The Tech Report

We're back to our classic format in this week's episode, starting with a look at some of this season's new games. Scott is still having a blast with Borderlands, and everyone has their take on Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, with its fast-paced, on-rails gameplay and controversial airport scene.

Moving on from gaming, Cyril and Scott tackle major industry news: AMD and Intel have finally shaken hands and made up after four years of litigation and multiple antitrust investigations. Scott goes on to detail what AMD has revealed of its latest processor roadmap, before going on to comment on the company's massive, dual-GPU Radeon HD 5970. Our panel also discusses the slow trickle of graphics cards across the industry, Kanguru's eSATA/USB thumb drive, and more.

Kick back and relax in this trip down TR memory lane. Our special anniversary episode is packed with stories from the past 10 years of PC hardware exploration. We reminisce with the usual gang—Scott, Geoff, Cyril, and Adam—and also, for the first time, welcome the amazing Andy Brown to our panel. With talk of everything from TR's launch in 1999 to the future and beyond, this is an episode no TR fan should miss.

This technical potpourri of an episode starts with the official Windows 7 launch, as the gang discusses pricing, and Jordan remains alone in his hopes for an entertaining Windows 7-sponsored Family Guy episode... very alone. Moving on to gaming, Mass Effect 2 is looking good, World of Goo is selling for just $2 a copy, and Borderlands gets the pre-PC-launch review treatment from Scott. After several weeks of anticipation, Geoff also shares his thoughts on two MicroATX Intel P55 motherboards—both compact yet surprisingly feature-packed little offerings. Finally, Scott gives us the scoop on the Radeon HD 5770 and 5750, Cyril joins Jordan as a fan of Apple's aluminum keyboard, and we close with some Intel financial news.

We've got podcast tunnel vision for one subject in particular this week: graphics. Fresh from the Nvidia GPU Technology Conference, Scott has plenty to say about Nvidia's latest efforts, especially on the general-purpose computing front. We cover everything from the next-gen Fermi architecture to general-purpose applications for Nvidia GPUs, which have included cool-looking fire effects in the Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince movie.

This episode marks a new day for the TR Podcast, particularly with the new theme song kicking off the show. After a serenade and introduction, we delve into a discussion about the newly crowned fastest graphics processor in the world—AMD's new Radeon HD 5870. Also of interest is a variety of CPU stories that have come from Intel's latest Developer Forum. Scott and Cyril break down everything from Pat Gelsinger's departure to a working demo of the future Sandy Bridge architecture. On the AMD front, we talk six-core desktop processors, and Scott expresses skepticism about the value of the new $99 Athlon II X4.

We kick off this milestone episode by introducing Loyd Case for his second appearance on the TR Podcast. Loyd starts us right off with his impressions of AMD's Eyefinity hexa-monitor gaming technology, which Scott also wrote about earlier this week. Then, Cyril talks about his desktop-centric review of Windows 7, and our panelists chip in with their feelings on Microsoft's upcoming operating system. Moving into the world of sports—something we rarely do—Geoff gives us the skinny on the SwiMP3 underwater MP3 player. From there, we transition right into the meat of the episode by addressing Intel's new Core i5 and Core i7-800 processors and the accompanying P55 Express chipset. Our panelists dissect the new platform, going over everything from new motherboard layout possibilities to power-efficiency and the future of the X58 platform. The remainder of the episode includes talk of Zunes and iPods, new CULV laptops, and the future of removable storage.

Join Jordan in this special episode of the podcast as he travels to Beijing, China to cover MSI's Master Overclocking Arena 2009 world final.

We begin this week's episode introducing our special guest: Loyd Case, a veteran tech journalist and ExtremeTech's former Editor in Chief. His current projects include a personal blog, Improbable Insights, as well as a Twitter account and freelance writing for publications like PC World and Maximum PC. Jumping right into the meat of the show, Scott and Loyd talk about Gigabyte's MicroATX P55 motherboard, what the two expect from Intel's new platform, and what other manufacturers like Asus and MSI are bringing to the table. Scott also gives his two cents on the new Phenom II X4 965 from AMD.Moving on to a set of laptop stories, Geoff has been testing Acer's Aspire Timeline 13.3" ultraportable, Scott just purchased a new Samsung NC20, and Dell and MSI have some noteworthy notebook updates to discuss. We the end the show with Geoff's headphone-focused sound card testing, thoughts on the Zune HD, and debate over DVD fair-use rights.

In the wake of the Windows 7 RTM rollout, our panel shares their impressions of the new operating system, from the new, OS X-esque taskbar to the departure of Windows Mail. Later, a listener question prompts some display discussion, while upcoming Left 4 Dead bonus content suggests Valve isn't neglecting fans of the original game, after all.

Moving on, MSI's upcoming Wind U200 laptop prompts an "old-man rant" from Scott, after which Geoff briefs us on the pros and cons of AMD's 785G integrated graphics chipset. Finally, we share our thoughts on OCZ's upcoming terabyte SSD (and its rumored $2,500 price tag).

Also in this episode: two cool interviews with contestants from MSI's Master Overclocking Arena 2009. First-place winner Mike Graf tells us about his practical uses for overclocking on a day-to-day basis, while acclaimed case modder Ton Khowdee talks pro modding, overclocking, and more.

After a slew of mega-length episodes, we slim down a bit this week with a shorter, more tightly packed podcast presentation. To kick things off, fantasy football season is starting, and we finally have a presence in the Twitter-verse. We go on to discuss how we use the social media service as yet another tool to stay on top of the PC hardware industry. Moving into the meat of the episode, we bring you not one, but two sneak previews of articles you can expect to see this week. Scott and Geoff share their thoughts on both Intel's new SSDs and a pair of 11.6" netbooks. Also on the agenda: can gamers invest in future titles? And what will happen to DVDs and Blu-Ray with the rise of portable flash media? Finally, don't miss our interview with pro-overclocker and Xtreme Systems owner Charles "Fugger" Wirth.