Uploaded October 2025 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago

---

Episode 85: We chat about Battlefield 6 testing and explore the difficulties with testing one-click overclocking features in benchmarks, such as PBO and 200S Boost. We also discuss the latest Intel graphics announcements including Xe3 and XeSS 3, as well as motherboard vendors beginning to say Zen 6 will be supported on AM5

SOURCES
tomshardware.com/pc-components/gpus/intels-xe3-graphics-architecture-breaks-cover-panther-lakes-12-xe-core-igpu-promises-50-percent-better-performance-than-lunar-lake
tomshardware.com/pc-components/cpus/intel-takes-the-wraps-off-panther-lake-first-18a-client-processor-brings-the-best-of-lunar-lake-and-arrow-lake-together-in-one-package
videocardz.com/newz/intel-confirms-xe3p-will-mark-arc-naming-switch-to-c-series
pcgamer.com/hardware/graphics-cards/intel-announces-xess-3-with-multi-frame-generation-putting-it-ahead-of-amd-in-the-ai-powered-graphics-performance-race
videocardz.com/newz/asrock-confirms-b850-motherboards-to-directly-support-future-zen-6-cpus
videocardz.com/newz/asus-officially-confirms-zen6-desktop-support-for-am5-based-b850-motherboard

CHAPTERS
00:00 - Intro
00:43 - Battlefield 6 testing thoughts
09:11 - Battlefield 6 VRAM leak
11:31 - Questionable Battlefield 6 CPU benchmarks?
20:49 - Issues with overclocking CPUs
29:59 - Why we don't test with PBO or 200S Boost, but do test with XMP
40:45 - Overclock tweaking can be a grift
50:34 - Intel graphics updates, Xe3 and XeSS 3
58:32 - Motherboard makers confirm Zen 6 on AM5 publicly
1:09:10 - Updates from our boring lives

SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST
Audio: shows.acast.com/the-hardware-unboxed-podcast
Video: youtube.com/channel/UCqT8Vb3jweH6_tj2SarErfw

SUPPORT US DIRECTLY
Patreon: patreon.com/hardwareunboxed

LINKS
YouTube: youtube.com/@Hardwareunboxed
Twitter: twitter.com/HardwareUnboxed
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hardwareunboxed.bsky.social