Friday, July 16th 2021
TechPowerUp is Hiring Motherboard and Memory Reviewers
We have open positions on our team for 1) a motherboard reviewer, and 2) a memory reviewer. TechPowerUp Reviews are renowned for their in-depth focus on technical and performance aspects, and are supported by a large selection of tests. We are looking for someone with experience tweaking hardware in general—and memory in particular—ideally with some overclocking experience. As a motherboard reviewer you should be able to identify the various components of a motherboard PCB, discuss their quality aspects, test relevant onboard devices, provide technical photography, and put the motherboard through a selection of tests that will evolve with your feedback and community interest. Likewise for memory, we'll need you to be able to push the memory module to its limits, to detail its OC tuning potential and stability (we're not expecting you to do LN2). You should also be able to understand DRAM IC choices, memory timings and their effects, and how everything comes together for the big picture.
In terms of language skills we're not asking for novel writers, however you should have a decent grasp of the English language, and be able to get across your thoughts, experience and excitement with the product to our readers, who may have learned English as second language.
Both positions are remote, part-time and paid. Ideally you already have some hardware on your own, we can definitely provide you with additional testing platforms, as needed. We'd prefer someone from North America/EU, but as long as shipping logistics can reach your place, any location will be fine.
While it makes some sense to combine the the memory and motherboard reviewer positions, we are considering both options—one person, or two—because we aim to maintain a high sampling rate (1-2 reviews a week, with a high probability of more during new platform launches). If you think you can handle both positions, please ensure you have sufficient time to accommodate both roles. Having your own contacts in the industry is completely optional, and the lack of any is not a dealbreaker in the hiring process. While it is certainly a plus, we already have close ties with vendors and can make the necessary introductions to get you going with review samples. If you are interested, get in touch with us by sending your application and resume with relevant experiences, if any, to w1zzard@techpowerup.com to discuss further. Any questions? Let us know in the comments of this thread.
Both positions are remote, part-time and paid. Ideally you already have some hardware on your own, we can definitely provide you with additional testing platforms, as needed. We'd prefer someone from North America/EU, but as long as shipping logistics can reach your place, any location will be fine.
While it makes some sense to combine the the memory and motherboard reviewer positions, we are considering both options—one person, or two—because we aim to maintain a high sampling rate (1-2 reviews a week, with a high probability of more during new platform launches). If you think you can handle both positions, please ensure you have sufficient time to accommodate both roles. Having your own contacts in the industry is completely optional, and the lack of any is not a dealbreaker in the hiring process. While it is certainly a plus, we already have close ties with vendors and can make the necessary introductions to get you going with review samples. If you are interested, get in touch with us by sending your application and resume with relevant experiences, if any, to w1zzard@techpowerup.com to discuss further. Any questions? Let us know in the comments of this thread.
131 Comments on TechPowerUp is Hiring Motherboard and Memory Reviewers
Anyone can write something nice when they have unlimited time, but it's very different when you have deadlines.
I obviously have no idea how long the hand-over period is going to be here, but I started out in the labs at a computer magazine doing all the boring testing for the writers, they got all the nice numbers in a spreadsheet and went on their merry way to write the reviews.
After about a year I started writing the odd content for the magazine and I can tell you it was bad, for one, English was my second language and I had zero writing experience at that point.
They still let me take stabs at "boring" things they didn't really care about and I had a team of people around me that gave me tips and correct issues.
In the end there was an opening at the magazine and I applied and got it, but now there was no-one to do the testing, so I pretty much just doubled my own workload, go figure...
That job ended due to a new editor taking over that didn't like me and he illegally fired my from a position I didn't have.
About 9 months later, my old editor contacted me and asked me if I wanted to start working with him on a new website he was going to launch and this ended up being even more work, since initially it was only the two of us. At least by then I was a mediocre writer :p
However, his goal was one review a day, so yeah, I learnt to write, as there were times when it was a Friday morning and we had nothing to post for that day, so I had to write a review of some little trinket or something else that could be quickly written up that we had in for testing.
I have written 20 board motherboard and graphics card group tests, things that no-one does these days. Same for PCs, power supplies, various disc writers and what not.
Obviously the reviews were limited to about 1,000 words each, but that included doing all the testing as well, so I know what this job entails.
It was fun back then, as it was so many different competitors in the business, unlike now when there's barely any competition and this is why everyone is going into insane details that may or may not matter. I mean, I was happy if all of the motherboards I got in for a group test worked, as that wasn't always the case.
Times have changed, but the job hasn't changed that much.
He's eating steak.Sorry, last FB post from about a year ago was lobster and oysters.One of the tasks I had to do when I interviewed for the lab tester job at the magazine was to spec up a PC in 15 minutes, plus estimate it's worth.
I more or less got the job based on that, so I'm all for practical interviews in that sense and much more so than the ones that asks you impossible questions that are meant to show how you think or what your personality type is.
A previous boss hired quite a few people based in things like that and ended up with quite a few useless people that couldn't do the job they were hired to do.
I think the main thing is for anyone taking these jobs. Make sure you understand what is involved, and don't go in over your head.
1.) Lacking recent platform knowledge
2.) Busy. Always busy with my new job.
I will say from my past work here w1zzard is an awesome guy to work for though. If you think you might qualify and have time, you should certainly send him a resume ASAP.
It's about a review, not testing... vendors usually send you working products you know.
I bought this unit because at that time I was buying second hand Memory Modules DDR1/2 & 3. Most memory module(s) at that time were in poor condition, even thou none was DOA. I bought lots of Memory Modules going back then & I needed a way to test & remove the poor quality Memory Modules. So I binned a batch of memory modules & put all the best ones in pairs.
Binning was done on the capability of the memory module to withstand Tight Timings under High Temperature at Default Clock/Voltage. If the Memory Modules passed this test, it was then put under a secondary test where the clock speed was increased & the voltage lowered.
User(s) that adjust clocks/timings/voltages don't look at the bigger picture. When I make an adjustment I want to know more, much more, in great detail.
I want to know why a fault occurred. Where is the location of the fault. What type of fault is it. All this information is useless, unless you can do something about it.
It was actually an advantage of doing group tests, as you had all the products you were comparing at hand and you could instantly tell the difference if there was something that stood out, good or bad. That might be harder to do when you compare against something you reviewed a few months ago, as it's easy to forget little details. I have given awards to brands that got questioned by my editor at times, but it's hard not to give a value award to a lower tier board maker, if they also provide good features and performance. In fact, I have always been something of a mid-range motherboard owner, even back in the days when I used to get to keep review samples or just got free boards anyhow, as I never had much need for the extra bits. I guess times have changed a bit, as much of the onboard features weren't very good for the longest of times, but now you actually get a lot of decent onboard features, so the higher-end boards are kind of worth it, sometimes.
I guess the key thing is to try to detach oneself from personal preferences and look at the product as is. It's hard, but I always try to let the product speak for itself when I was doing reviews. I have review thousands of products over the years and it sort of just ends up being a job. It might not be something everyone can do, but it's quite easy to see in the final content if the reviewer has a preference one way or another, if it spills over. That's why I read TPU and a few other sites, as I honestly don't trust most reviewers these days, as there are way too many that gets paid to review products and it doesn't help anyone in the end.
Not with drinks, but emails..
It would be a sweet gig.
Who wouldn't want the boards, and the rams, the fames, the fortunes, and the swags?
Before the pandemic HR barely let anyone work remotely. Now, it's the only norm and it's being preached like a gospel.
Maybe when my kids get older :D
After all as a test engineer who has also been various other types of engineer I think I could automate a lot of the testing, yeah and space would be an issue at the moment:)
Good luck to the future people:).
Btw, that's the near future. Truck drivers and tech journalists aren't exactly jobs of the future. -Randy Marsh
Those were the days :P
And man, those voltages were high, but my A7V8X from ASUS held on. :)