This episode of The WAN Show centers on the major industry news of EVGA terminating its long-standing partnership with NVIDIA. The hosts, Linus and Luke, provide an in-depth analysis, citing EVGA's claims of disrespect and detailing NVIDIA's historically difficult business practices. These include withholding pricing information, undercutting partners with their Founders Edition cards, and exerting excessive control over product design and marketing. Linus corroborates these points by sharing personal anecdotes and reading extensively from a previously unreleased video script he wrote in 2021, which documented NVIDIA's "control freak" approach and poor treatment of partners and media.
Other key topics include the successful Ethereum "Merge" to a Proof of Stake model, which effectively ends profitable GPU mining and is expected to further impact graphics card availability and pricing. The show also covers recent leaks of NVIDIA's upcoming RTX 40-series GPUs, a controversial YouTube experiment testing up to ten unskippable pre-roll ads, and several LTT Store updates, including the launch of a new 64oz water bottle and a public beta for a redesigned website.
The WAN Show: EVGA Breaks Up with NVIDIA, The End of GPU Mining, and More
0:03:18 EVGA Ends Partnership with NVIDIA: The show's main topic is the news that EVGA is ending its partnership with NVIDIA and exiting the GPU business. This decision was not purely financial but was heavily influenced by a perceived lack of respect from NVIDIA. While GPUs made up 78% of EVGA's revenue, their power supply business operated at a 300% higher margin.
0:06:40 NVIDIA's Anti-Partner Practices Revealed: The hosts discuss the specific grievances that EVGA and other partners have long held against NVIDIA. Key issues include NVIDIA withholding final GPU pricing and drivers from partners until the public launch, making planning and validation nearly impossible. NVIDIA also directly competes with and undercuts its own partners by selling Founders Edition cards at a lower cost.
0:14:02 Linus's Shelved "NVIDIA is a bully" Video: Linus shares and reads from a previously unreleased video script he wrote in 2021 after the Hardware Unboxed controversy. The script details NVIDIA's history of being a difficult partner, their attempts to pressure media outlets (including LMG), their "never forgive, never forget" attitude towards partners who work with competitors (like XFX), and their use of marketing funds as a control mechanism.
0:24:06 Why EVGA Won't Immediately Partner with AMD or Intel: Linus suggests that EVGA's statement about not working with AMD or Intel is a strategic move. By not immediately switching to a competitor, they avoid completely severing any possibility of a future relationship with NVIDIA, who is known for holding long-term grudges.
0:47:42 The Ethereum Merge is Complete, Ending GPU Mining: The Ethereum cryptocurrency network has successfully transitioned from "Proof of Work" to "Proof of Stake." This is a significant event for PC gamers, as it eliminates the need for powerful GPUs to mine the coin, effectively ending the era of large-scale GPU mining and contributing to the falling prices and increased availability of graphics cards.
0:51:10 NVIDIA RTX 4090 Leaks Before Launch: With NVIDIA's official "GeForce Beyond" event approaching, numerous leaks have revealed details about the upcoming RTX 4090. The new flagship GPU is expected to feature over 16,000 CUDA cores, boost clocks around 2.5 GHz, and a total board power of 450 watts.
0:55:31 LTT Store Updates & New Website Beta: The highly-requested 64oz "Big Chungus" insulated water bottle is now available on LTTStore.com. Additionally, a public test version of the newly redesigned store website is live for viewers to explore and provide feedback on.
1:17:47 YouTube Experiments With Up to 10 Unskippable Ads: The hosts discuss a recent YouTube experiment where some users were shown a stack of five to ten short, unskippable ads before a video would play. YouTube has stated the "small experiment has now concluded."
1:42:43 Amazon's Problem with Dangerous Products: A discussion on how online marketplaces like Amazon allow the sale of inherently dangerous products, such as male-to-male "suicide cords" for generators, which bypass critical safety features. This highlights the lack of oversight and consumer protection compared to traditional brick-and-mortar retail.