# He said it would be easy - $5000 AMD Ultimate Tech Upgrade Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-oe6WL2_2Rc Recap page: https://rapidrecap.app/video/-oe6WL2_2Rc Generated: 2025-11-03T19:02:26.62+00:00 --- ## Quick Overview The AMD Ultimate Tech Upgrade, sponsored by AMD, involved upgrading a team member's (Jon's) home setup, including installing a massive 77-inch LG OLED evo AI TV, a new Gigabyte Radeon RX 7970 XT graphics card into his PC, and setting up a high-end Fanatec CSL DD wheel base for VR racing, resulting in a significant upgrade across his gaming and home theater experiences, despite some initial chaos with the TV mounting and component compatibility. **Key Points:** - The ultimate tech upgrade was sponsored by AMD and focused on enhancing Jon Doiron's gaming and home theater setup. - A new 77-inch LG OLED evo AI C4 TV was installed, replacing an older Insignia TV, noted for its brightness and picture quality. - Jon's PC received a major graphics card upgrade to an AMD Radeon RX 7970 XT (16GB GDDR6), which required checking clearance in his SilverStone case. - The VR racing setup was enhanced with a high-end Fanatec CSL DD wheel base, which provides superior force feedback compared to older gear, and the team installed a ceiling-mounted cable management system for the VR headset. - The upgrade also included a new VR headset (likely the Bigscreen Beyond, based on the $1220 price point mentioned for the eye-tracking version) and an upgrade to the PC's CPU (implied to be necessary for the new GPU). - Despite the chaos, the group managed to successfully mount the massive TV perfectly level and install the new components, culminating in Jon testing the VR racing setup. ![Screenshot at 00:16: Linus introduces Jon Doiron, Senior Test Technician, next to the pile of new hardware, including the Gigabyte AMD Radeon RX 7970 XT box, signaling the start of the upgrade project.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/-oe6WL2_2Rc/00-00-16.png) **Context:** This video documents a surprise 'Ultimate Tech Upgrade' provided to Linus Tech Tips Senior Test Technician, Jon Doiron, sponsored by AMD. The upgrade targets Jon's personal home setup, specifically his gaming and home theater areas, replacing several older components with high-end, modern equivalents to improve performance and experience in areas like PC gaming, VR, and large-screen viewing. ## Detailed Analysis The video showcases the unboxing and installation of several major tech upgrades for Jon Doiron's home setup. The first major item was the replacement of his old Insignia TV with a massive 77-inch LG OLED evo AI C4 Smart TV, which the team struggled slightly to mount perfectly level on the wall (07:56). Next, they focused on his PC, replacing the existing GPU with a Gigabyte AMD Radeon RX 7970 XT, which featured 16GB of GDDR6 memory. They noted the new card was physically very large and barely fit in his current SilverStone case (13:35). They also upgraded his VR racing rig with a Fanatec CSL DD wheel base, which provides superior force feedback compared to older gear, and installed a ceiling-mounted cable management system for the VR headset (03:09). The VR headset itself was identified as the Bigscreen Beyond, with the eye-tracking version costing $1220 USD (05:16). The team also pointed out that Jon's entire room, including his PS3, had asset tags from the office, suggesting he was hoarding equipment (09:57). Despite the initial difficulty in mounting the TV and concern over PC clearance, the team successfully installed the hardware, and Jon tested the VR racing setup, confirming the significant visual improvements. ### TV Upgrade - The team replaced Jon's old Insignia TV with a 77-inch LG OLED evo AI C4, noting its superior brightness and picture quality (07:38, 08:28). Mounting the large TV required multiple people and careful leveling (07:58, 11:25). ### PC Upgrade - Jon received a Gigabyte AMD Radeon RX 7970 XT 16GB GDDR6 graphics card to boost VR performance, necessitating careful physical fitting inside his existing SilverStone case due to its size (12:24, 13:35). ### VR Racing Setup Upgrade - The team installed a Fanatec CSL DD direct drive wheel base and a new Bigscreen Beyond VR headset (which supports 90Hz and eye-tracking) (04:09, 09:09). A custom ceiling-mounted pulley system was used for VR cable management (03:09). ### The Office Hoard - The speaker pointed out that many of Jon's existing items, including a PS3, had asset tags from the office, suggesting he was hoarding equipment (09:57). ### Final Testing - Jon tested the new VR headset, noting the superior clarity of the micro OLED displays (17:09), and then tested the new racing wheel setup, confirming the immediate benefit to force feedback (18:33). ![Screenshot at 00:01: Linus and another team member examine small items, possibly related to the VR setup, at the start of the upgrade process.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/-oe6WL2_2Rc/00-00-01.png) ![Screenshot at 00:09: Linus expresses excitement about the collection of upgrades, emphasizing that they all have something in common.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/-oe6WL2_2Rc/00-00-09.png) ![Screenshot at 01:11: Linus holds up the Bigscreen VR headset, showing its unique design which includes a custom-fit face cushion.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/-oe6WL2_2Rc/00-01-11.png) ![Screenshot at 02:04: The host highlights the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT graphics card box, part of the PC upgrade components.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/-oe6WL2_2Rc/00-02-04.png) ![Screenshot at 02:51: The old Insignia TV screen is shown displaying the Smart TV interface, contrasting with the new OLED.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/-oe6WL2_2Rc/00-02-51.png) ![Screenshot at 05:05: Close-up on the 3D-scanned face cushion for the Bigscreen Beyond headset, demonstrating its custom fit capability.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/-oe6WL2_2Rc/00-05-05.png) ![Screenshot at 07:36: Jon Doiron, wearing the VR headset, is shown actively playing a rhythm game \(Beat Saber\) while the team observes the setup.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/-oe6WL2_2Rc/00-07-36.png) ![Screenshot at 08:54: Three people struggle to maneuver the massive 77-inch LG OLED TV box into position for mounting.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/-oe6WL2_2Rc/00-08-54.png) ![Screenshot at 11:14: Jon uses a level to ensure the wall mount bracket for the new TV is perfectly horizontal.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/-oe6WL2_2Rc/00-11-14.png) ![Screenshot at 17:35: The Bigscreen Beyond Utility software is displayed on the TV, showing adjustable settings like refresh rate \(set to 75Hz\) and display brightness \(set to Overdrive\).](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/-oe6WL2_2Rc/00-17-35.png)