Archive for April 21st, 2009
All Windows 7 SKUs will run on netbooks
Posted by The Right Guy in Uncategorized on April 21st, 2009
Optimized, cries Redmond
Microsoft says any Windows 7 SKU will be able to run on netbooks, and that netbook hardware limitations won’t affect the functionality of the new OS, regardless of SKU.
As there’s no end in sight to the netbook craze, this is good news for anyone running an Atom based system, or thinking about getting one. Microsoft claims the new OS has a much smaller footprint, and it will offer faster boot and shutdown times, as well as improved battery life thanks to better power management.
Although all Win 7 SKUs will supposedly be less resource hungry than Vista, and more netbook friendly, it will all probably boil down to Microsoft discounts. Redmond currently sells XP licenses for netbooks for as low as $15 a pop, and vendors will obviously go for the cheapest, or should we say most heavily discounted Windows 7 SKU. The netbook market is heavily contested, and most products are equally matched and priced, so every penny counts.
That would be the Aero-less Starter Edition, so even if we do see Ion netbooks in the next few months, all that extra graphics muscle could end up sitting around, doing nothing.
More here.
GTX 295 interferes with garage door remotes
Posted by The Right Guy in Hardware, Nvidia on April 21st, 2009
RF frequencies apparently right on par
Of all the GPU horror stories we’ve witnessed over the years, they have been very few and far from the one spotted today. According to Skydive from the EVGA Forums, his brand new GTX 295 Quad-SLI setup is emitting just the right frequencies in the RF spectrum to interfere with his garage door openers.
He claims that the problem resolves itself when he shuts off his system and notes that the problem never occurred in the past with any other GPUs, all while using the same power supply unit. He also mentioned that the system, located in his office room, is on another circuit from the garage’s power, so the problem is certainly not likely to be an outside variable.
The observation at hand begs the question of just how valid the FCC’s safety and electromagnetic interference rating approvals might be. We know that EM fields can do strange things, but as Skydive states, “[the card] has to be pushing acceptable levels by the FCC if it can jam your garage door remotes.”
More here