, OZC's timely revival andupdates from BackBlaze's HDD failure Study On this week's episode of the No BS Podcast #217, the staff tackles the onslaught of 4K panels, including the newly released 24-inch 4K from Dell and obsess over its insane PPI count. Next we shift gears and focus on Microsoft, not to bash the company, but to give two thumbs up for a good-looking quarterly revenue report from Surface sales. We move on to discuss the study from BackBlaze on Hitachi, Seagate and Western Digital drives and failure rates. The staff concludes with editor picks and Gordon delivers his signature rant. Editor's Picks Tom MacNamara: Smart Ruler Lite Gordon Ung: Gigabyte BRIX Pro Josh Norem: GeForce Shadowplay Clark Crisp: SteelSeries Siberia V2  Stalk us on the following networks: Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes Become a fan on Facebook Tweet us on Twitter Subscribe to us on Youtube Check out our Windows 8 app in Microsoft's app store Subscribe to our RSS feed If you have any feedback or questions feel free to: Email us at maximumpcpodcast@gmail.com or Leave us a voicemail at 877-404-1337 x1337 Subscribe to Maximum PC in print or on Google Play, iTunes, Kindle, Nook and Zinio. Thanks for listening!

We pour one out for Katherine, then discuss all the sweet gear we spotted at CES. The No BS Podcast has returned, both from the holiday break, and from CES, and we've recorded Episode #216. Sadly, things are starting off on a somber note, as Editor-in-Chief Katherine Stevenson has announced she is leaving the magazine to pursue other interests here at Future US. She will be sorely missed, and we wish her the best of luck at her new gig. Since we must carry on, we did, so we jumped into a discussion of all the hardware we saw at CES, including the Steam Machines, 4K panels, Razer's Project Christine, and Oculus Rift. Gordon had his ear to the ground for CPU news at CES too, and discusses what Intel told him at the show. We also all have a chat about AMD"s new Kaveri APU. We finished the proceedings with our Editors' Picks, and the Gordon tackled the controversial topic of comic books being made into movies and wearable computing.        Editor's Picks Tom MacNamara: Timely Alarm Clock App Gordon Ung: Thermal Detonator Jimmy Thang: Corsair Vengeance 2000 Headset Josh Norem: Battlefield 4 Tips and Tricks   Stalk us on the following networks: Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes Become a fan on Facebook Tweet us on Twitter Subscribe to us on Youtube Check out our Windows 8 app in Microsoft's app store Subscribe to our RSS feed If you have any feedback or questions feel free to: Email us at maximumpcpodcast@gmail.com or Leave us a voicemail at 877-404-1337 x1337 Subscribe to Maximum PC in print or on Google Play, iTunes, Kindle, Nook and Zinio. Thanks for listening!

OCZ sells its SSD business to Toshiba, PC enthusiasts have stopped upgrading, and is AMD giving up on the FX platform? Welcome to episode #215 of the No BS Podcast where we talk about nothing but gloom and doom for the PC industry. We begin with the recent sale of OCZ's SSD business to Toshiba, and what it means for current and future customers. We discuss the latest report from IDC which predicts PC sales will have declined by over 10 percent in 2013 because PC users have no reasons to upgrade. Finally, we consider the possibility of AMD abandoning the fight with Intel. We wrap up with our Editors' Picks and Gordon delivers a fiery sermon on a range of topics that includes Star Wars and e-mail.    Editor's Picks Clark Crisp: Roccat Kone XTD mouse  Tom McNamara: Shadow Warrior Remake Katherine Stevenson: Windows 8's Snipping Tool Josh Norem: Prank Christmas Boxes/ The Pet Petter Gordon Ung: Diamond Select Communicator and Phaser Can't get enough Maximum PC? Check us out on the following sites: Subscribe on iTunes Fan us on Facebook Tweet us on Twitter Subscribe to us on Youtube Check out our Windows 8 app in Microsoft's app store Subscribe to our RSS feed If you have any feedback or questions feel free to: Email us at maximumpcpodcast@gmail.com or Leave us a voicemail at 877-404-1337 x1337 Subscribe to Maximum PC in Print or on Google Play, itunes, Kindle, Nook and Zinio. Thanks for listening!

DDR4 RAM is incoming, next-gen consoles finally launch, Microsoft tries to woo PC gamers, and we compare a retail R9 290X to the press board It's time for episode #214 of the No BS Podcast! On this week's episode we break down the details surrounding the looming release of DDR4 memory, then have a brief discussion about the next gen consoles and what it means for PC gamers. We also discuss Microsoft's recent statements about how it abandonded PC gaming. Next, we talk about the AMD R9 290X retail board we acquired, and compare it to the press board, then we wrap it all up with our editor picks. Gordon ends the proceedings by delivering his usual rant, but this time paints his targets a little closer to home. Also, special thanks to Intern Clark for creating the new intro to Gordon's Rant.    Editor's Picks Jimmy Thang: Finis Neptune waterproof MP3 player Tom McNamara: KeePassDroid Sam Ward: Kerbal Space Program Gordon Ung: Diet Coke Josh Norem: Liquid Ass, SSD backup boot drive  Can't get enough Maximum PC? Check us out on the following sites: Subscribe on iTunes Fan us on Facebook Tweet us on Twitter Subscribe to us on Youtube Check out our Windows 8 app in Microsoft's app store Subscribe to our RSS feed If you have any feedback or questions feel free to: Email us at maximumpcpodcast@gmail.com or Leave us a voicemail at 877-404-1337 x1337 Subscribe to Maximum PC in Print or on Google Play, itunes, Kindle, Nook and Zinio. Thanks for listening!

State of the GPU wars, Windows 8.1, and Battlefield 4 On episode #213 of the No BS Podcast we continue our reporting from the front lines of the GPU war between Nvidia and AMD. Next, we break down Battlefield 4's launch issues and compare them to Battlefield 3's. Finally, we ruminate over the arrival of Windows 8.1 and the state of Microsoft before wrapping things up with our editor picks. Gordon then delivers an epic rant on the ever-present anti-PC bias in the media. Editor's Note - This podcast was recorded on November 8th in both audio and video formats. Since then we have been working on editing and uploading the video portion, but have experienced issues with the feed, post production, and Youtube. Rather than delay things any further we are releasing the audio instead of waiting for the video to be finished. Thanks for your patience.    Editor's Picks Tom McNamara: Deus Ex Human Revolution Director's Cut Josh Norem: First Gen Google Nexus 7 Can I Stream It? Jimmy Thang: PdaNet+ Gordon Ung: Nvidia Shield Katherine Stevenson: Trailer Addict Can't get enough Maximum PC? Check us out on the following sites: Subscribe on iTunes Fan us on Facebook Tweet us on Twitter Subscribe to us on Youtube Check out our Windows 8 app in Microsoft's app store Subscribe to our RSS feed If you have any feedback or questions feel free to: Email us at maximumpcpodcast@gmail.com or Leave us a voicemail at 877-404-1337 x1337 Subscribe to Maximum PC in Print or on Google Play, itunes, Kindle, Nook and Zinio. Thanks for listening!

AMD and Nvidia go to war, Intel's Broadwell chipset gets delayed, Battlefield 4, and more! The Maximum PC Staff returns for episode #212 of the No BS Podcast! This time around we discuss the AMD Radeon R9 290X as well as the increasingly potent GPU war between AMD and Nvidia. We also chat about Intel delaying its 14 nanometer Broadwell chipset, Battlefield 4, and the results of some performance testing we did with the game in the lab. Finally, we wrap things up by answering some reader questions and delivering our editor picks before topping it off with Gordons' rant.    Editor's Picks Tom McNamara: Batman Arkham City Game of the Year Edition Gordon Ung: Google Nexus 7 2013 32 GB Josh Norem: Sanyo Eneloop rechargable batteries Can't get enough Maximum PC? Check us out on the following sites: Subscribe on iTunes Fan us on Facebook Tweet us on Twitter Subscribe to us on Youtube Check out our Windows 8 app in Microsoft's app store Subscribe to our RSS feed If you have any feedback or questions feel free to: Email us at maximumpcpodcast@gmail.com or Leave us a voicemail at 877-404-1337 x1337 Subscribe to Maximum PC in Print or on Google Play, itunes, Kindle, Nook and Zinio. Thanks for listening!

Intel Developer Forum, Ivy Bridge-E, Microsoft's second generation Surface and more! The Maximum PC Staff returns for episode #211 of the No BS Podcast to discuss September news highlights. Gordon starts off with his thoughts on the hardware presented at IDF including the new Quark and Ivy Bridge-E. Next, the staff tackles Microsoft's second attempt at the Surface tablet, AMD's new Hawaii chip and Valve's SteamOS. Your questions are answered, editors picks are given and Gordon finishes with his signature rant.    Editor's Picks: Gordon Ung: ModRight Extreme Super Large Anti-Static Mod-Mat Tom McNamara: State of Decay Josh Norem: Is It Down Right Now?, Seagate 4TB HDD Can't get enough Maximum PC? Check us out on the following sites: Subscribe on iTunes Fan us on Facebook Tweet us on Twitter Subscribe to us on Youtube Check out our Windows 8 app in Microsoft's app store Subscribe to our RSS feed If you have any feedback or questions feel free to: Email us at maximumpcpodcast@gmail.com or Leave us a voicemail at 877-404-1337 x1337 Subscribe to Maximum PC in Print or on Google Play, itunes, Kindle, Nook and Zinio. Thanks for listening!

Ballmer's Retirement, Nvidia Shield, and Netgear takes Asus to Court. It’s time for episode #210 of the No BS Podcast, and this time we kicked things off by discussing Steve Ballmer's retirement as the CEO of Microsoft. Next Online Managing Editor Jimmy Thang shares his hands-on experience with Nvidia's Sheild, and we discuss the lawsuit between Netgear and Asus while pondering if we could ever quit the Internet. To wrap things up we handled some reader questions, and each editor delivered his or her editor's picks. Gordon was on vacation this week so he was unable to deliver his traditional rant, but he's at IDF this week so we're sure he'll have plenty of material when we convene next time. As always each editor shared their Editor Picks. Katherine Stevenson: Fooducate Jimmy Thang: RunKeeper Tom McNamara: Borderlands 2 Josh Norem: Down For Everyone or Just Me, Sennheiser CX200 Earbuds    If you have any feedback or questions feel free to: Email us at maximumpcpodcast@gmail.com or Leave us a voicemail at 877-404-1337 x1337 Thanks for listening! We Wouldn't be here without all of your support! Subscribe to Maximum PC in Print or on Google Play, itunes, Kindle, Nook and Zinio. Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes and follow our RSS feed Thanks for listening!

All about the 2013 Dream Machine  On this week’s episode of Behind the PC, the staff discusses the building of the 2013 Dream Machine. We talk about the part selection, what the build was like, all the gory details we couldn’t include in the magazine. We finished up with reader questions, editor’s picks, and of course a rant from Deputy Editor Gordon Ung.    Here are each of the Editor Picks from this episode: Josh: Don’t forget troubleshooting basics Tom: Civilization V: Brave New World DLC Gordon: Leatherman Surge Chris: Samsung Data Migration Software To catch future episodes of this much-loved podcast please subscribe on iTunes: Subscribe on iTunes Fan us on Facebook Tweet us on Twitter Subscribe to us on Youtube Check out our Windows 8 app in Microsoft's app store Subscribe to our RSS feed If you have any feedback or questions feel free to: Email us at maximumpcpodcast@gmail.com or Leave us a voicemail at 877-404-1337 x1337 Thanks for listening! We Wouldn't be here without all of your support! Subscribe to Maximum PC in Print or on Google Play, itunes, Kindle, Nook and Zinio. Thanks for listening!

Intel’s Broadwell, Comic Con, Samsung 840 EVO, and EA’s digital revenue, your questions, our picks, and Gordon’s rant. It’s podcast time again, and this time for podcast 208 around we start off discussing Intel’s Broadwell CPUs, then Jimmy tells us all about his Comic-Con experience and we discuss the best vehicle for the zombie apocalypse. Julian then chats about EA’s digital revenue surpassing retail, and Josh talks about Samsung’s new 840 EVO 1TB SSD. We then handled a bunch of reader questions, and finished up with Gordon’s rant of the week about — surprise, surprise, Google Maps!     As always each editor shared his or her Editor Picks. Here they are in no specific order: Julian: High Resolution Displays Tom: Shadowrun Returns Jimmy: Get Pocket Josh: Tiny Tina DLC Borderlands 2, Logical Increments, Gelaskins  Gordon: Leatherman Surge Check out future episodes of the Maximum PC No BS podcast at: Check us out online at www.maximumpc.com Subscribe on iTunes Fan us on Facebook Tweet us on Twitter Subscribe to us on Youtube Check out our Windows 8 app in Microsoft's app store Subscribe to our RSS feed If you have any feedback or questions feel free to: Email us at maximumpcpodcast@gmail.com or Leave us a voicemail at 877-404-1337 x1337 Thanks for listening! We Wouldn't be here without all of your support! Subscribe to Maximum PC in Print or on Google Play, itunes, Kindle, Nook and Zinio. Thanks for listening!

The latest news, our picks, your questions, and Gordon's rant! This time around it was a full podcast room as we tackled the latest industry developments, including the future of our very own magazine. First up Deputy editor Gordon Mah Ung kicked off a discussion of AMD’s 5GHz CPU and its position in the enthusiast market, then Editor in Chief Katherine Stevenson dished on the rumors surrounding the Microsoft Surface refresh, and finally Associate Editor Tom McNamara opined on the state of the PC Industry. We closed Episode #207 of the Maximum PC Podcast with some tablet talk, tons of reader questions, our editors' picks, and Gordon's signature rant.   Editor’s Picks: Tom: FEZ Gordon: Leatherman Carabiner Josh: Aduro U-GRIP PLUS Universal Dashboard Windshield Car Mount and DropBox Katherine: Ninite Julian: ioSafe N2 Check out future episodes of the Maximum PC No BS podcast at: Check us out online at www.maximumpc.com Subscribe on iTunes Fan us on Facebook Tweet us on Twitter Subscribe to us on Youtube Check out our Windows 8 app in Microsoft's app store Subscribe to our RSS feed If you have any feedback or questions feel free to: Email us at maximumpcpodcast@gmail.com or Leave us a voicemail at 877-404-1337 x1337 Thanks for listening! We Wouldn't be here without all of your support! Subscribe to Maximum PC in Print or on Google Play, itunes, Kindle, Nook and Zinio.

The always DRM-free podcast is back! We were wrapping up our annual Dream Machine issue so we could only spare three armchair experts this time around: Our host and Senior Editor Josh Norem, Deputy Editor Gordon Mah Ung, and Associate Editor Tom McNamara. We still managed to blather on as usual, however! Our topics for Episode 206 of the Maximum PC Podcast included the new GTX 760 video card from Nvidia, Microsoft's upcoming Xbox One console, and AMD's current strategies. You can also check out episode 206 in videocast form! Editor's Picks: Tom: The Secret World Gordon: Jumbo Versipack Josh: Gerber Shard Keychain Tool If you want to catch future episodes, you can: Subscribe on iTunes Fan us on Facebook Tweet us on Twitter Subscribe to us on Youtube Check out our Windows 8 app in Microsoft's app store Email us at maximumpcpodcast@gmail.com Subscribe to our RSS feed Leave us a voicemail at 877-404-1337 x1337 Thanks for listening! We wouldn't be here without all of your support! --Maximum PC Staff