Tech Tips Linus Sebastian, the founder of Linus Tech Tips, has acknowledged that the hardware review channel handled the controversy over its recent review of a high-end watercooling system with “sloppiness.” However, Sebastian says that what really bothers him about the circumstance is “how quickly the pitchforks were raised.”
The issue began with a video Sebastian and an assistant made on June 24 using Billet Labs’ Monoblock, a system designed to simultaneously cool the CPU and GPU, to build a watercooled PC. The Monoblock is currently not in production, but you can preorder it for $841 on the Billet Labs website. It would appear that the LTT-tested device was a one-of-a-kind prototype. The build didn’t go as planned. The cooling block was difficult to install, and the GPU they used didn’t work well with the cooler. The unit Billet Labs sent was designed for GeForce GTX 3090 GPUs, but LTT tested it on a 4090. Adam Sonedergard, a writer for Linus Tech Tips who helped with the test, said that the manufacturer said the device would work with a 4090 card but “didn’t know how well.” It turned out that all was not very well. Sebastian stated in the review’s conclusion, “The best-case scenario for this thing is, the temps are slightly better [than other coolers].” “However, the building experience is a nightmare, and the benefits compared to practically any other solution are negligible.” Because of that review, a direct competitor channel, Gamers Nexus, called Linus Tech Tips out on August 14 for its “accuracy, ethics, and responsibility” and for “rushing content out the door” in order to achieve “quantity over quality.” In the video, Gamers Nexus editor-in-chief Steve Burke also said that LTT “sold” the one-of-a-kind Monoblock prototype when it was done using the device instead of returning it to the manufacturer as promised. Sebastian wrote a lengthy response to the Gamers Nexus video. Although he resigned as CEO of Linus Tech Tips in June, he stated that he “needs to own” this particular incident because he was still in charge at the time. to my group… Because there are so many eyes on us, I stressed the significance of diligence in our work,” Sebastian wrote. “We are going through some growing pains; in the interest of transparency, we have been very open about them, and it is evident that we have some work to do on internal processes and communication.” We have already been cleaning up our processes with a lot of internal work, but these things take time. Even though Rome wasn’t built in a day, that doesn’t mean things were done badly.” Sebastian also defended LTT’s commitment to and track record of getting it right, including in the case of the Monoblock cooler, despite admitting to some general sloppiness. He wrote that the issue was not the review’s “accuracy,” but rather how he handled the response, such as his refusal to retest the cooler with the video card it was intended for, despite the fact that other members of the LTT team advocated for doing so. Sebastian wrote, “I just read the room incorrectly.” “I misunderstood the community’s priorities on this one, and we didn’t portray the Billet in the best light,” I said. We didn’t mean to hurt anyone. We didn’t want anyone to buy it because it’s a terrible waste of money regardless of the temperature it runs at, and we wanted Billet to make something that could be sold so people could eat.” Sebastian also disagreed with the language used by Gamers Nexus, responding that LTT “didn’t’sell’ the Monoblock, but rather auctioned it for charity due to a miscommunication.” Although I suppose the point is that the money from the same is going to a charitable organization rather than Linus Tech Tips, it seems like a split hair. LTT has also agreed to “compensate Billet Labs for the cost of their prototype,” according to Sebastian.
