Windows 7

[Arcmanov]

x64 version wukkin like a charm too...



For some reason I could not OC the 4870 to 790 MHz in Win7 x64, and complete the bench.  3DMark06 would
always crash at the SM3.0 tests, so I had to drop it back to 785 MHz.  I'm sure I could use 790 in a cooler environment.

Interesting how a drop in 5 MHz GPU core clock results in a whole 150 point difference,
but still, performance-wise, both Win7 versions 'seem' to be dead on-par.

[Spazosaurus]

The RC and RTM are VERY close as far as I can tell in term of performance.

[Nephilim]

http://blogs.msdn.com/wga/archive/2009/07/30/windows-7-oem-product-key-leak.aspx

rape?

ms responds to the leaked oem key

[Arcmanov]

HA!!!

Tha OEM key have them SKIPPIN yes.

OK, so they blacklist that ONE set of keys...and then what?
I sense an epic fail coming.

[Spazosaurus]

The minute they blacklist the current key, another one will come out...literally the next minute. I think we can all agree that any method to circumvent "workarounds" will be bypassed, one way or another, one time or another.

"I do not believe it to be a matter of hope, Councillor. It is simply a matter of time." - Morpheus.

[woodyear99]

Steups netbook prices better not go up significantly due to 7, hope there will be more linux/chrome flavors in the future.

http://www.i4u.com/article26167.html

The whole reason netbooks are attractive to customers is because they are low-cost, quick-booting, portable computers with good battery life. The 'low-cost' part is crucial, because it's what has allowed so many people without the money for a new desktop or notebook to pick up netbooks. Unfortunately, that benefit of the platform may soon be fading away, leaving us with another example of why you should never trust Microsoft.

When netbooks first rushed onto the scene, many of them were Linux driven machines. The low cost and popularity of these computers grabbed Microsoft's attention and got them to throw their hats into the ring. Since Vista is too much of a resource hog for the average netbook to handle, Microsoft licensed XP for a very low price. This didn't make them much money, but it did give them the bulk of netbook market share.

Now Windows 7 is due to release this fall on a bevy of netbooks, all of which will be higher-priced machines than the ones we're used to. Microsoft is going to charge manufacturers a hell of a lot more to license Win 7, and that's going to drive prices up across the board. During Ballmer's latest talk he even promised to “readjust those prices north”.

There's still a hope for the netbook market, and its name is Google Chrome. It looks like manufacturers are backing away from Android as a netbook OS, and no Linux distro is ever going to be popular enough to draw a substantial amount of customers away from Win 7 products. But Google's Chrome might have the name recognition and ease of use to pull that off. Since it's open source, any netbooks made using the browser-based OS will be cheaper than their Windows counterparts. The only question is, will Chrome arrive in time to stop the price inflation?

[Spazosaurus]

I strongly believe that they should leave the option of having XP for new netbooks. Nobody not saying they cant have 7 too, but XP is lean enough that it can be used effectively on lowly specs. As good as 7 is, I dont see it handling as well AT ALL, what with its demanding video subsystem and larger footprint.

So you can have the lower end netbook segment where the machines are less powerful and run os's in xp/chrome/linux class and more powerful ones that can handle 7. Anything short of that totally defeats the purpose of what the concept of the netbook is all about and all, except for a select few, would just go ahead and buy a normal laptop with better specs that sports a lower price tag and call that george.

[woodyear99]

Aren't they going to phase out xp gradually once they roll out Windows 7? I guess they will keep it around once there is significant demand and hopefully they will offer incentives for 7, price drops anyone?

In terms of lower end netbook specs, these specs keep improving who knows how powerful these machines will be a few months from now.....

[Spazosaurus]

Yeah netbook improvement is certainly inevitable, but are they going to get Dual cores at least 2ghz, a decent gpu (read Intel gma4500 mhd or higher) and 4gb memory?

Yes, such a powerful cpu is needed for operation that's on par with XP. I ran 7 with a ulv c2d dual core with 2gb memory, and the performance was less than stellar. Personally, I wont recommend anyone go with 7 unless their machine meets the specs I outlined.

[woodyear99]

Yeah netbook improvement is certainly inevitable, but are they going to get Dual cores at least 2ghz, a decent gpu (read Intel gma4500 mhd or higher) and 4gb memory?
Yes, such a powerful cpu is needed for operation that's on par with XP. I ran 7 with a ulv c2d dual core with 2gb memory, and the performance was less than stellar. Personally, I wont recommend anyone go with 7 unless their machine meets the specs I outlined.

True a wait and see, though I cannot see netbook prices going significantly higher since what benefit is there to consumers. I doubt the microsoft marketing team could really persuade people that 7 is so much better than xp especially on simple netbooks. These machines are mostly used for web browsing and other simple tasks, if it aint broke then don't fix it right.

[chinarakinda]

Uh i run windows 7 on my netbook and its seamless, the performance is great. Intel atom 2 ghz, onboard vid card, 1 gb ram.

Windows 7 Ultimate mind you.

[woodyear99]

Lol Chinara I believe we have the same model netbook :p , and yeah 7 works great so far...

[Spazosaurus]

Uh i run windows 7 on my netbook and its seamless, the performance is great. Intel atom 2 ghz, onboard vid card, 1 gb ram.

Windows 7 Ultimate mind you.

Well that is certainly interesting. How does it run compared to xp on the same machine? And how long have you been using it on the machine?

[woodyear99]

I using an Asus 1000HE and it runs comparable to xp, haven't done any benchmarking but what I can say is that typical day to day tasks such as web browsing, office etc. pose no problems and more importantly I don't see any slowdown even when having a few windows open. I was pretty impressed to play 720P mkv files on the machine via CCCP and Core AVC.

[Spazosaurus]

Well, that is certainly some good news, but undoubtfully, xp will run faster on a netbook than 7, and it will be a lot cheaper too. It makes sense for them to leave this avenue open in this segment so at least you get netbooks at the price they were meant to be sold.

Would you netbook users like to have to pay $100 more for the same machine, just because it has 7 on it?

[Arcmanov]

Yeah, I'm running it on my MSI Wind, and there are areas where its definitely slower than XP.
Don't get me wrong...it works great, but I found XP to be a little faster overall.

[woodyear99]

Yeah it works great, though xp would be faster in certain areas I agree. I was just really surprised at how well 7 performed after initial installation. Totally usable I must say.

That being said having to pay an extra 100 us or so for a machine with 7 definitely not worth it nah. I just wondering how much longer they will sell xp for, the os has been around for such a long time, they gonna have to pull the plug eventually.

[W1nTry]

Windows 7: Four reasons to upgrade, four reasons to stay away
By Matt Lake
Created 2009-08-04 03:59AM

The release of Windows 7 to manufacturing [1] begins a tale of two operating systems: the one you want and the one you don't. It is packed with improvements and cool stuff, but it still carries a whiff of Vista that may put XP diehards off. That said, people who have gotten used to Vista will enjoy the fact that Windows 7 looks the same but acts a whole lot better.

Like many people who compute both at home and at work, I use XP and Vista as well as Mac OS X Leopard, and I like elements of all three. So I've been watching the beta and RC versions of Windows 7 very closely. Does the final "release to manufacturing" (RTM) code [2] -- the same code that will ship with new PCs and retail versions of Windows 7 in October -- merit a jump from any of my current platforms?

Full article:
http://infoworld.com/print/86152

[Arcmanov]

Showstopper?

I don't think I've ever run 'chkdsk' in Windows anyway.  Always at the repair console.
A simple patch could fix that right up.

[woodyear99]

Pretty much what we have all been seeing in the betas and RCs.....good stuff indeed.

http://gizmodo.com/5330609/windows-7-review-you-can-quit-complaining-now

Could Windows 7 accomplish everything that's expected of it? Probably not, but it makes a damn good attempt. We've tested the gold master, the final version going out on October 22. Upgrade without trepidation, people. With excitement, even.

Windows 7 is not quite a "Vista service pack." It does share a lot of the core tech, and was clearly designed to fix nearly every bad thing anyone said about Vista. Which ironically puts the demon that it was trying to exorcise at its heart. What that means is that Windows 7 is what Vista should have been in the public eye—a solid OS with plenty of modern eye candy that mostly succeeds in taking Windows usability into the 21st century—but it doesn't daringly innovate or push boundaries or smash down walls or whatever verb meets solid object metaphor you want to use, because it had a specific set of obligations to meet, courtesy of its forebear.

That said, if you're coming from Windows XP, Windows 7 will totally feel like a revelation from the glossy future. If you're coming from Vista, you'll definitely go "Hey, this is much better!" the first time you touch Aero Peek. If you're coming from a Mac, you'll—-hahahahaha. But seriously, even the Mactards will have to tone down their nasal David Spadian snide, at least a little bit.