I see on the frontpage of pimprig, that people get hardware from places like Antec and ATi and such, and I was wondering. How do you get to review hardware and such, and also, do you have to return anything? I've been curious about the whole hardware review thing, so I figured I'd ask.
EDIT: 200th Post.

You need to be a Staff member to do a official review, and yes we keep the hardware in most cases.

There is a Member review section here if you want to get your feet wet, as far as becoming part of the team, that is up to you, hard work and other factors play into it, but it is not something you can apply for.

http://forums.pcapex.com/forumdisplay.php?f=54

I was a member for quite some time before being asked...something I am sure they regret to this day!!!

EDIT: Very well said Anti-M, I could only think of the Cliff Notes version!

If your interested in reviewing items, follow Necro's advice and hit the member review section.

But if you question if more curiosity than ambition...Review items mean different things to different manufacturers, but in general it's a effective way to advertise the review item. As well as research it's appeal to the buying public. Review items are usually not returned, but it is not a hard and fast rule.

How is more complicated. First, like Gary and the PimpRig staff, you have to be proficient at what you do and have an audience just like TV or Radio. The bigger the readership, the more opportunities for reviews and the better the exposure for manufacturers and vendors. Sometimes you go to vendors, sometimes they come to you.

and for the love of god, don't ask companies for free products in Pimprig's name

OY!

Yeah..there's a thread about that...lemme see BRB

AntiM & $Solid$ forgot to mention the bribes for GK and BA to get the cool toys for reviews. That would be a new Cooper Mini for Glitterkill and the Super Bee for BigAkita.

Quote: Originally Posted by Foe AntiM & $Solid$ forgot to mention the bribes for GK and BA to get the cool toys for reviews. That would be a new Cooper Mini for Glitterkill and the Super Bee for BigAkita.

That would get you whatever you wanted.

What most readers don't understand are the numerous hours involved in the review process, especially the pic taking and testing. There is also the risk to your own equipment, and if you trash something you had better replace it quick, because the review still has to get done.

If pimprig ever goes international (spanish version), I'd love to do reviews in spanish.

Alright, thanks for the imput. Looks like I wont be doing any reviews, doing to me not having a digital camera. Thanks for the information, guys.

We are international. Check out the country of origin for many of our members.

Quote: Originally Posted by M*LiVVy If pimprig ever goes international (spanish version), I'd love to do reviews in spanish.

Quote: Originally Posted by D-Ice Man Alright, thanks for the imput. Looks like I wont be doing any reviews, doing to me not having a digital camera. Thanks for the information, guys.

Although writing reviews might not be an option for ya, you might want to consider writing up a Guest Writer article for the Daily Disturbance. It's definitely a good way to get your feet wet in doing write-ups/articles. Just send me a PM if you have any interest and we'll work something out

Good writing skills and technical knowlege. Those are the main ingredients for a good reviewer, from what I've seen. It's easy to see if you'd like it; just pick a product you own, or something new you're buying anyway, and write a Member Review on it. It helps to read other people's reviews and make notes of what to do (e.g., take a picture of the product in the package before you rip it open).

Or what not to do. I saw one such example the other day. The reviewer (on another site, not here) complained that the manufacturer "was too cheap to send me two [of the hardware item] to test performance with a dual setup." Yikes. Go ahead and blast the product if it sucks, but what was he thinking insulting the manufacturer who'd just sent him some hardware for free? I was disgusted enough that I closed out the review right then and there.

Writing reviews takes A LOT of time. Think about grapics reviews......3dmark. aquamark, quake, ut2k4, far cry, HL2. Running each one of these test take a great deal of time. Thats just one one GPU, then you review that same GPU OC'd. Don't forget about the other GPU's you have to use as a control. Taking pictues, figuring out why something is not working right, and installing and uninstalling the hardware/software takes more time than most people think.

Thanks PimpRig staff for working so hard to keep us informed!!!!

If you decide on writing a review it is important that you have the item in your possession.

I remember seeing a review someone wrote where that person
did not even have the item. They wrote a review by reading other
reviews and then plagiarizing someone elseÂ’s work.

As always, the senior members are making very valuable comments here. I'm just dropping my 2cents in here, but I have to emphasize that one of the things that drew me to PimpRig was the authenticity of the reviews. For a while I wrote reviews for ePinions and it wasn't long before I realized that by being able to write reviews without pictures of the review process and detailed information, some members of ePinions were able to "cook up" reviews on products and services that they never really had personal experience with. A lot of the writing was simply based on reorganization and regurgitation of information that was pulled from legitmate reviews published in magazines and other websites.
I'd rather see a shorter article based on a new approach to an evaluation or application of a product than a rehash of information that's easily available elsewhere. Creativity a fresh view point and legitamate technical data is key. Thanks!

Its harder than I ever thought. I figured I'd take 5 minutes, write a review for the member review section, but as I've written more of them, I've found myself spending 4-5 hours on testing stuff, getting more details, taking good pictures, comparisons, etc. And my member reviews are no were near the caliber of the staff reviews at PimpRig. The staff puts in a hell of an effort to write these reviews, especially with busy real life schedules.

Thanks for the kind comments. It does take up a LOT of our time, but I really enjoy the review process. It doesn't matter if it's just a cheap light or fan, or a new mobo. You have to enjoy it to stick with it.

I wanna kiss you BA

Quote: Originally Posted by WDoG I wanna kiss you BA

All the men and women just flock to BA dont they.
http://forums.pcapex.com/showthread.php?t=48906

Quote: Originally Posted by Cpt.Planet All the men and women just flock to BA dont they. http://forums.pcapex.com/showthread.php?t=48906

Heyyy.. It won't let me see that thread.

M*LiVVy, you do not have permission to access this page. This could be due to one of several reasons:

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