Most reviewers return their "free samples" AFAIK. It's the early access bit (i.e. being able to publish reviews at the same time as everybody else to get in on the initial surge of traffic) that's key.
Ya, when I say free samples, I mean the whole thing, the free samples/early access. As AMD also starts to play this whole free sample/Early access game (look at the recent past especially with fiji), can we really be 100% sure of these reviews? I mean, even the most pro AMD/Nvidia site doesn't want to lose early access reviews which is worth tons in ad revenue.
And then the sites who don't get the early access, they feel snubbed, and have incentive to write poor reviews, or just not so favorable.
Sadly though, with the way the GPU system is setup right now for reviews, there are very few reviewers without massive incentives to be biased, whether people want to admit it or not. (On a side note, this is also why I continuously recommend people to get a GPU+Adaptive sync monitor. For the average gamer, this removes all the "Which GPU is faster" out of the equation, since both GPUs will still provide a smooth gaming experience and you can just instead pick your favorite brand/cheapest option/lowest wattage, or whatever else you care about.).
Correct me if I'm wrong, but Termie buys all his video cards for his reviews right?
That's a key review I will look at as that's also a reviewer who directly tests concerns we have.