The Hardware Asylum Podcast

In this episode we discuss some of the latest triple A games that are hot this holiday season and dive into some of the issues surrounding their release. While most of these games have gotten amazing Metacritic scores from professional sources the reverse is happening when it comes to actual gamers trying to play these games.

In this episode the duo talk about migrating computers and some of the gotchas you encounter from missing software to proper ways to back up your data. Bottom line is that you need to invest in a good NAS or external hard drive and make regular backups of your data. Later Dennis is surprised that one of his RetroPCs was infected with the Stoned virus and why it is such a great find.

In this episode the duo talks about the new processor platform from Intel, codenamed Alder Lake. The new processor is a radical departure from what Intel has released in the past and promises to be one of the best gaming processors you can buy while bringing DDR5 and PCI Express 5.0 to the market.

We once again have Sean in the Hardware Asylum Labs and in this episode, we dive into Windows 11 and discuss the TPM 2.0 requirement to install the new operating system. What is it? Why would Microsoft require it?? And what does it mean for the Hardware Enthusiast.

In this episode we are taking some time to talk about Hackfort 2021 with Sean Wakeley, the director of Hackfort. It had been two years since Hardware Asylum last presented and it was good to get back out despite the challenges with the global situation and the uncertainty surrounding how the general public will handle the restrictions and requirements to attend.

Computers come in a variety of different sizes, the guys are impressed with the big ones while the ladies claim it doesn't matter. In this episode Dennis shares his latest project plans which involve an extremely small motherboard packed into an even smaller chassis. Later Darren talks about his adventure receiving a two-piece M.2 drive in the mail

In this episode the Duo talk about 3D Printing with an introduction to a highly modified Creality CR 10s FDM 3D Printer along with some tips and tricks for the beginner. The discussion then shifts to how a 3D Printer can be used in the manufacture of custom PC Components and even modifying an existing 3D Printer.

Early this spring Dennis decided it was time to pick up a new lawn mower and after checking the reviews, reviewing the prices and meditating on the dilemma he settled on a product he had never considered before, a battery-operated lawn mower from #EGOPowerPlus. Given how far battery technology had advanced he figured how badly could an electric mower actually be?

In this episode we look at the benefits and drawbacks to using high speed DRAM in your gaming PC and if the extra performance is actually worth the extra cost. The duo then discusses reasons for and against using a Home Theater sound system on your desktop PC.

In this episode continue their discussion on picking a processor for a mid to hi-end gaming build and not surprising it wasn’t any of the options discussed during last months Podcast Extra. After that we take an in-depth look into the Phanteks P500A Eclipse. Dennis has reviewed both of the lower end versions of this case and for the most part the P500A is similar with a unique focus on opening up...

In this continuation episode the duo discusses the evolution of the graphics API that dictated the growth in the GPU market and defined how games were not only developed but consumed by enthusiasts. As a PC gamer we don’t talk about the dark days of the Xbox 360 and the void called “Games for Windows” but, it is a defining moment in game development that changed PC hardware forever.

In this episode we go shopping for a processor and compare specifications to determine the best option for our build. We later look at the issues of playing old games on modern hardware when the required interfaces and drivers are missing and cause the game to run slower and with less detail.

In this episode we talk about the evolution of the graphics adapter from the humble beginnings with CGA and ISA to the modern power house of 4k and PCI Express

With the advent of disposable computers the second-hand market for computer hardware has almost completely dried up though every once in awhile someone will pull a nice gem from an estate sale basement or if you are lucky you can find something at the local thrift shop. That is unless you are in the Seattle area and visit a store called Re-Pc. This is an electronics recycler who repurpose, repair...

In this episode we discuss the effects of the mysterious disappearance of the RTX 3000 Series and the reason behind why NVIDIA cards are so good at what they do. The global shortage and huge asymmetrical demand have sparked the company to finally segment their retail products in hopes of giving gamers a chance to enjoy the other thing RTX cards can do, Game.

In February of 2021 Frys Electronics closed their doors, they claim it was due to complications associated with “The Situation” which put additional stress on a business model that has been failing since the early 2000’s. In this episode we discuss some reasons behind why this has happened and what impact the new normal will have on retail shopping centers going forward.

Dennis caught the retro PC bug and might have gone a little overboard picking up an old 486 off ebay. In this episode the duo talk about the details of the machine and what it takes to run old hardware when certain vintage parts are no longer available.

For years Dennis has been anti AMD often dumbfounded by why anyone would want to build with Ryzen, Threadripper was a disappointment and the first-generation Zen Cores were awfully slow. But, like video game movies things are getting better and this latest crop of processors is looking pretty good.

Watercooling has many benefits and while the benefits that created watercooling still exist the scale of their impact on modern computers has diminished considerably. In this episode we explore the benefits and limitations of watercooling in the modern era.

Watercooling is plagued with controversy from picking the best components to some of the old school myths and issues including the topic of mixed metals and to prove that with proper care your components will last we cut open a 4-year-old Thermaltake radiator. We also help you improve your case cooling with a few modding tips.

In this special episode unbox a motherboard from the Hardware Asylum permanent collection and a hardware platform that had a very short life in the grand scheme of computer hardware. While the product may not have been on the market long what it brought to the table had a very lasting impact on the systems we are building today.

In this special episode we celebrate our 10-year anniversary and look back on some of the highlights of the show from the past 10 years. This includes some history and trivia about the show and some of the special guests that we have had on over the years.

In this episode we look at a very old processor cooling technology that has made a resurgence to help improve Comet Lake processor performance and discuss the issues surrounding the death of the High End Desktop Processor and why it isn’t that big of deal.

In this episode we discuss the lack of RTX 30 Series video cards that are overclocker friendly, while there are some RTX 3090 cards that work well on LN2 that is it and it makes us sad and then transition into overclocking using a SFX power supply and how good it actually is.

in this episode we will be talking about how overclocking has changed due to the limitations of heatbound processors and factory overclocked video cards. Most modern CPUs and GPUs are being released at their frequency and thermal limits and attempt to overclock them result is throttling and failure however, the memory controllers are strong giving overclockers another avenue to take when looking f...