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Close to the Metal Ep. 2: Is the RX 480 too powerful for its own good, and what size monitor is best?

Matthew S. Smith
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The week that’s passed since the Radeon RX 480 hit stores has been tumultuous, to say the least. While everyone agrees that the card is incredibly quick for its price, some reviewers have noticed the card draws more power than it should – putting it out of PCI Express specifications. Does that put your PC at risk?

Speaking of risk, Japan’s first VR porn conference encountered a different kind of risk. Overcrowding. Reports say Adult VR Fest 01, hosted in Tokyo, attracted huge crowds despite the venue’s relatively small size. The police were soon called to disperse the crowd. It’s just the beginning of 2016 — and VR porn is already causing riots!

Our main topic of discussion, though, is Acer’s Predator Z35, an expensive and extravagant ultra-wide gaming monitor recently reviewed by our own Brad Bourque. Despite its attractive feature set, the monitor’s low pixel density came as an unexpected setback. The problem brings to light one of the hidden disadvantages to very, very big monitors. Is there a limit past which size is actually a disadvantage, and if so, what size of display should today’s PC gamers have their eye on?

We are, by the way, still taking suggestions for the podcast’s name. After discovering that “Chip Chat” is taken by a long-running Intel series, we’ve settled on “Close to the Metal” for now. Do you think you have a better idea? Leave a comment.

This podcast features Matt Smith, Brad Bourque and Greg Nibler.

Close to the Metal is a podcast from Digital Trends that focuses on the geekier side of life. It tackles the topics PC enthusiasts argue over in language everyone can understand. Please subscribe, share, and send your questions to podcast@digitaltrends.com. We broadcast the show live on YouTube every Wednesday at 1pm EST/10am PST.

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Matthew S. Smith
Matthew S. Smith
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Matthew S. Smith is the former Lead Editor, Reviews at Digital Trends. He previously guided the Products Team, which dives…
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