Maximum PC - No BS Podcast

This week it’s a full-house in the Podcast room as Deputy Editor Gordon Ung is back from vacation (and IDF) and is joined by Online Managing Editor Jimmy Thang, Editor Josh Norem and our new intern Chris Zele who was offered the gig despite previously working for the Geek Squad at Best Buy.    Kicking things off we have Gordon dishing the dirt he uncovered at the Intel Developer’s Forum. He tells us all about all the gear he saw including Intel’s Ivy Bridge successor, code-named Haswell. He then tells us what he thinks about AMD’s current situation. We also talk about new GPUs from Nvidia and possibly AMD, how Borderlands 2 is awesome, the Dream Machine article which was (finally) posted online, everyone’s favorite Apple phone and Steam’s new Big Picture mode. To wrap things up we answer your questions from Facebook and Twitter, and Gordon concludes the show with a profanity-laden rant about – what else? – the iPhone 5.  Click here to listen to the podcast. You can also subscribe to us on iTunes. And if we need to spell it out even further, this podcast is made by adults, for adults, and foul language is present  - you have been warned.   

Episode 189 of the No BS Podcast ushers in a new era for Maximum PC. It is Nathan Edwards' farewell podcast (He's moving to Texas, y'all), but with every ending there comes a new beginning. New Online Managing Editor Jimmy Thang makes his podcast debut alongside Editor Josh Norem and Maximum PC Editor-in-Chief Katherine Stevenson. Our special guest star this week is Gordon Mah Ung's soundboard! (WARNING: ridiculous times and swear words ahead)  Along with employee introduction and departure discussions, the No BS Podcast delves into the Samsung vs Apple ruling, game developers vs Microsoft's Windows 8, and the death of the optical drive. Oh, and we also answer a bunch of your questions from Facebook and Twitter!

You thought last month's podcast featured a long-lost editor? (It did.) Well, this month's features none other than Returning Champion Josh Norem! Josh joins Deputy Editor Gordon Mah Ung and Texas Editor Nathan Edwards for Episode 188 of the No BS Podcast! Why's Josh here? Well, he's back, baby. Back on staff, that is. Back to talk about Windows 8, his experience with the Nexus 7, Ultrabooks, cats, Samsung vs Apple (also Apple vs Samsung), and so much more.  There's some of your standard talk of The Interface Until Recently Known as Metro and Now Probably Just Called Windows 8, Which is Dumb. Also, we've landed a rover on Mars! Not us personally. But us, America.  Finally: Thunderbolt, high-res IPS panels from Korea, and the correct pronunciation of Asus. See if you can locate the part of the podcast when Nathan reveals A Terrible Secret. All this and more, plus an all-new Rant of the Month, in Episode 188! Computer trouble? A secret to share? Opinions? Need advice? Just need to get something off your chest?  Email us at maximumpcpodcast@gmail.com or call our 24-hour No BS Podcast hotline at 877.404.1337 x1337--operators are not standing by. Subscribe: http://feeds.feedburner.com/maximumpc/1337     

  Our long national nightmare is over: after an absence of nearly four years, former editor (and current contributing writer) David "The Murph" Murphy guest-stars in the all-new Episode 187 of the No BS Podcast! Dave joins Deputy Editor Gordon Mah Ung and Senior Editor Nathan Edwards to talk about Surface, Microsoft's ambitious forthcoming tablet. We've all had some more time to play with Windows 8, and we share our feelings. Would you switch to Windows 8? Would you use it on a slate? Would you use it on your desk? Is the Metro store a mess? Would you use it on a phone? Would you, could you, with touch alone? Can you use it to do work? Do the OEMs think Ballmer's a jerk?  We ran out of rhyme, but it's our biggest discussion of Windows 8 yet. Because like it or not, Win8 is coming. And it's best to be prepared. We also discuss the 2008 Dream Machine (fond memories!), the 2012 Dream Machine (vague hints!), Android 4.1, and more! Plus, a discussion of the seven-case midtower roundup from the upcoming September issue, and of course an all-new Rant of the Month!  Computer trouble? A secret to share? Opinions? Need advice? Just need to get something off your chest?  Email us at maximumpcpodcast@gmail.com or call our 24-hour No BS Podcast hotline at 877.404.1337 x1337--operators are not standing by. Subscribe: http://feeds.feedburner.com/maximumpc/1337     

If one is the loneliest number, two is the second-loneliest number. Right? Episode 186 of the No BS Podcast finds Deputy Editor Gordon Mah Ung and Senior Editor Nathan Edwards trapped together in the podcasting studio, trying not to freak out. We couldn't avoid talking about the new MacsBook Pro and Air (just a little bit), but then get back to our roots with talk of three Z77 motherboards, some trouble in SSD-land, Origin vs Steam smack talk, and more Windows 8 thoughts. Baby Duck Syndrome! Design patents! "It's all, what do you call it, subjective." Nathan reports back from his trip to the Palo Alto Microsoft Store, we wave goodbye to the old Lab, introduce our new benchmark suite, and give just a few hints about this year's Dream Machine. Nathan rebuilds his home machine for no good reason, Gordon mixes up the Brat and the Rat Pack, and we argue about whether we even need optical drives anymore.  Gordon rants about the internet dying, constant superhero movie reboots, and government-funded superhero teams.  By the way, if you haven't picked up the Humble Bundle V, you have less than a day! And, of course, much more. So much we should probably start keeping notes or something. Tune in next time; we'll have guests! Guests to fill the gaping hole in our hearts and podcasts. Computer trouble? A secret to share? Opinions? Need advice? Just need to get something off your chest?  Email us at maximumpcpodcast@gmail.com or call our 24-hour No BS Podcast hotline at 877.404.1337 x1337--operators are not standing by. Subscribe: http://feeds.feedburner.com/maximumpc/1337     

Coming to you only slightly late, it's the real Episode 185 of the No BS Podcast! Join Deputy Editor Gordon Ung, Online Managing Editor Alex Castle, and Senior Editor Nathan Edwards as we go an entire two hours without arguing about Star Wars! What do we talk about? Nvidia's dual-GPU GTX 690, AMD's answer to that, Trinity, Ivy Bridge (and the overclocking thereof), the merits of integrated graphics, and so much more. Then: Target vs Amazon vs Best Buy vs the IRS! A new computer in a Commodore 64 chassis! Testing headphones! MMOs! Diablo III! The Walking Dead game! And a dizzying number of reader questions answered!  And, of course, there's a new non-Star-Wars-related Rant of the Month, and buried at the end, an important announcement from Alex. Computer trouble? A secret to share? Opinions? Need advice? Just need to get something off your chest?  Email us at maximumpcpodcast@gmail.com or call our 24-hour No BS Podcast hotline at 877.404.1337 x1337--operators are not standing by. Subscribe: http://feeds.feedburner.com/maximumpc/1337     

They liiiiiiiiive! Exactly on schedule, it's Episode 185 184 of the No BS Podcast! Nathan, Gordon, and Alex are joined by Senior Graphics Card Correspondant and hardware rockstar Loyd Case.  This month the gang talks about more Kickstarted games, like Shadowrun and Leisure Suit Larry (which is created by Al Lowe, not Rob Lowe as Nathan originally suggested). Also: EA is the worst company ever?  After the news, tech talk! Loyd goes in-depth about Nvidia's brand-new GTX 680 cards, which are flying off the shelves. Then we talk about the Nokia Lumia 900 and its chances for success against a crowded field. Later, there's jawing about Nikon's brand-new D800 DSLR.  Also: Mice, mobile gaming, and much, much more. Finally, Gordon's ranting inevitably turns into an argument about Star Wars canon.  Next episode goes up May 4th 9th! Computer trouble? A secret to share? Opinions? Need advice? Just need to get something off your chest?  Email us at maximumpcpodcast@gmail.com or call our 24-hour No BS Podcast hotline at 877.404.1337 x1337--operators are not standing by. Subscribe: http://feeds.feedburner.com/maximumpc/1337     

Don't call it a dewback! Join Gordon, Nathan, and Maximum PC Art Director Richard Koscher for Episode 183, 183a, or possibly 184 of the No BS Podcast!  In this episode: Windows 8! We discuss the Metro interface on the desktop, on tablets, in the phone, and even on the Xbox dashboard. We see what Microsoft is trying to do, but will it work? There's also some talk about the iPad 3, making movies, jumping out of planes with Sony-brand cameras, and Austrian hockey. Which is a thing. Also, we chat about the Steam Box, Kickstarter, the problem with Android tablets, and creativity. Later, Gordon rants about things, and reveals that he's racist against Wookiees. Next episode goes up April 6th! Thanks for stickin' with us! Computer trouble? A secret to share? Opinions? Need advice? Just need to get something off your chest?  Email us at maximumpcpodcast@gmail.com or call our 24-hour No BS Podcast hotline at 877.404.1337 x1337--operators are not standing by. Subscribe: http://feeds.feedburner.com/maximumpc/1337      

The gang's back, and with a couple of weeks worth of news to talk about, busier than ever. Tune into episode number 182 of the No BS Podcast to catch up on news about Sandy Bridge E, Bulldozer, Ultrabooks, and Nathan's shameful Elvish secret. Computer trouble? Star Trek argument? Need advice? Just need to get something off your chest? A secret to share? Email us at maximumpcpodcast@gmail.com or call our 24-hour No BS Podcast hotline at 877.404.1337 x1337--operators are not standing by. Subscribe: http://feeds.feedburner.com/maximumpc/1337      

If you'll recall, we lost 20 minutes of the last No BS Podcast to the Macbook Pro in the podcast recording studio. For this week's episode, it ate a mere 10 minutes of the rant. So thank you, Macbook, for screwing us somewhat less than you did last time. But don't fret--even without those 10 minutes, you're getting a solid hour of news and discussion about ultrabooks, Battlefield 3, the most high-tech thermostat ever, and more. Computer trouble? Star Trek argument? Need advice? Just need to get something off your chest? A secret to share? Email us at maximumpcpodcast@gmail.com or call our 24-hour No BS Podcast hotline at 877.404.1337 x1337--operators are not standing by. Subscribe: http://feeds.feedburner.com/maximumpc/1337      

Is it that time already? Gordon, Alex, and Nathan gather in our once-again-functional podcasting studio to discuss HP, LSI buying SandForce, Battlefield 3, Diablo III, and more! All this, plus suggestions from the peanut gallery and more in Episode 180 of the No BS Podcast! Unfortunately, the MacBook in the podcasting studio cut off the last 20 minutes of the podcast for unknown reasons, so we don't have a rant. Rest assured that this will become fodder for next week's rant. Computer trouble? Star Trek argument? Need advice? Just need to get something off your chest? A secret to share? Email us at maximumpcpodcast@gmail.com or call our 24-hour No BS Podcast hotline at 877.404.1337 x1337--operators are not standing by. Subscribe: http://feeds.feedburner.com/maximumpc/1337      

Surprise podcast! Nathan, Alex, Alan, Amber, and Gordon gather in the podcast pod to discuss the Qwiksterization of NetFlix, the de-Apothekering of HP, the UI updates of Facebook, the why-don't-we-have-access-to-the-Diablo-III-closed-beta of Diablo III, and people who don't have anything nice to say. All this and more in Episode 179 of the No BS Podcast! Plus, we take a few questions and topic suggestions from the peanut gallery, and Gordon's Rant of the Week! A note: We noticed in editing that our mics seemed to cut out intermittently. Sorry about the audio issues; we're trying to figure out what happened.  Do you have a tech question? A comment? A tale of technological triumph? Just need to get something off your chest? A secret to share? Email us at maximumpcpodcast@gmail.com or call our 24-hour No BS Podcast hotline at 877.404.1337 x1337--operators are not standing by. Subscribe: http://feeds.feedburner.com/maximumpc/1337      

What's that? It hasn't even been 3 months since the last podcast, and already a new one? Your eyes don't deceive you. This week, Nathan, Alex, Alan and Gordon discuss all of last week's big news, including HP dropping the Touchpad, Steve Jobs resigning from Apple, a few major product announcements, and more. Download Episode 178 of The No BS Podcast for all that, plus reader questions and Gordon's rant of the week. Do you have a tech question? A comment? A tale of technological triumph? Just need to get something off your chest? A secret to share? Email us at maximumpcpodcast@gmail.com or call our 24-hour No BS Podcast hotline at 877.404.1337 x1337--operators are not standing by. Subscribe: http://feeds.feedburner.com/maximumpc/1337