As a high school senior in 1999, I started a journey that would carry me forward and through the next 19 years of my life, shaping it in ways I could not possibly understand at the time. What began as a website dedicated to the first AMD Athlon motherboard (K7M.com!) and progressed to one of the biggest hardware review websites in the US, brought me access to amazing technology and conversations with luminaries in the PC field.
I wrote hundreds of reviews, recorded weeks of video, and made many of you sit through more than 500 episodes of a weekly podcast! I was able to co-host This Week in Computer Hardware on the TWiT network for nearly as long. Just thinking about the amount of content that I typed or spoke is kind of mind-boggling.
Today marks the beginning of a second journey, one that I didn’t know would ever come. I have accepted a role at Intel as the company’s Chief Performance Strategist. In this capacity, I will help influence and drive performance leadership across Intel’s product portfolio. My first day will be in mid to late November. It is a challenge that I am looking forward to pursuing and an opportunity to catalyze Intel’s leadership even further.
As with others in my position that followed a similar path, this was not a simple decision. PC Perspective was my life, my passion, and my pride for these past 19 years. I took joy in the fact that I was able to build this up from nothing, with the help of a dedicated and intelligent team of hard-working reviewers and writers. Those of you that have paid attention will already know that my writing for PC Perspective has dwindled as my time was spent on other pursuits like Shrout Research. In my place, Ken took over the role of primary reviewer and has done an amazing job in the process.
Starting today, I will no longer be involved with PC Perspective or the content that will be posted. In reality, Ken has been managing that already with the help of Allyn, Josh, Jeremy, and the other team members. I am fully relinquishing ownership of the site to the team, removing myself from all aspects of finances and content prior to my Intel start date.
Shrout Research is another venture that closes as this opportunity opens. I am extremely proud of what I was able to create there in a short period, working with some of the largest technology companies in the world on product design, go-to-market planning, message testing, and much more. Contracts and projects have been finalized.
Many of you might want to know the why of my decision to leave behind the independent contracting and self-employment world and shift to working for Intel. For me, this isn’t a move dictated by finances (PC Perspective and Shrout Research were doing well). Nor is it one of external, negative pressure. Our team has weathered worse in both areas, and we would have done so again.
This move represents a new challenge and the chance to influence the direction of a major player in the technology field from within. The opportunity to work at a company with the legacy of Intel and be trusted with the scope of this role is humbling. It’s not often that this is presented, and after 19 years, I found the opportunity seemed like the right one, at the right time.
Not only does this career path provide a new challenge, but it also offers me the chance to create professional progress while allowing for more nights and mornings with my daughter – a significant personal plus for me.
I have dozens of people that I could and should thank for the success and opportunity provided to PC Perspective and Shrout Research over these many years. All of the writers and reviewers that dedicated time and energy to the site, the advertisers that continued to support it through the violent swings of the PC market, and the companies that were willing to take a chance on a young (relatively, at least) analyst trying to shift into a new space; I wouldn’t be where I am or have the life I do without you. Special thanks go to friends like Kyle, Tom, Jon, Bernie, Patrick, and so many others. You have been a sounding-board for more than half of my life, and I can never show my appreciation enough.
As for PC Perspective, I am confident it will continue doing reviews, news, and analysis of the hardware you love for as long as you, the reader, support them. As I said earlier; they have already been running the show without me for some time, and they will continue doing the excellent job that has brought PCPer.com to where it stands today.
As for me, you’ll be able to find my ramblings on Twitter (@RyanShrout), or if you need to reach me through email, you can do so at rshrout@gmail.com.
Finally, I want to thank all of YOU for reading my reviews, listening to the podcasts, supporting PC Perspective on Patreon, and offering valuable feedback that helped to make this place, and me personally, better.
Well, I will just say thank
Well, I will just say thank you for the years of great content and I wish you well on this new adventure!
Congrats Ryan, wish you all
Congrats Ryan, wish you all the best in your next endeavor! Thank you for the years of content and entertainment, you’ve helped keep this community going and kept us all in the loop about current / future pc news.
😮 Good luck to you Ryan!
😮 Good luck to you Ryan!
Ryan is an Intel Shill!!!
😉
Ryan is an Intel Shill!!!
😉 The best of luck to you Ryan in this new job.
Dang, that is a big move.
Dang, that is a big move. Good luck to you Ryan. Hope you get proper sendoff in the podcast.
Wow, this news makes me
Wow, this news makes me surprisingly sad – but I’m happy for you and your new opportunity. Best of luck!
So you’ve been paid by
So you’ve been paid by Shintel for years for favorable coverage and now it comes full circle with you literally taking a job with them. Pathetic and proves every bad thing said about you.
It wasn’t me who made the
It wasn’t me who made the above comment.
(No subject)
I don’t know either of these
I don’t know either of these 2 people.
LMAO
Thanks for the laugh
LMAO
Thanks for the laugh
I agree with that statement!
I agree with that statement!
So we actually found Allyn
So we actually found Allyn MALVENTANO’s friend from Intel!
I have to agree, webslaves are so pathetics…
Very well said Ryan!
Very well said Ryan! Congratulations on the new role, I have every confidence that you will do well there and will continue to be a great leader that is able to assemble a team while leading by example to get the job done the right way. Intel is lucky to have you, (and I can hear Josh and Scott coming up with some kind of Shrout Inside pun as I type this, by the way!) Thank you for everything you have done for PC Perspective and the technology industry. While I cannot call you my boss any longer, I will continue to call you my friend! Best of luck!!
As for PC Perspective, Ken has come a long way since the mineral covered intern days and I will follow his lead for as long as he can put up with me :-).
Ahhhhh, the mineral oil.
Ahhhhh, the mineral oil. Something that never happened but we all remember so well. He looked so silly covered in all that oil.
PCper is now Shroutless.
PCper is now Shroutless.
Outstanding. I wouldn’t trust
Outstanding. I wouldn’t trust Intel’s performance standards to anyone less than Ryan.
Congrats, Ryan.
Although, I
Congrats, Ryan.
Although, I wish this could have been something more than a boilerplate corporatespeak announcement post.
Wow. Happy for you. Sad for
Wow. Happy for you. Sad for losing your voice in things tech. I’m gonna guess you are not at all going to be speaking details about the job in any public manner. That would be one hell of a thing to follow.
I’m so full of emotions, I
I’m so full of emotions, I have no idea what to even say. I’ve been lissening and reading and following you so long……. I dont know what to say.
You will be missed, you can never be replaced, I hope only the best of the best for you and your family.
Also, with Mr Shrout at Intel, Does AMD stand a chance anymore? Sad day for Team Red
Sorry, it s the other way
Sorry, it s the other way around.He got quite a job to salvage a dumpster fire of a company stuck on a 5 year old proces and 7years old arh full of security holes, shill. They should pay him in gold if he fixes this mess.
Nah, AMD is fine, they got
Nah, AMD is fine, they got Scott Wasson.
Sounds like an incredible
Sounds like an incredible opportunity, best of luck!
Ryan, first and foremost I
Ryan, first and foremost I want to wish you the greatest success in your new role. I am sure you will kick ass at it and help the company improve its offerings.
Secondly I want to thank you for about 15 years of helping me constantly improve our software. Even though we were friends you never held back calling out our flaws and making me realize where we needed to improve. (Much of our day zero game driver strategy came from your articles and view points).
Third of all…. lets get ready to rumble 😉
TM
Well wishes to you
Well wishes to you Ryan.^__^
I look forward to the inevitable reunion podcast.
This, 1000 times yes.
This, 1000 times yes. BUTTTTTTTTTT you gotta get digitalkitty for that, but yea, this need to happen in a few years
Totally – was just thinking:
Totally – was just thinking: first Colleen goes to Google, then Ryan to Intel… you know you’re team is full of talent when they’re getting sniped from all ends of the spectrum :).
Well Anand Lal Shimpi(Now At
Well Anand Lal Shimpi(Now At Apple) from Anandtech, and Scott Wasson(Now At AMD) from the TechReport and Now Ryan Shrout(Going To Intel) from PCPer.
Now I’m really wanting the academic folks to get grants and start doing more Benchmarking via the Scientific Method to remove all the hidden variables from the benchmarking processes Involved with the testing consumer of PC/Laptops and mobile devices.
There really needs to be a more active academic/government partnership so some better automated testing can be developed for Benchmarking Software on PCs/Laptops and Mobile Phone/Tablet devices where all the hidden variables can be chacked for and equalizied to the best levels possible.
Memory Timings and other such settings and even the MB/Platform Firmware settings need to be discovered by the benchmarking software and recorded and collected by the Benchmarking Software Makers along with any certifications generated by the Benchmarking software for that benchmarking test run so readers can verify each benchmark done by the online press.
I’d like to see all the PC/Platform’s benchmarking variables automatically colleted by the benchmarking software under a standardized metadata format. With that subsystem developed that all benchmarking software uses to decover all a PC/Platform’s various OS/API and GPU/CPU/MB/Storage/other platform firmware and memory/other timings and system settings that are all recorded and sent in to a database that consumers could query by a generated certificaton number that the benchmarking software generates.
Really the Benchmarking that occurs really needs the help of some better automated tools that are able to properly record all a PC/Platform’s hidden variables that need to be equalizied in a scientific manner and properly recorded and sent in to the benchmarking software makers database for proper review vetting by consumers/others where all complete details on any PC/MB Platform’s settings are recorded to the most complete level possible.
Every OS out there has System Environment Variables/System Reflection methods built into the OS/Device Driver frameworks and Graphics Drivers to be able to in an automated fashon record all the settings on any PC/MB platform. That includes all of the UEFI/BIOS settings and other such environment variables including memory timings. That’s all there and necessary data that needs to be recorded and sent in along with an identifying generated certificated number for the benchmaking run.
It’s a tall order producting all the standards but that needs to be funded and the funds able to be granted to the various academic instutions for the creation of some better standards for automated benchmarking that can spot all the hidden variables and record any and all variables that can affect any Benchmarking Outcomes in an unscientific manner.
Heeee’ll be back
Heeee’ll be back
Good luck to you on your new
Good luck to you on your new adventure. I’m sure it will be equal parts scary and exciting to start.
Good luck Ryan, have enjoyed
Good luck Ryan, have enjoyed your website for many years.
Thanks for the many years
Thanks for the many years Ryan, good luck