It looks like Microsoft have signed off Windows 7 release candidate 1, with build string 7100.0.winmain_win7rc.090421-1700:
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| Microsoft is making headway with the development of Windows 7 and closing on the availability of the first and only Release Candidate of the operating system. In this regard, the Redmond company has reportedly already signed off on Windows 7 RC. 7100.0.winmain_win7rc.090421-1700 is the full version of the Release Candidate bits for the next iteration of Windows. Microsoft has of course offered no official confirmation on the build string for Windows 7 RC Build 7100. The Redmond company has also not commented on self-leaked information that it has already made Windows 7 RC Build 7100 available to partners, and that MSDN and TechNet subscribers would be receiving the green light for downloads by the end of April with the public release planned for the first week in May. |
Be warned that the 7100 build downloads on torrent sites are almost certainly fake (see here). It's best to wait till the RC is officially released on 5th May.
Microsoft SideWinder X6 Gamer Keyboard
DragonSteelMods take a look at the Microsoft SideWinder X6 Gamer Keyboard, which looks great with a backlight:
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After reviewing the SideWinder X8 gaming mouse I was offered the chance to check out its gaming keyboard brethren: the SideWinder X6. Microsoft is slowly building a reputation for quality PC gaming peripherals and the SideWinder X6 is another step in that direction. Although the gaming keyboard market is already very crowded having another quality keyboard choice can never hurt. The new SideWinder X6 is designed for the gamer in mind yet is also an excellent everyday use keyboard. As gamers look for any edge possible the SideWinder X6 delivers features galore. How do ninety programmable Macros sound? That is a lot of WOW spells. How about profile switching? In addition we find the usual media keys, an adjustable backlight and a switchable keypad. |
Digital Trends review the stunning Dell Adamo netbook, a very small computer which is pack full of features:
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| With a chassis measuring just 0.76 inches at its crest and an innovative unibody design, Apple's MacBook Air broke ground in the high-end, ultra-slim, and super-refined laptop category at the beginning of 2008. Half a year later, HP's Voodoo unit took things a step further via the Envy, a carbon fiber-covered siren of a machine with high-end hardware features-such as a touch pad that switches itself off whenever the user begins typing-and a girth even less than that of Apple's couture machine. And now Dell's Adamo has claimed the coveted "Svelte Belt" for itself. Measuring a mere 0.65 inches at its portliest point, the system sports fine glass accents and brushed aluminum lines that will drive most tech fetishists mad with desire. It doesn't offer much in the way of functional innovation-save perhaps its surprisingly agile, low-voltage processor-but the Adamo's unabashed and undeniable sexiness ought to be enough to pique the curiosity of even the most jaded gadget aficionado. |
IT Reviewed take a look at the Dell M109S Micro Projector, which is very small but lacks some of the clarity other units have:
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| If you are looking for a projector you can carry with minimal effort so you can give presentations just about anywhere, Dell’s M109S fits the bill. It’s so small that it is guaranteed to impress your clients. The downside is that colours are washed-out compared to regular projectors and it is not very bright. There is no remote control, the touch-sensitive control panel is a pain, and an operating noise level of 32dB/35dB (Normal/Bright mode) is louder than I expected. Another annoyance is that the cable with the VGA connector is only about 2.5 feet long, which resulted in my laptop tugging the projector out of position. Still, it handles PowerPoint presentations with aplomb. If it makes you feel any better, you’d be investing in one of the most eco-conscious display technologies out there. But when there are really great performers are out there for the same price or less, you really are paying a price premium for the size. |
Corsair 6GB DDR3-1866 Dominator GT Memory
Legit Reviews takes a look at some Corsair 6GB DDR3-1866 Dominator GT Memory that bring back the DDR3 performance we were used to but with drastically reduced voltage requirements:
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| For the average consumer the Corsair DDR3-1866 Dominator GTs would be overkill; for the price of this one kit you could purchase 12GB of decent DDR3-1600C7. But those 12GB of DDR3-1600C7 may only overclock to the stock speeds of this Dominator GT kit. This is what you are more or less paying for - the binning process Corsair has undertaken to insure these kits are stable at 1866MHz |
Tech Power Up have a review of the Palit GeForce GTS 250 2048 MB graphics card, based on the G92 graphics processor that has already been used on a number of GeForce 8 and GeForce 9 design:
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| While NVIDIA claims there is some innovation in making a 1 GB version I disagree. At least Palit did something to top that and came up with a 2 GB version of the card. Unfortunately there is very little to no gain from going 2 GB. Even if we assume that there are some gains at 2560x1600 with lots of AA, the card's limited shading power will slow down any such games to unplayable framerates (~15 FPS). |
ASUS GTX 260 55nm and 4870 Dark Knight 1GB
HardOCP have a new review of the ASUS GTX 260 55nm and 4870 Dark Knight 1GB graphics cards, a great head to head:
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Looking back, the GeForce GTX 260 was launched on June 16th of 2008. In its original incarnation it was built on a 65nm manufacturing process with 192 streaming processors and 64 texture units. Three months later NVIDIA refreshed the GeForce GTX 260 and added an additional 24 streaming processors and 8 more texture units, though it remained on the 65nm manufacturing process. At the beginning of this year (2009) NVIDIA quietly made another refresh to the GeForce GTX 260 (216 core); it now uses a 55nm manufacturing process versus 65nm. These 55nm GTX 260s are all 216 core versions, and were simply quietly placed into the channel. Today we are going to look at a new model from ASUS. |
Patriot Viper 6GB 1600MHz DDR3 Memory Kit
Benchmark Reviews take a look at the Patriot Viper 6GB 1600MHz DDR3 Memory Kit, which should be plenty for even the highest end systems:
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| When most shoppers compare system memory kits, they often look for the highest speeds for the best price. Everyone is different, but overclockers and performance enthusiasts generally aim for the best combination of low-latency high-speed RAM they can get find. In this article, Benchmark Reviews tests the performance of a top-speed triple-channel product for the Intel Core i7 platform. The Patriot Viper 6GB 1600MHz DDR3 memory kit PVT36G1600ELK will be compared against several other products and benchmarked for bandwidth and gaming performance. Are the higher speeds worth the money, or can this memory kit overclock to their level? By the end of this article, you'll have your answer. |
Bjorn 3D review the HIS iSilence HD4670 1Gig graphics card, with a great looking blue GPU cooler:
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| Now a days video cards are pretty much follow a reference design, nothing that stands out from one to another manufacturer when it comes to actual card itself. But where manufacturers differ on their video cards is the type of cooling they use on their particular video cards. HIS has always been one of the fore runners on using an aftermarket type of GPU cooler's for their video cards. We at Bjorn3d going to look at such a video card that uses an aftermarket GPU cooler, and for its price range should provide the much needed horsepower we need to play today's most demanding games. We going to be looking at a HIS iSilence ICEQ 4+ 4670 1 gig video card. |
Sapphire Ultimate Radeon HD4670 Graphics Card
Big Bruin take a look at the Sapphire Ultimate Radeon HD4670 Graphics Card, which is silent and ideally suited to HTPCs:
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| Many times it is the higher end video cards that generate the most interest, but that doesn't always have to be the case. The item provided for this review doesn't have the greatest specifactions or a very high price tag, but it might be of interest to a good number of people. The card in question is the Sapphire Ultimate Radeon HD4670; a passively cooled graphics card with plenty of features other than its silent operation that should appeal to HTPC owners. With an integrated HDMI port, DirectX 10.1, 24x CFAA, and Shader Model 4.1 support, it offers some of the things you look for in a gaming graphics card, but with an obvious focus on home theater performance. |
