Better Graphics are Coming for EVERYONE - WAN Show May 15, 2020

Episode Summary

Executive Summary: The episode centered on tech industry developments and a long side discussion about storytelling continuity in Star Wars. The hosts opened with Linus’s computer rebuild and memory upgrade, then debated NVIDIA’s Ampere A100, Unreal Engine 5’s PS5 demo and what it means for PC/console gaming, LG’s bizarre swiveling dual-screen phone, and TSMC’s rumored US fab plans. They also covered YouTube Premium monetization, sponsorship reads, and some lighter community Q&A.

Main Topics: Linus’s PC rebuild and memory upgrade (Priority: 5/5): Linus described spending six hours rebuilding his machine, fixing long-standing case/water-cooling issues, and replacing old DDR4 memory after being shamed for using slower Corsair Dominator RAM on a Ryzen 3900X. NVIDIA Ampere A100 and AI features (Priority: 5/5): The hosts discussed NVIDIA’s A100 announcement, its significance as an Ampere preview, and why AI-driven desktop features like DLSS 2.0, RTX Voice, and upscaling are increasingly compelling beyond pure gaming. Unreal Engine 5 demo and PS5 storage claims (Priority: 5/5): They broke down UE5’s visually striking demo, especially nanite geometry and global illumination, while also criticizing Tim Sweeney’s claim that the PS5 storage architecture is ahead of any PC storage available for any money. Star Wars canon and sequel-trilogy criticism (Priority: 4/5): A long tangent criticized Lucasfilm’s approach to canon and continuity, arguing the sequels wasted characters and logic, and that dismissive attitudes toward canon are why many fans feel the franchise has been mishandled. LG dual-screen swivel phone (Priority: 3/5): They reacted skeptically to LG’s swiveling dual-screen phone concept, calling it awkward and unlikely to sell well, while noting LG seems to be leaning into experimental hardware for the sake of novelty. TSMC possible US fab expansion (Priority: 4/5): They discussed reports that TSMC may build a $12B Arizona fab producing 5nm chips, noting it could ease capacity pressure and has geopolitical and supply-chain implications. YouTube Premium and creator revenue (Priority: 3/5): Linus shared clarification from YouTube that Premium revenue can still flow to creators on limited-ad videos, and he used analytics examples to show long-form content can outperform expectations in ad revenue.

Key Arguments: Linus argues faster PC memory matters far less for most users than enthusiasts imply; the practical impact is often negligible outside niche cases. NVIDIA’s AI features are no longer “bull” for desktop users because DLSS 2.0, RTX Voice, and AI upscaling have clear real-world value. UE5’s visual leap is impressive, and its techniques should raise the bar for PC games as console hardware advances. Tim Sweeney’s PS5-storage comment is misleading because high-end PCIe SSDs already exceed the quoted speeds, even if PS5’s end-to-end architecture is unusually optimized. Console purchase decisions are driven mostly by games/exclusives, price/bundles, friends, and controller preference—not SSD speed. The Star Wars sequel trilogy failed mainly because of poor storytelling and continuity, not because diversity in casting was the problem. YouTube Premium can materially boost creator revenue, especially for longer-form videos, even when ad monetization is restricted.

Data Points: Time spent rebuilding PC: 6 hours - Linus said he streamed for six hours while rebuilding and fixing his machine. CPU: Ryzen 3900X - His system was running on AMD’s Ryzen 3900X. Old memory speed: 2666 MHz CL15 - He described the old Corsair Dominator RAM as very slow by Ryzen enthusiast standards. NVIDIA A100 precision boost: Up to 20x higher performance in Tensor Float Precision workloads - NVIDIA’s claimed AI/compute performance improvement on Ampere A100. A100 deep learning training gain: 6x - NVIDIA claimed a sixfold out-of-the-box performance improvement in BERT training over Volta. Ampere CUDA core increase: 35% more CUDA cores - Compared to Volta, as discussed in the A100 segment. Memory bandwidth increase: 78% higher memory bandwidth - Another Ampere/Volta comparison mentioned in the A100 segment. Double-precision simulation speedup: 10-hour simulation reduced to 4 hours - Claimed improvement for high-performance compute workloads on Ampere. PS5 SSD throughput: 5.5 GB/s - Referenced while debating Tim Sweeney’s comments about PS5 storage. Typical compressed throughput cited: 8–9 GB/s - Linus referenced a faster PC SSD example in the storage argument. TSMC Arizona fab cost: $12 billion - Reported construction budget for the potential US fab. TSMC fab output: 20,000 wafers/month - Expected capacity if the Arizona plant proceeds. Target node: 5nm - TSMC planned to produce 5nm chips starting in 2023. YouTube videos compared: About 1M vs 2M views - Linus compared revenue performance between two videos: Portable Gaming Rig and IKEA Gaming Desk. Ad revenue multiple: 2.5x revenue at 1M views vs 3x revenue at 2M views - Used to illustrate that watch-time and format influence earnings significantly.

Pivotal Quotes: "Ryzen really benefits a lot from faster memory. I'm like, I know, but it benefits a lot from faster memory in the same way that, like, you know, your car benefits from going and getting it tuned at a shop." — Linus: During the discussion of why he did not care much about upgrading from slower RAM before the shaming pushed him to replace it. "This is not a desktop-based debut for Ampere in the form of the RTX 3000 series, that's what we're assuming it's going to be called, but it does give us at least some hints as to what we can expect from an Ampere-based GPU." — Linus: While transitioning from NVIDIA’s A100 announcement to speculation about consumer Ampere cards. "The storage architecture on PlayStation 5 is far ahead of anything you can buy on any PC for any amount of money right now." — Tim Sweeney (quoted by Linus): The hosts debated and criticized this claim extensively during the Unreal Engine 5 segment.

Implications: Expect stronger AI-driven PC features, better cross-platform visuals as consoles advance, and continued supply-chain/geopolitical pressure around advanced chips. For creators, Premium and long-form watch time can meaningfully affect revenue.