TechPowerUp is Hiring Motherboard and Memory Reviewers

[Deleted member 24505]

Maybe English is not some peoples first language, which can make grammar difficult. Or maybe try not to be so critical, just a thought

 

[TheLostSwede]

Maybe English is not some peoples first language, which can make grammar difficult. Or maybe try not to be so critical, just a thought

Yeah, you know, like me? I'm not a native speaker and as I said in some of my earlier posts here, I was a shite writer when I started out, but that was around 20 years ago.
However, I worked in an office with a large team that could help out when needed and that taught me the ropes. Again, I think this would've been much more difficult to do remotely, but maybe that's just me.
I am being equally critical, if not more so, of native speakers. I see so many mistakes in all kinds of publications, both in English and my native language.
What it comes down to is that if you're going to be a writer, you have to at least have the basics, even though you might write dry and boring copy to start with, you need to know how to spell and have a basic control over grammar and apostrophes in English. Typical mistakes I see all over is than/then, its/it's, were/where and so on. It changes the meaning of what you're trying to say if you mess them up. If you do not know how to use apostrophes, then write out the words with out them to avoid making mistakes.
To be honest, I don't really know grammar, I never really understood it in school, yet I somehow ended up being a writer in a language I learnt in school. Go figure...

My posts here are not to dissuade people from applying, I just want those that do so to have think about it first and ask themselves if they're up for the task, as it's not going to be an easy job. It looks like great fun from the outside, but at the end of the day, it's actually quite a tough job, not physically, but mentally.

You might even have read PCW back in the day when I worked there, based on how long you've been a member here, or some of my reviews at TrustedReviews, where I was the first employee. Both were two fine British publications at the time.

 

[ardamir]

It looks like great fun from the outside, but at the end of the day, it's actually quite a tough job, not physically, but mentally.

The thing that kills me is the repetivity of benchmarking when you already know what to expect (seen other reviews before etc)...
Actually, not getting the results that you expect is even worse, because then you have to troubleshoot whatever went wrong xD

 

[Hardcore Games]

Back then DDR3 was a thing I ran across a lot of crap memory.

Now I have an open frame chassis so it's far easier to test memory sticks. M.2 SSD and even processors.

I have accumulated more equipment but these days I spend more time reviewing games.

 

[iBruceypoo]

This job pays peanuts. why all the drama?

Wendy's Drive Thru money

 

[ThrashZone]

Hi,
Doesn't seem practical for USA participants seeing W1z isn't in the USA himself "that I know of" so shipping back and forth seems overly complicated with vat/ insurance as well so really to expensive compared to someone near him...

 

[TheLostSwede]

Hi,
Doesn't seem practical for USA participants seeing W1z isn't in the USA himself "that I know of" so shipping back and forth seems overly complicated with vat/ insurance as well so really to expensive compared to someone near him...

Normally review samples are sent from the company directly to the reviewer, at least in my experience.
As such it doesn't tend to matter too much where you live. In fact, the US doesn't charge VAT on incoming goods afaik, so it would most likely be advantageous from a shipping perspective to live in the US.
At least in the past, most motherboard samples were sent directly from Taiwan, but it's a good few years since I reviewed any motherboards.
I would say there are far worse places to live, such as Israel, Brazil, Indonesia, the Philippines, Brunei, New Caledonia and Northern Mariana Islands, but that's just based on my experience in trying to ship stuff there...

 

[Tom Sunday]

….some HR guys already starting to have funny idea about reclassifying. However, company is making loads more money due to the pandemic, and the C suite seems to be interested in expanding with existing employee instead.

Yes...all good points. And this has already happened in thousands of companies throughout our country. Reclassification of employees is a very big deal. One of our senior executives on the third floor windowed 'VP-Row' offices remarked: "We are not only seeing unprecedented times of savings in operating expenses, but at the same getting rid of undesirable employees and specifically those which have been on the radar with HR for a very long time, but where hard to get out. COVID in this regard has been our best friend and allowed us to do this in one quick bold move and clean house." His email went viral. The current 30% of lucky 'come-backs' or reinstated staffers had their new job descriptions waiting for them the day of their return to cubbyhole land. Naturally with much increased or almost double their previous work responsibilities. No increase in pay! The Word: "We all have to work harder and now is the time!" As such company earnings may increase exponentially, but then my cubbyhole buddies never had the money in the first place to buy stock in the company, just trying to make it over the rounds.

 

[W1zzard]

Hi,
Doesn't seem practical for USA participants seeing W1z isn't in the USA himself "that I know of" so shipping back and forth seems overly complicated with vat/ insurance as well so really to expensive compared to someone near him...

As @TheLostSwede said, samples are sent directly to the reviewers from the companies. This a complete non-issue, unless you're in North Korea or Iran

 

[fullinfusion]

As @TheLostSwede said, samples are sent directly to the reviewers from the companies. This a complete non-issue, unless you're in North Korea or Iran

Isn't there Duty that the reviewer needs to pay especially if the reviewed parts come into Canada?

That could be quite expensive especially if you get flooded with parts for review.

I remember Dave was telling me he was paying a lot of Duty when he was reviewing memory and motherboards.

Just a question for an inquiring mind

 

[TheGoat Eater]

As @TheLostSwede said, samples are sent directly to the reviewers from the companies. This a complete non-issue, unless you're in North Korea or Iran

I take it you will likely go with someone that has review/write-up experience. I will also just float it out there that if you have fun doing testing, benching, and gaming and want to jump into reviews you could be in for a rude surprise. If you are wanting to do this because you find it fun remember that it then becomes your job which can end up taking the fun out of it. You will have access to the industry and have a good time testing unreleased hardware but you could have the wind taken out of your sail when it then becomes work instead of your fun hobby. I found this out the hard way and it is definitely great for those detail-oriented hardware-obsessed people but I would just make sure you get that. I really enjoy my gaming and the escape it gives me when I do game, though when I was testing and reviewing it became not too fun for me which was a bummer.

 

[iBruceypoo]

I'll say it once again. This is not a real writing job - it pays donuts

Why all the glorification and superfluous drama?

 

[64K]

I'll say it once again. This is not a real writing job - it pays donuts

Why all the glorification and superfluous drama?

Only a few reviewers and editors make it big on tech and gaming sites.

 

[W1zzard]

Isn't there Duty that the reviewer needs to pay especially if the reviewed parts come into Canada?

That could be quite expensive especially if you get flooded with parts for review.

You'll get reimbursed for that cost of course

I'll say it once again. This is not a real writing job - it pays donuts

What's the pay for such a job? that'll give me a good baseline number once I start figuring out budget. Right now I just want the best people

 

[iBruceypoo]

You'll get reimbursed for that cost of course


What's the pay for such a job? that'll give me a good baseline number once I start figuring out budget. Right now I just want the best people

A real writing job? Nothing you can afford to pay tech W1zzard brother.

 

[cadaveca]

Motherboards and memory at a couple a week is a lot of work. Figure 4-8 hours running benchmarks. Maybe more. Photos takes equal time, with editing. Then you need to write.

That’s a full-time job.

I would love to do reviews full-time. Oh wait….lol. I tried that. Miss it, love it, but it need to pay at least minimum wage, or you gonna lose some passion.

Best part of reviews is when things go wrong. Spices it up a bit.

 

[Deleted member 24505]

Motherboards and memory at a couple a week is a lot of work. Figure 4-8 hours running benchmarks. Maybe more. Photos takes equal time, with editing. Then you need to write.

That’s a full-time job.

I would love to do reviews full-time. Oh wait….lol. I tried that. Miss it, love it, but it need to pay at least minimum wage, or you gonna lose some passion.

Best part of reviews is when things go wrong. Spices it up a bit.

In Britain, minimum wage is law, i guess it is everywhere now though.

I'd love to do it, but not enough experience writing or testing, and I'm realistically my partners full time carer.

 

[TheLostSwede]

In Britain, minimum wage is law, i guess it is everywhere now though.

Then you'll be surprised to know that the Nordics don't have minimum wage. Most jobs have union negotiated salaries, or you have to negotiate your own.
In all fairness, most companies negotiate fair wages that are much better than minimum pay in the UK.

Also, if you're self employed/a contractor/freelancer, I don't think minimum wage applies.

 

[64K]

Minimum wage is tricky here in America. There is a Federal Minimum Wage but the real minimum wage varies from one location to another. Depends on cost of living and whether an employer can get people to work for the Federal Minimum Wage.

 

[ThrashZone]

Hi,
Payload comes after success not before lol

 

[Tom Sunday]

I'll say it once again. This is not a real writing job - it pays donuts Why all the glorification and superfluous drama?

The TPU job description is essenrially well done and spells it out! But why not to get the WFH crowd all exited and post some real compensation guidelines. Probably 99.5% of the serious applicants want to know the $$$ before even considering to apply. Unless the job pays minimum wages? Looks like it's also not only about language and writing skills, it's also about knowing product photography and furnishing additional equipment and software perhaps cobbled together on someones WFH kitchen table. In my opinion and making reviews simply "more legitimate" and providing complete testing continuity, all review sites should have their own full-time onsite and or company testing labs and whereby the entire organization clearly stands behind all of the published results. But in the end that is wishful thinking and will never be the case, because it's all about making money no matter how and testing shortcuts prevailing. Besides no comittment and to doing the right thing being considered. While the poor me or the 'man on the street' meanwhile is asked to kindly putting their real and hard earned dollars on the line for the endorsed products.

 

[TheLostSwede]

In my opinion and making reviews simply "more legitimate" and providing complete testing continuity, all review sites should have their own full-time onsite and or company testing labs and whereby the entire organization clearly stands behind all published results. But in the end that is wishful thinking and will never be the case, because it's all about making money no matter how and testing shortcuts prevailing. While the poor me or the man on the street meanwhile is asked to kindly putting their real and hard earned dollars on the line for the endorsed products.

It's how it used to be, before the race to the bottom.
I actually started out in the business as labs tester at VNU, doing testing for the writers at PCW.
Obviously it's a bit different, as that was a magazine and there were multiple magazines in the building that were producing content related to computers, so there was rather big lab, a photo studio and so on.
That said, the ad sales people were more than the actual writers, as a full page ad in the magazine would set you back at least £10,000 at the time.

The advertisers realised that they could get 10 or 20 ads with websites for that kind of money, since the hobbyists were surprised that someone was willing to give them money for a banner ad on their sites and the race to the bottom started... It's really quite sad in a way, as it has ruined the business. The really good/famous writers used to get up to £220 per 1k words back in the day on a freelance basis. I got paid crap admittedly, but I was also very junior at the time.

Later at TrustedReviews we always had an office, two different locations while I was there, with all the equipment and fixed test rigs for a lot of things and even a small photo studio.
However, there are a lot of expenses involved in renting an office space in a location that's not too hard for everyone to get to and that was a pita at TrustedReviews for me, as they were nowhere near public transport and on the other side of London from where I lived at the time.

I don't see you being a pateron supporter here... Every little helps...
I would say TPU is far less partial than some sites out there and it's one of the reasons why I hang out here.

Oh and about knowing the $$$, well, that's mainly a US thing I think, most European companies don't seem to tell you what you can expect to earn when they are looking for people, so it might be something of a cultural clash there.

 

[Tom Sunday]

Oh and about knowing the $$$, well, that's mainly a US thing I think, most European companies don't seem to tell you what you can expect to earn when they are looking for people, so it might be something of a cultural clash there.

Forgot to mention...about knowing the $$$ in advance! You are correct there's a cultural difference between european employers and those in the U.S. When I was transferred to Canary Wharf for a few years we never advertised starting salaries. Also the same thing held true for our German corporate offices in Berlin. London some of the best years of my life and coming close to retire in Cornwall.

 

[Arcdar]

I guess if you didn't get an answer (at all) it means it's over and you're not even getting a decline ...

So at least this part of the job they took serious. "Handle HR like a pro"/ how all tech companies do it

 

[ardamir]

I guess if you didn't get an answer (at all) it means it's over and you're not even getting a decline ...

So at least this part of the job they took serious. "Handle HR like a pro"/ how all tech companies do it

Well, W1zzard said that we should expect an answer this week, and it's only Tuesday. Don't be so fast to come to conclusions!

We'll only know for sure though if there is an official announcement (which I think there will be at some point).