Welcome to The Full Nerd newsletter—your weekly dose of hardcore hardware talk from the enthusiasts at PCWorld. In it, we dig into the hottest topics from our YouTube show, plus hot tidbits seen across the web.
This week, we crack open local Taiwanese beers while chatting about Computex—grab a cold one of your own (or maybe some Kuai Kuai chips?) as you join us on this fine Friday!
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In this episode of The Full Nerd…
In this episode of The Full Nerd, it’s all things Computex!
Live from Taiwan, Adam Patrick Murray joins up with Jeff of CraftComputing, Paul of Paul’s Hardware, and Nick of GearSeekers to chat about the highs and lows of their week. With Computex 2025 being a pretty sleepy show, the guys have a more casual two-hour discussion, with more than one tangent about an enthusiast hot topic near and dear to the individual’s heart.
AI and enterprise servers benefitting us consumers? Nvidia’s hijinks for RTX 5060 review timing? Worst of Computex? Best of Computex? Yep, those are all covered. And a lot more, too.
Willis Lai / Foundry
- I literally did a double-take when Paul described this Computex’s vibe as the “enterprise sector being all sexy.” What? And yet, somehow, the tech industry’s latest favorite buzzword could mean good things for consumers. As Jeff explains that AI’s effect on enterprise servers could have benefits for us at home—like if the bubble bursts and suddenly all that hardware makes it our way. Or as Adam shares from a talk with SilverStone, we could see more powerful cooling solutions get adapted over, like thick radiators. There’s a muscle build waiting to happen.
- Is it a resistance? Or is a reprisal? PC reviewers are upset about Nvidia’s review practices—namely, its decisions for its release of its new RTX 5060 graphics card. Sure, reviewers got samples in hand before the launch, but not a pre-release driver—and the launch happened during Computex. In other words? The inability to run numbers in a timely fashion, meaning potential buyers couldn’t make informed decisions when considering this new 50-series GPU.
Should reviewers complain about not having functional free cards before launch? It’s not that simple, says Nick. He points out a review sample isn’t free, since so much work goes into running numbers and presenting the data. Readers and viewers expect to have information to guide them, and when reviewers can’t provide it, it’s problematic.
- Aesthetics vs performance—an age-old question, and one that bubbles up as Adam kicks off the Computex disappointments by naming the Hyte X50 & X50 Air. (He’s very wrong. The X50 in red is going to look so good on my desk.)
Jeff pushes back, willing to sacrifice a few percent for the joy of looking at something he likes. More disappointing to him? Corsair Air 5400D, the company’s first triple-chamber case that has no panel on one side. And blocks the installation of additional PCI-e add-in cards. But that’s not the only thing that baffled the guys—Paul and Nick have their own nits to pick, too. (You’ll have to watch the episode for that pun’s context!)
- I’m fully on-board with Paul’s pick for best in show. In fact, I may have decided on my own top pick for PCWorld’s Best of Computex roundup after watching his report from G.Skill’s booth. Memory DIMMs may not sound racy, but a set in neon yellow and neon orange can make you reconsider. (I prefer the sparkly silver concept finish. Speaking of, go tell G.Skill you like it too, so it becomes a thing.)
But no one can rival Adam’s enthusiasm for his top pick. In fact, he waxes so poetic about scented thermal paste that I’m slightly reconsidering my stance against it. Still don’t think I’d build with it, but okay, I guess I could at least see it in person. Not sure about that baby-diaper smelling one, though.
But these topics aren’t the whole of the conversation. Strap in for chatter about AMD’s Radeon strategy, the level of consumer interest in power efficiency (it’s the U.S. vs the rest of the world), fab capacity, and more.
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This week’s best nerd news
Foundry
Hardware, software, we love all the cool stuff meant for nerdy brains.
This week is chock full of Computex reveals—which are especially exciting because unlike CES, you can mostly count on seeing these products arrive on retail shelves. The only wrinkle? Pricing may not be certain for U.S. residents, due to ongoing fluctuations with tariffs.
- Get an AMD RX 9060 XT, not Nvidia’s RTX 5060 Ti? AMD claims its upcoming Radeon graphics card costs less and performs better than the Nvidia RTX 5060 and RTX 5060 Ti. If reviews agree, this $350 card will be a boon for mid-range gamers upon its June 5 release.
- Microsoft dropped a PC into coolant designed by AI: I have my doubts about AI’s usefulness, but this experiment at Microsoft Build was pretty dang cool. There was even a demo of Forza Motorsport played on the submersed hardware!
- SilverStone made a throwback beige PC case: I’m going to catch heat from the internet (and my coworkers) for this, but I hated the beige boxes of the 1990s and still do. However, this retro-style case does come with a lock. And a Turbo button. Hmm.
- Cooler Master’s all-metal case fan is metal as heck: Its Masterfan XT Pro can hit such a high RPM (4,000) that the product has to ship with a fin grill for safety. But only on the front. Watch your fingers.
- Noctua brings brown town to AIO coolers: A special kind of person loves Noctua’s signature color scheme (truly, one of our Discord server members is like this and he’s a gem). Now you’ll no longer need to choose between love for water cooling and for so much brown and tan.
- A split mechanical gaming keyboard for the masses!: An ergonomic keyboard that doesn’t feel gross when typing? And also a gaming keyboard? Sign me up. Y’all, this thing can be tented. (Vertical pitch makes this kind of design way more comfy.)
- I want Hyte’s X50 case very badly: I mentioned how much I want one in red, right? Adam’s so wrong about the bubbly edges. It’s so refreshing among a sea of sharp-edged boxy cases.
- AMD is dropping a 96-core Threadripper CPU: For when you crave workstation performance but not workstation prices. Ninety-six cores and 128 threads.
That’s all for this week—for all my fellow U.S. residents, enjoy the long holiday weekend!
-Alaina
This newsletter is dedicated to the memory of Gordon Mah Ung, founder and host of The Full Nerd, and executive editor of hardware at PCWorld. Want The Full Nerd newsletter to come directly to your inbox every Friday morning? Sign up on our website!