RTX 5090s borked, Tariffs paused, Deep Research + more! - TechLinked

Summary

TechLinked Podcast Summary Episode: RTX 5090s Borked, Tariffs Paused, Deep Research + More!
Release Date: February 4, 2025
Host/Author: Linus Media Group

Introduction

In this episode of TechLinked, the hosts delve into a slew of pressing topics in the tech and gaming worlds. From the tumultuous release of Nvidia's RTX 5090 graphics cards to the latest developments in international trade tariffs, and from groundbreaking advancements in AI research tools to unexpected glitches in popular consumer devices. Buckle up as we navigate through these tech tales and more.

RTX 5090 Graphics Card Fiasco

The episode kicks off with a deep dive into the much-anticipated Nvidia RTX 5090 graphics card. Initially lauded for its powerful performance, the RTX 5090 has hit a significant snag post-launch.

Driver Update Woes: Shortly after the official launch last week, users began reporting that a recent driver update rendered their RTX 5090s unusable. "The RTX 5090, a graphics card Nvidia claims was in stock and actually launched last week, is reportedly being rendered useless by a driver update," explains Host B at [00:22].
Potential Fixes and Speculations: Some savvy users discovered that downgrading their motherboard's PCIe slots from version 5 to 4 can alleviate the issue, supporting warnings previously issued by hardware testers like Derbauer. However, this fix isn't universal, leaving the community divided. "Others have said this doesn't fix it, presumably to make the whole plot a little more interesting," Host B adds.
Supply Chain Delays: Overclockers UK has indicated that new shipments of the RTX 5090 might take between three to sixteen weeks to arrive. Additionally, there's buzz about possible RTX 5060 or 5060 Ti variants emerging as alternatives, as per a supply chain source.
Public Backlash: The RTX 5090 has not been immune to criticism, with notable dissent from figures like former NSA contractor Edward Snowden, who labeled it "F tier value for S tier prices." Despite his fugitive status, Snowden remains a vocal critic, highlighting the disconnect between the product's pricing and performance.

US-Canada-Mexico Tariff Tensions Ease Temporarily

Shifting gears to international trade, the hosts discuss the temporary pause in tariffs that had previously strained relations between the US and its North American neighbors.

Trump Administration's Tariffs: On Saturday, the US imposed a 25% tariff on most imports from Canada and Mexico, alongside an additional 10% on imports from China. Host B humorously remarks, "if you think US Canucks were about to take that lion down, you're host for sure, bud."
Canada's Retaliation and Response: In retaliation, Canada announced a 25% tariff on American electric vehicles, canceled provincial contracts with US companies like Starlink, and removed American liquor from shelves in provinces including Ontario and British Columbia. "Canada could shut off the power," Host B quips, though dismissing it as a "pretty dumb idea."
Tariff Pause Agreement: Outgoing Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau secured a temporary delay on tariffs by agreeing to bolster border security measures, including deploying additional helicopters—a move Host B mocks by comparing Trudeau’s terminology to "putting a hat on backwards and trying to do a kickflip with the kids at the skate park."

OpenAI Introduces Deep Research Feature

In the realm of artificial intelligence, OpenAI has launched Deep Research, a direct competitor to Google's Gemini.

Features and Capabilities: Deep Research leverages OpenAI's advanced O3 reasoning model, enabling it to perform multi-step complex research tasks based on user prompts. "You just have to write a prompt and then apparently answer a bunch of questions ChatGPT will ask you," Host B explains.
Performance Recognition: Impressively, Deep Research has achieved the highest score ever on an AI benchmark, intriguingly titled "humanity's last examination." Host B muses, "The lines are beginning to blur, as evidenced by Deep Research getting the highest score ever on an AI benchmark."

Pixel 4a's Troubling Battery Update

Google's recent firmware update for the Pixel 4a has sparked controversy and frustration among users.

Battery Life Issues: Developer Hector Martin uncovered that the new firmware, the sole version available after Google wiped older updates, negatively impacts battery performance, even for those who redeem the free battery upgrade. "The 4A's new firmware, which is the only firmware available now that Google wiped the older versions, kills battery life anyway."
User Compensation Dilemma: Users seeking financial compensation face hurdles, as opting for cash requires providing personal identification or Social Security numbers. Conversely, the $100 Google store credit is limited in usability, excluding items on sale. Host B sarcastically suggests, "Just buy a new phone," highlighting the futility of the situation.

YouTuber Emily the Engineer's 3D Printed Tattoo

In lighter news, YouTuber Emily the Engineer showcased her innovative (and somewhat controversial) project involving 3D printing technology.

Tattoo Experimentation: Emily documented the process of using a 3D printer to tattoo her friend Dan's leg. Despite widespread advice against it, Dan insisted on the procedure, prompting Emily to incorporate a panic button to halt the process if necessary. "I really didn't think that tattoo artists would be the profession that AI comes for next, but at least they'll never take my job," she jokes confidently.

Drone Incident Involving Treyarch's Peter Ackerman

The episode wraps up with an unusual incident involving a consumer drone and the co-founder of game studio Treyarch.

Drone Malfunction: A drone piloted by Peter Ackerman, co-founder of Treyarch (known for the Call of Duty series), unintentionally punched a hole in the side of a plane while attempting to combat California wildfires.
Legal Consequences: Ackerman has pled guilty to the unsafe operation of an unmanned aircraft. He has agreed to cover the damages to the plane and complete 150 hours of community service. Host B wryly notes, "I never wanted to admit this, but turns out video games do cause violence."

Conclusion

Despite the tumultuous events covered—from botched GPU launches to international trade negotiations and unexpected tech mishaps—TechLinked assures listeners that "tech news" remains a stable anchor amidst the chaos. The hosts invite everyone to tune in next Wednesday for more updates. As they humorously suggest, staying informed might just make the robot apocalypse seem a bit less daunting.

Note: All quotes and timestamps are based on the provided transcript and are formatted for clarity and context within this summary.

Transcript

A (0:00)

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B (0:22)

Whoa. Well, thank goodness you can't put a tariff on tech news, am I right? The RTX 5090, a graphics card Nvidia claims was in stock and actually launched last week, is reportedly being rendered useless by a driver update, according to many people who similarly claim to have purchased one. Although I'm still not convinced what we're witnessing isn't just a bunch of people larping a GPU release. What it's finally here. Can't wait to plug this in reports initially described PCs being unable to identify the China only RTX 5090D after updating it to the latest driver, but there have been some reports of the same thing happening to standard 5090s as well. Thankfully, some users have apparently found that the issue can be fixed by setting their motherboards PCIe slots to use PCIe 4 instead of 5, vindicating the warnings made by hardware testers like Derbauer, but others have said this doesn't fix it, presumably to make the whole plot a little more interesting. Others were also trying to contribute in this regard by reporting that the RTX 4090 cable melting scandal was repeating itself, but turns out that was user error. So don't worry, the cables probably won't melt when you pretend to plug them in to your make believe GPU. It seems like anyone wanting a real RTX 50 series card will have to wait a while longer. The retailer Overclockers UK says the ETA for more 5090s is three to 16 weeks. By that time we may have an RTX 5060 or 5060 Ti option, according to a supply chain source. All this for graphics cards that have been heavily criticized by reviewers and famous government surveillance whistleblower Edward Snowden, who blew the whistle on Nvidia offering F tier value for S tier prices. Yeah, he had to flee the US and live as a fugitive in Russia, but he's still got that gamer in him. I watched the Linus review, but what does Edward Snowden say? On Saturday, the Trump administration officially imposed a 25% tariff on most imports from Canada and Mexico and an additional 10% on imports from China but if you think US Canucks were about to take that lion down, you're host for sure, bud. Canada announced they'd answer with a 25% tariff on electric vehicles from the U.S. premier of Ontario. Doug Ford, cancelled the province's $100 million contract with Starlink, said they'd ban American companies from any provincial contracts, and pulled American liquor from store shelves along with other provinces including British Columbia, where I am An American alcohol related joke would be great here, but I pretty much only drink Guinness about three times a year, so I won't. It would have been good though. Some Canadians even floated the idea that since it accounts for 90% of America's electricity imports, Canada could shut off the power. A pretty dumb idea, but oh, it might have worked. After it was announced that the Mexico tariffs would be paused for a month for entirely unrelated reasons, outgoing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Canada's tariffs would be delayed as well, in return for Canada taking various measures to secure the border, which includes reinforcing it with new choppers. Sorry, sorry. For context, the vibe of Trudeau saying choppers instead of helicopters is like if he put a hat on backwards and tried to do a kickflip with the kids at the skate park. And he didn't use slang in the French version of the tweet. So why Canada will commit to deploying many more choppers and I will commit to deploying this segue to our sponsor Miro, the innovation workspace that lets teams brainstorm, plan and collaborate in real time. So you don't have to ask Dean what he heard from Sarah about how Lance has a totally different vision for this quarter. Ooh, you have to hear him tell it. It's bold. Starting from scratch with a blank canvas can be challenging, especially if Lance is taking a wellness day. Miro AI acts as your sidekick, helping you create complex technical diagrams with a single prompt that can then be shared with your team to work on asynchronously to perfect that first draft. It also uses your ideas to generate useful docum and images that really get things moving, going from ideation to execution faster and easier. Imagine seamless collaboration with your team with Miro AI, refining their writing for greater clarity and correct grammar, condensing ramblings into something that makes sense. You can use Miro AI's pre built actions or build your own actions tailored to your workflows. Transform brainstorms into product briefs, convert insights into research reports and more. Kickstart your digital workspace with Miro today using our link in the description. You definitely can't put a tariff on the quick bits. Many have tried. Choppers took em out. OpenAI has answered Google's deep research feature for Gemini with their own version, also called Deep Research. They tried generating some other names, but ChatGPT was grumpy that day. ChatGPT Deep Research uses OpenAI's top end O3 reasoning model and like Google's version, promises to perform multi step complex research on the Internet. So you don't have to. You just have to write a prompt and then apparently answer a Bunch of questions ChatGPT will ask you. Hey, I asked the questions around here. The lines are beginning to blur, as evidenced by Deep Research getting the highest score ever on an AI benchmark ominously called humanity's last examination. Just Normal what? Everything's normal. The battery performance Update for the Pixel 4a that Google rolled out last month is a bit of a mess, according to Hector Martin, a developer that did some digging. Even if users redeem the free battery upgrade offered by Google, the 4A's new firmware, which is the only firmware available now that Google wiped the older versions, kills battery life anyway. And if you want the 50 bucks in cash instead, you have to provide personal identification or your Social Security number. Want the $100 Google store credit? Sure, you just can't use it for anything that's on sale. The cherry on top is the evidence that this update was thrown together by a potentially inexperienced Google engineer on their personal machine. I don't see what the big deal is, guys. Just buy a new phone. There's no tariffs anymore. YouTuber Emily the Engineer published a video documenting the process of Jerry rigging a 3D printer to print a tattoo on the leg of her friend Dan, something he apparently wanted her to do despite being advised against it by nearly everyone he asked. But they did add a panic button to stop the process, just in case the machine got any crazy ideas. I really didn't think that tattoo artists would be the profession that AI comes for next, but at least they'll never take my job, he said far too confidently. And remember that story about the consumer drone that punched a hole in the side of a plane just trying its best to fight the California wildfires? Turns out the pilot of that drone was none other than Peter Ackerman, the co founder of Treyarch, one of the game studios that spits out a Call of Duty game every couple years. Akaman pled guilty to unsafe operation of an unmanned aircraft and will cover the damage to the plane and complete 150 hours of community service I never wanted to admit this, but turns out video games do cause violence. But you know what doesn't? Tech news. So come back here on Wednesday for more. I mean, if anything, it should make you less violent as you learn how fruitless it would be in the face of the robot apocalypse. Well, see you later.