x/nxpc · 
By Ryan | July 19, 2026 | NXPC Sunday Entertainment Edition
Welcome back to another Sunday Entertainment Edition, folks. Grab your coffee, settle into that chair you've been meaning to upgrade, and let's talk about the week that was in PC hardware YouTube. This wasn't just any week — we got a full-blown consumer rights bombshell from Gamers Nexus, a surprisingly heartfelt Linux confessional from LTT, and what feels like the entire tech community collectively deciding that SteamOS is the most interesting thing happening in PC gaming right now.
Let's dive in.
I'll be honest: I didn't have "Linus Torvalds evangelism hour" on my July 2026 bingo card, but here we are. Linus walks through the surprisingly complicated decision of picking a Linux distro in 2026 — and it's not just an academic exercise anymore. With official SteamOS out in the wild and Windows 11 continuing to, uh, be Windows 11, a lot of builders are genuinely asking: is this the year?
Watch: It's Time to Commit to Linux…But which one?
This is the video that set the entire tech internet on fire this week. Steve goes full investigative journalist mode, uncovering that LG has been silently installing McAfee-loaded apps on their TVs and monitors — complete with always-on data collection and, most alarmingly, microphone access concerns. The community response was immediate and brutal. The video spawned dozens of reaction pieces, and LG's silence so far has been deafening.
This is Gamers Nexus doing what they do best: holding manufacturers accountable with receipts. If you haven't watched this yet, clear 35 minutes. It's worth every second.
Watch: DO NOT BUY: LG's Spyware TVs, Monitors, and Wiretapping Concerns
Jay built on his DIY Steam Machine project with a head-to-head comparison that a lot of us have been waiting for. Official SteamOS versus Bazzite — the community darling that filled the gap before Valve's official release. The results are genuinely surprising. Jay's signature real-world testing approach means you get the "actually living with this" perspective, not just benchmark charts. Spoiler: the gap is smaller than you think, and there are cases where Bazzite still wins.
Watch: Official SteamOS vs Bazzite… Which one is better?
Also from Jay this week: his waterblock design journey continues to evolve. His second iteration shows massive improvements over the first prototype. The mad scientist arc is one of my favorite things happening on the channel right now.
Watch: I made HUGE Improvements to my design!
AMD's 3D V-Cache lineup keeps expanding, and the 7700X3D is slotting into what might be the new price-to-performance sweet spot for gaming. Tim and Steve put it through the full benchmark gauntlet, and the results against the 7800X3D and Intel's latest are… well, let's just say if you're building a mid-range gaming rig right now, this review is required viewing.
The Hardware Unboxed Podcast also dropped Episode 107 covering Nvidia hiding important GPU info and the 5800X3D 10th Anniversary Edition — a twofer of relevant discussion.
Watch: Ryzen 7 7700X3D Review | Watch: Podcast Ep 107
Dave had a packed week. The Steam Machine review dropped with a headline that I think sums up the cautious optimism around Valve's hardware ambitions: "Bad News." It's Dave at his most honest about where the Steam Machine concept shines and where it stumbles. Meanwhile, the MacBook Neo vs Dell XPS 13 comparison is exactly the kind of practical laptop buyer's guide Dave excels at, and the RTX Spark laptop overview gives us a glimpse at Nvidia's new mobile silicon.
Watch: Steam Machine Review - Bad News | Watch: MacBook Neo vs XPS 13
Marques dropped a hands-on with iOS 27's top 5 new features that's already doing numbers, but honestly the WVFRM Podcast episode from Friday — "OnePlus is Dead… (In the US)" — is the conversation everyone's having. The crew digs into what OnePlus's effective withdrawal from the US market means for Android enthusiasts. Between that and "Apple Lost the AI Race," MKBHD's channels are painting a pretty stark picture of where the smartphone wars stand in mid-2026.
Watch: iOS 27 Hands-On: Top 5 New Features! | Watch: OnePlus is Dead… (In the US) — WVFRM
QuakeCon 2026 — August 6-9 | Grapevine, Texas
This is the big one, folks. QuakeCon's 30th Anniversary BYOC event is less than three weeks away at the Gaylord Texan Resort. The community tournament schedule has been revealed — Quake Champions, Quake Live, and DOOM II headline the lineup — and registration is open. If you've never experienced the world's largest BYOC LAN party, this is the year. Three decades of frags, friendship, and sleep deprivation. Nothing else like it.
Esports World Cup 2026 — Dota 2 Finals TODAY
The Dota 2 EWC wraps up today in Paris with a $2,000,000 prize pool. Vici Gaming just took down Team Falcons 2-0 in the playoffs, and with 24 teams having battled since July 7, the grand finals are set to be spectacular. League of Legends EWC and Valorant EWC also wrapped earlier this month. The Club Championship adds another $30M on top — this event has become a genuine esports juggernaut.
LCS 2026 Summer — Starting July 23
The League Championship Series summer split kicks off next week. With Worlds qualification on the line, this is where the real season begins.
Halo: Campaign Evolved — July 28
Not an event per se, but a full-blown remake of Bungie's 2001 classic dropping in 9 days? That's an event in my book. New missions, modern visuals, but that same glorious Halo CE combat loop.
There's a theme running through this week's content that I can't stop thinking about: choice. LTT's Linux video, Jay's SteamOS vs Bazzite comparison, Dave2D's MacBook Neo vs XPS 13, even MKBHD's OnePlus obituary — they're all, at their core, about the expanding (and sometimes contracting) universe of options available to us as tech consumers.
Gamers Nexus exposing LG is the flip side of that coin. Choice without transparency isn't really choice at all. When a "smart" TV installs spyware without your consent, that's not a feature — it's a breach of trust. Steve's work this week matters because it re-establishes a baseline: companies don't get to hide this stuff.
On a lighter note, I'm genuinely excited about QuakeCon. The 30th anniversary BYOC is the kind of event that reminds you why we got into PC gaming in the first place — the community, the tinkering, the LAN party energy that no online match can fully replicate. If you're within driving distance of Grapevine, Texas… what are you waiting for?
Now if you'll excuse me, I have a Linux ISO to download and an LG monitor to side-eye suspiciously. See you next Sunday.
— Ryan
📺 This Week's Playlist: