
Hosted by Avram Piltch, Editor-in-Chief of Tom's Hardware, and moderated by Scott Ertz, The Piltch Point is a livecast covering news, reviews, and previews of devices and components.
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Tom's Hardware Best of 2020 - Episode 248
December 20, 2020
2020 is (thankfully) almost over, and that means that it is time to look back at the year and find the things that had a positive impact on the tech industry. While there has been no end of negativity, from product scalpers to toxic streaming, there have
What You Need to Play Cyberpunk 2077 - Episode 247
December 14, 2020
One of the most anticipated games of 2020, Cyberpunk 2077, has finally hit the street after several release delays. However, despite these delays, the game has launched with some high profile bugs. One of these bugs can force the game to crawl even if you
The Backlash Against Tech Product Scalpers - Episode 246
December 07, 2020
Over the past few months, the tech world has fallen victim to a problem that sneaker collectors have been dealing with for years - automated scalpers. There are services available that, for a fee, will scour the internet looking for the product of your ch
Adafruit BrainCraft Artificial Intelligence HAT - Episode 245
December 04, 2020
Artificial intelligence is a big part of the software world today. Whether it's the iPhone using it to determine the most optimal way to charge the device to preserve the longevity of the battery, or an automated vehicle looking for pedestrians and other
What exactly are USB 4 and Thunderbolt 4? - Episode 244
November 17, 2020
During Apple's "One More Thing" Event this past week, Apple talked a lot about its new M1 processors and the first Macs to be released using them. The company went into detail about the specs of the processor, but they left more questions unanswered than
AMD's New Video Cards and Processors - Episode 243
November 02, 2020
It is the best of times. It is the worst of times. That is if you are hoping to build a high-performance gaming PC. Some of the best PC components have either just been released or will release in the very near future. However, it is nearly impossible to
CrowPi2 Raspberry Pi Learning Laptop - Episode 242
October 26, 2020
Kids are often interested in the newest and most exciting things, and these days that is advanced electronics. In past years, electronic learning kits were available from places like RadioShack, and they offered all of the parts, pieces, and instructions
NVIDIA Jetson Nano 2GB Developer Kit - Episode 241
October 11, 2020
Earlier in the year, NVIDIA released the NVIDIA Jetson Xavier NX Developer Kit, a $399 developer board aimed at artificial intelligence development. While the device offered 8GB of RAM, it does run nearly $400. The recently announced Jetson Nano 2GB Devel
Components of PC Past, Present, and Future - Episode 240
October 06, 2020
While many of us have been staying home, technology vendors have still been hard at work bringing new products to market. While the most noteworthy have been Microsoft and Sony with their next-generation consoles, we have also seen a ton of new high profi
What to Expect on Prime Day 2020 - Episode 239
September 28, 2020
Prime Day, which is Amazon's annual celebration of itself, is a great opportunity to find some big deals at retailers across the internet. While the event itself is Amazon-branded and only applies to Prime subscribers, other retailers take advantage of th
NVIDIA Broadcast Software Demo - Episode 238
September 21, 2020
It's no secret that we are becoming a society of content creators. From services like Twitch and Facebook Gaming to YouTube and Facebook, there are a ton of ways that people can create content that others can enjoy. And, in the last few years, live video
Full PC Build for Under $800 - Episode 237
September 14, 2020
One of the side effects of the pandemic and more than one shutdown in China has been an increase in prices for PC components. Some have gone through the roof (like power supplies), while others are nearly impossible to acquire (such as webcams). But, pric
The Toxic Streaming Environment - Episode 236
August 24, 2020
If you spend any time on streaming sites like Twitch or YouTube, or on game chats on PlayStation or Xbox Live, you know that the communities can be incredibly toxic. Between children screaming racial slurs and adults making sexist remarks, it can be dange
Intel and Nvidia's Future Video Cards - Episode 235
August 17, 2020
It's long been accepted that Intel integrated graphics were the worst possible situation when buying a laptop. In some cases, it seemed like it could barely keep up with the tasks of Windows, let alone any programs on top of it. For sure, no one has ever
Choosing a Webcam in a Shortage - Episode 234
August 10, 2020
Ever since the beginning of the international lockdown, several products have become difficult or impossible to find. One of the most high-profile products that are in short supply is webcams. The most sought after webcams are the Logitech c920 and the Ra
The Future of Silicon in 2020 - Episode 233
August 03, 2020
Right now, a lot of tech-based industries are seeing massive shake-ups, but none are quite as prominent as what is happening within the processor and circuitry industry. The most visible has been the rise of AMD. While some of this market share increase h
Back to School Tech (2020 Virtual Learning) - Episode 232
July 26, 2020
The world may have some new rules this year, but it doesn't change the fact that school is going to be starting soon. This might involve being in person or, more likely, distance learning, especially in the first few weeks or months. That means that your
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon (Gen 8) - Episode 231
July 19, 2020
For years, the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon has been one of the best-rated laptops by Tom's Hardware and Laptop Magazine. This is because of the first-class keyboard, high-quality screen, and a price that makes it all worth considering. The newest version of
GaN Laptop Chargers - Episode 230
June 29, 2020
One of the most interesting new technologies we experienced at CES this year was in the form of GaN chargers. That is because, not only is the technology fascinating, it makes for some incredibly practical products. Using this technology, for example, man
Raspberry Pi 4 (8GB Edition) - Episode 229
June 08, 2020
It has been a year since the Raspberry Pi foundation released the Raspberry Pi 4. In that time, the upgraded hardware configurations have allowed the platform to expand into even more project and computing environments. But, with increased ideas comes inc
Intel Core i9 10900K - Episode 228
May 25, 2020
Intel has released its newest processor, the Comet Lake-S Core i9-10900K. This new processor is intended to help fight off the rising threat of AMD's Ryzen processors. AMD has seen a huge rise, especially in the realm of high core count. The new Intel pro
NVIDIA Jetson Xavier NX Developer Kit - Episode 227
May 18, 2020
NVIDIA has added a new developer kit to its hardware lineup, called the Jetson Xavier NX. This new board is designed to allow developers to integrate artificial intelligence skills into a hardware project without the need for internet access or custom-des
Great Raspberry Pi Projects for May 2020 - Episode 226
May 04, 2020
Whether you're a regular maker or you're looking for new things to try while in lockdown, the Raspberry Pi is a great platform to expiriment with. This board is made for both prototyping as well as learning, and this week, Tom's Hardware has some great ad
AMD vs Intel Showdown - Episode 225
April 27, 2020
When you think of the greast rivalries of the world, you might think of Holyfield and Tyson, or Axl Rose and Vince Neil. But, in the world of technology, there might not be any more interesting rivalry than AMD and Intel. For decades, these two companies
Using a Raspberry Pi as a Webcam - Episode 224
April 19, 2020
Since the beginning of the lockdowns, certain products have been in short supply. The most publicized have been toilet paper and hand sanitizer. However, there have been tech products that have been depleted as well - particularly webcams. But, since webc
How to Get Gadgets Shipped Now - Episode 223
April 05, 2020
These days, we definitely live in interesting times. Much of the world is completely shut down in an attempt to keep COVID-19 under control. Some people have lost their jobs, some have been furloughed, while others have shifted to working from home. No ma
Tom's Hardware's RGBaby - Episode 222
March 29, 2020
While interest in desktop PCs has waned in recent years, those who are still interested in desktops often build them themselves. That gives the ability to not only have the PC you want, but also to use it as an art piece. There are PC builders who go all
Dell XPS 13 9300 - Episode 221
March 22, 2020
The Dell XPS 13 has long been considered to be one of the greatest lightweight laptops on the market. The company regularly updates the computer with new features and hardware options. This year's upgrade, which just went live from Dell, has made a number
Folding@Home for COVID-19 - Episode 220
March 15, 2020
The Folding@Home program is a distributed computing platform that is dedicated to finding cures for some of humanity's biggest health problems. The program was started to run predictive algorithms on the folding of proteins. When proteins fold incorrectly
How to Improve Working from Home - Episode 219
March 08, 2020
This week, Avram Piltch has some suggestions on how to improve your life if you have to work from home. While most people don't work out of their homes, that could be about to change. Over the past week or so, many companies have started suggesting that e
8 years of Raspberry Pi - Episode 218
March 01, 2020
This week, Avram Piltch talks about some of the best and most unknown aspects of the Raspberry Pi computer. The Raspberry Pi entered the market 8 years ago, but with a different purpose than most might think. It was originally intended for Cambridge Unive
Is It Worth Upgrading Your Video Card? - Episode 217
February 23, 2020
This week, Avram Piltch discusses whether or not it is worth upgrading your video card. Sure, your existing computer might have the ability to take the newest and most exciting video card, but is it worth the upgrade cost?Tom's Hardware recently released
Using XLOOKUP in Microsoft Excel - Episode 216
February 16, 2020
This week, Avram Piltch discusses a new feature in Microsoft Excel: XLOOKUP. Now, we don't usually show off things like Microsoft Office functions, but this one is truly special. The predecessor to XLOOKUP, which is VLOOKUP, is the third most used functio
Nvidia GeForce Now Launch - Episode 215
February 10, 2020
This week, Avram Piltch discusses the long-awaited launch of Nvidia's cloud gaming service GeForce Now.
Intel's New NUC Direction - Episode 214
January 26, 2020
This week, Avram Piltch talks about the Intel NUC and the future direction of the product line. In the past, the company has released a limited array of models and configuration options to correspond with its processor upgrades. While the line has never b
Most Influential Tech of the 2010s - Episode 213
December 29, 2019
This week, Avram Piltch discusses some of the most influential technology of the past decade. While some products produce a short-term change to an industry, others have long-lasting effects. In the past decade, there have been several massive moves that
Alternate Typing Technology - Episode 212
December 15, 2019
This week, Avram Piltch talks about technology that he has been interested in for decades: alternate typing tech. Imagine you are at a trade show, waiting in line for a presentation, and you want to get some work done. Sure, you can use your phone and try
Build or Buy Your Next PC? - Episode 211
December 08, 2019
This week, Avram Piltch discusses the ups and downs between buying a pre-made PC from a vendor or building your own from components. It's the age-old question in computing - do you save the time and buy a PC, or save the money and build it yourself? As it
Sphero RVR Coding Robot - Episode 210
November 24, 2019
This week, Avram Piltch shows off the newest STEAM toy from Sphero, the RVR (pronounced Rover). This new vehicle separates itself from the already crowded programmable vehicle kits in a variety of ways. First, and most obvious, is that the vehicle is desi
Don't Get Overcharged on a New Computer - Episode 209
November 11, 2019
This week, Avram Piltch discusses the important things to look out for when purchasing a new computer. There are two ways to buy a new PC: pre-configured or self-configured. For the most part, pre-configured models are far less expensive than their custom
Artie 3000 Drawing Robot - Episode 208
October 27, 2019
This week, Avram Piltch shows off the Artie 3000 drawing robot. Artie is a new entry in the growing list of kids STEM toys intended to help teach kids about computers, logic, and programming. These toys all take different forms, and Artie is unique in the
Overclocking Your Computing Device - Episode 207
October 20, 2019
This week, Avram Piltch talks about how and why to overclock your computing device. So, what is overclocking? It is the process of changing the operating parameters of a component to increase its performance. While the main CPU is the most common to overc
Science Experiments in Tech - Episode 206
September 29, 2019
This week, Avram Piltch discusses a pair of interesting science experiments that have been conducted by Tom's Hardware over the past few weeks. The first involves the publication's favorite tech gadgets: the Raspberry Pi. The site has done a lot of projec
Sphero Mini Activity Kit Preview - Episode 205
September 15, 2019
This week, Avram Piltch shows off a preview of the newest addition to the Sphero lineup: the Sphero Mini Activity Kit. This kit builds on top of the existing Sphero Mini robotic ball, adding to it a variety of pre-planned activities that can be done with
Ultimate Hacking Keyboard Unboxing - Episode 204
September 10, 2019
This week, Avram Piltch tries something new and unboxes the Ultimate Hacking Keyboard live on the show. This keyboard is unique in that it is designed to be modular, both in itself and with accessories. The small-framed keyboard detaches in the middle, al
Retro Gaming on a Raspberry Pi - Episode 203
August 27, 2019
Modern games are fun, but there is something special about retro gaming. The simplicity of the games, the focus on fun over graphics, the limitation of the controls. These old games are just pure, simple fun. While you can play these games on a standard c
Inexpensive Memory Upgrades - Episode 202
August 19, 2019
This week, Avram Piltch discusses one of the biggest changes in the tech space for 2019: the price of solid-state memory. Both NAND flash and standard SSD drives have come down significantly in price, making them a great option for upgrading an existing c
Back to School Tech 2019 - Episode 201
August 13, 2019
This week, Avram Piltch discusses some of the best technology to send your kids with when they return back to school. Whether they're returning to college or starting high school, certain technology pieces can enhance their learning.For those who already
LEGO Hidden Side - Episode 200
August 05, 2019
This week, Avram Piltch is showing off the newest addition to the LEGO augmented reality family: LEGO Hidden Side. Unlike the set that Avram tested last year, this series of products has both cool LEGO environments and AR that is fun. First, Avram discuss
Pimoroni Picade for Raspberry Pi 4 - Episode 199
July 21, 2019
This week, Avram Piltch brings us up to date on one of his projects for his new favorite toy, the Raspberry Pi 4: the Picade by Pimoroni. This project features a 10-inch screen, mini arcade body, 6 player buttons, 4 utility buttons, and a joystick. The go