Vik

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AnandTech Call for Writers: 2015

05/25/2015: Just bringing this back up to the top; there’s a bit less than one week to go before the Call for Writers application window closes

The Call for Writers has become something of an annual tradition over here at AnandTech. As anyone who follows the site knows very well, the list of things we have to review/cover usually exceeds our available time. So the call for writers gives us a chance to find new talent and new opportunities to grow, be it into new coverage areas entirely or just covering more of the existing products our readers have come to enjoy over the years.

In the last year of course we were acquired by Purch, which presents us with some additional opportunities we have not had in the past. Purch is making good on their commitment to helping us grow, which means that for 2015 in particular we’re aiming higher than ever before.

Anyhow, the ultimate purpose of the Call for Writers is to find new talent. To continue to grow, we need your help. We’re looking for writers with a true passion for the technology we cover, a deep understanding of what’s out there and a thirst for more knowledge.

We’re looking for contributors to help out both with reviews as well as our short to medium form Pipeline coverage. The areas in particular we’re looking for help with are listed below:

  • SSDs
  • Monitors
  • GPUs
  • Mobile (US-only, potential for quick promotion to full-time)
  • Systems/Laptops (US-only)
  • Networking
  • Home Automation
  • Professional Graphics
  • Pipeline

If you find yourself at the intersection of knowledge and passion about any of those areas, and have some time to contribute, you’re exactly what we’re looking for. These are paid, part-time positions that we’re looking to fill, with most positions open on a world-wide basis, and certain positions primed for a quick promotion to full-time. What I need is a writing sample that demonstrates your ability to talk about any one of these topics. Your sample can be in the form of a review, a pipeline post or an analysis piece – it should be something that looks like it would fit in on AnandTech.

Once you’ve produced it, send it on over to [email protected]. Please also include a description of what subject(s) you would be interested in writing about, and some basic information about your background and where you’re located. We’ll read through all samples but can’t guarantee a reply due to the sheer volume of submissions we tend to receive. If we like what you’ve sent and there’s a potential fit on the team, we’ll be in touch.

I’ll conclude this post with a passage from our About page:

In the early days of technology reporting on the web the focus was almost exclusively on depth. We had a new medium for content that didn’t come with the same restrictions as more traditional forms. We could present as much data as we felt was necessary and we could do it quicker.

As the web grew, so did the approach to gaining readership. In many cases, publishers learned from the tips and tricks of more traditional media to growing their audience. The focus shifted away from ultimate understanding of what was being reported, to producing content significantly motivated by increasing traffic, or revenue, or both. Thorough observations were out; sensationalism, link baiting, and the path to shallow 10-o’clock-news reporting were in.

While I believe it’s definitely easier to produce content by going this route, I don’t believe it’s the only way to build a well read website.

If the above resonates with you and you’d like to help by being a part of something different, I’d encourage you to submit a writing sample.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How old do I need to be to work for AnandTech?
A: You need to be old enough to legally work in your country of residence without significant restriction. Otherwise we have no specific requirements so long as you can do the job well. Anand started the site at 14, after all…

Q: Do I need to be located in the United States to work for AnandTech?
A: Some positions do require that you be in the US for logistical reasons, and those specific positions are noted. However unless otherwise noted, most positions are open on a world-wide basis.

Q: Do I need to supply my own products for testing or contacts at companies? (i.e. do I need to be an insider?)
A: No. Assuming for the moment you have a computer to write on, then you already have the most important piece of equipment that you need. Meanwhile you will need some knowledge of the field at hand, but will introduce you to the people you need to know for your position at AnandTech.

Q: Can I really work for AnandTech even though I don’t have a Ph.D in electrical engineering?
A: Yes! We are first and foremost looking for people with a passion to learn, and the knack to make it happen. There’s a certain degree of baseline knowledge needed for any given position, but if you can read existing AnandTech articles then you’re already half-way there.

Q: Is there a submission deadline?
A: We have a tentative end point for the end of May.

2015 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro’s dGPU (R9 M370X) Is Cape Verde
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2015 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro’s dGPU (R9 M370X) Is Cape Verde

Earlier this week Apple announced their 2015 15” Retina MacBook Pro. Though Apple didn’t make any CPU changes, they did make some GPU changes on the high-end model, swapping out NVIDIA’s GeForce GT 750M for AMD’s Radeon R9 M370X. Since the M370X was not a published part number in AMD’s recently-announced 2015 Radeon M300 series refresh lineup, there have been some questions over just what M370X really is.

At the time of the rMBP’s launch, we suspected that it was an AMD Cape Verde GPU, based on the fact that this GPU is also in the M375, which is the next part above M370X. With the new laptop shipping immediately, M370X models have already begun arriving in buyers’ hands, finally giving us a chance to confirm the GPU inside.


Image courtesy Reddit user ootan

Thanks to Reddit user ootan, who posted a screenshot of the rMBP’s System Profiler, we can now confirm that the GPU in the rMBP is in fact AMD’s Cape Verde GPU. AMD has previously used the 6821 device ID on other mobile Cape Verde parts, so 6821 is already a known quantity.

AMD M300 Series GPU Specification Comparison
  R9 M375 R9 M370X (rMBP) R7 M360
Was Variant of R9 M270/M260 Variant of R9 M270X Variant of R7 M270/M260
Stream Processors 640 640 384
Texture Units 40 40 24
ROPs 16 16 4?
Boost Clock <=1015MHz 800MHz <=1015MHz
Memory Clock 2.2GHz DDR3 4.5GHz GDDR5 2GHz DDR3
Memory Bus Width 128-bit 128-bit 64-bit
VRAM <=4GB 2GB <=4GB
GPU Cape Verde Cape Verde Oland
Manufacturing Process TSMC 28nm TSMC 28nm TSMC 28nm
Architecture GCN 1.0 GCN 1.0 GCN 1.0

As for Cape Verde itself, as our regular readers may already know, it’s one of AMD’s first-generation GCN 1.0 GPUs, launched back in 2012. Compared to the GK107 GPU found in the GT 750M, it is a larger, more powerful (and at least in the desktop, more power-hungry) GPU, designed for more powerful devices than GK107 was. As for why Apple opted to switch now and to this GPU, we’ll leave that to Apple, AMD, and NVIDIA, though it’s by no means surprising that after having run GK107 for a couple of years, they would want to upgrade to a more powerful GPU.

Meanwhile, though we don’t have M370X on-hand at the moment, at least in the desktop, where GPU performance is unrestricted by thermals, Cape Verde fares very well. The rMBP on the other hand does have thermal constraints to deal with, so performance won’t be the same, but I expect it to fare reasonably well as well. Though at the same time I’m also curious if the use of a higher performance part has impacted the rMBP’s battery life when the dGPU is active; AMD and NVIDIA both do heavy binning, so a simple extrapolation won’t work here.

Update: And no sooner do I post this then someone sends me a screenshot of GPU-Z from a 15″ rMBP running Boot Camp.

GPU-Z, for those unfamiliar with it, uses register poking to identify GPUs, so if the device ID wasn’t enough, this settles it. This also confirms the clockspeeds – 800MHz core, 4.5GHz VRAM – and that the M370X is using GDDR5, unlike it’s M375 counterpart. Thank you DMDrew812.

AMD Teases Upcoming Video Card
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AMD Teases Upcoming Video Card

Between Financial Analyst Day 2015, their briefing on High Bandwidth Memory, and now a carefully seeded hardware sample to DICE developer and uber guru Johan Andersson, AMD is making sure that no one is left unaware that they will be introducing a new…

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Crucial MX200 (250GB, 500GB & 1TB) SSD Review

Last year Micron launched M600 SSD for the OEM market, but unlike in the past there was no simultaneous retail product release. We were told that the M600 firmware features would sooner than later find their way into a Crucial branded product, which finally materialized back at CES when Crucial unveiled the MX200. The MX200 adopts Micron’s Dynamic Write Acceleration SLC cache from the M600, which is set to improve both performance and endurance at lower capacities. Otherwise the MX200 adopts the core of MX100 by using the proven Marvell 88SS9189 controller with Crucial-Micron’s in-house firmware and Micron’s 16nm MLC NAND. Is the MX200 a worthy successor to the MX100 and worth the premium over the highly praised BX100? Read on and find out!