AMD changed their mind and are now sending samples to Phoronix (albeit too late for a launch day article).

http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Ryzen-Seg...

> We will also now be receiving Threadripper and Epyc hardware for testing to confirm their Linux state.

Haha, I'll be waiting to purchase until Linux reviews surface or MicroCenter offers the same discount on TR and i9 chips.