"The other thing is that these things do cost money to review so not everything can get its 15 seconds of fame like it should."
Anand, Tom, and the others do not pay for their hardware, I assure you. How does Hard[OCP] afford to cripple so many Thunderbirds that should belong to someone who needs it, not some fool. Rambling..
When dealing with hundreds/thousands of units, a few cards to the various review sites doesn't dent the companies profits. It will increase sales due to the recognition it will receive, if anything.