AMD RX 9070 Analysis, Mac OS Frustrations & LTT Milestones

Hardware & Industry News

AMD Radeon RX 9070/9070 XT Announcement

• AMD announced the RX 9070 and 9070 XT, utilizing the RDNA 4 architecture.
• Pricing starts at $549 and $599, featuring 16GB of VRAM and a focus on wider availability.
• While excitement is high, concerns remain about AMD's historical tendency to release redundant non-XT models.
• AI integration is a core pillar for the new drivers, and AMD is promising unlimited encodes, though performance ceilings are still expected.

Intel GPU Inventory Struggles

• Frustrations continue regarding Intel's Battlemage supply chain, with prices often significantly above MSRP.
• There is hope that AMD’s new launch might force market competition and stabilize entry-level pricing.

Professional & Personal Updates

LTT Store Milestones

• The crew celebrated reaching 1 million orders on the LTT Store, receiving a commemorative metal award from Shopify.
• Discussion highlighted how the store (alongside Floatplane) now represents a massive portion of LMG's total revenue, overshadowing legacy AdSense income.

Linus’s macOS Experiment

• Linus shared his raw initial experience switching to macOS as a primary desktop OS.
• Challenges cited include:
- Inconsistent UI design (e.g., cut-off logos, inconsistent scroll directions between mice and trackpads).
- Lack of granular control over display scaling and external monitor refresh rates.
- Missing basic OS functionality that requires third-party patches (e.g., side button navigation, key repeat rates).

"I will give you a to-do list of just sensible ass fixes that you guys can make to macOS that will genuinely improve the experience of your product. I will do it for free."

Project Updates

The Lab's Website Revamp

• The Lab's website underwent a major UI update, featuring a new categories page and an improved comparison bin.
• The long-term goal remains providing an unbiased, thorough resource for tech community decision-making, despite ongoing logistical challenges.

Security & Gaming News

• Eight Sleep controversy: Researchers found that engineers could remotely access beds via an SSH backdoor, raising significant privacy concerns.
• Twitch Storage Policy: Twitch is imposing a 100-hour storage limit on video highlights to reduce overhead costs.
• EA Source Code Releases: In a surprising move, EA released the source code for several classic Command & Conquer games under the GPL license.