Today, motherboard integration refers to more advanced technology where the features, such as audio, video, network, etc. are integrated INTO the motherboard’s core logic or chipset. This improves performance because it provides high-speed pipelines from those individual components directly to the CPU and the system memory. It also saves room on the motherboard itself allowing it to become much smaller than in the old computer days.

As motherboards get more integrated, the smaller form factors have become more and more popular from ATX to mATX and now the miniITX.  The miniITX board is a 6.7 x 6.7 inches low-power motherboard developed by VIA Technologies and is slightly smaller than the microATX.

Intel has the Atom CPU which is used in most netbooks, but also has the Atom on a miniITX desktop board. The Atom is a bit lower in performance than standard CPUs, roughly like a Pentium 3, which is fine for the netbooks and for really basic home use.

Intel has another board, the DG45FC that is a miniITX, but supports many Desktop CPU chips and has onboard HDMI and DVI-I: http://www.intel.com/Products/Desktop/Motherboards/DG45FC/DG45FC-overview.htm

Our Manufacturer, Equus, thinks the miniITX form factor motherboard is the next big thing.

Check out the all of the Nobilis computer systems from Equus that we have to offer!

Thanks to Terry Collins of Equus Computer Systems for providing some of the information presented in this blog post.

Microsoft does charge a nominal administrative fee for the Windows 7 upgrade which many system builders will likely include in their system pricing.

We are currently offering three (3) Windows options when you buy a Nobilis computer from CPU Help.

Option #1: Standard Operating System

Select your preferred version of Windows Vista (including downgrade to Windows XP Pro) for factory installation on Nobilis Desktops or Notebooks.

Option #2: Windows 7 Upgrade Option

Get a Windows 7 upgrade coupon with select versions of Vista beginning with Vista Premium and qualified Nobilis Desktops and Notebooks.

Option #3: Downgrade with Upgrade

You can choose the Vista Business to XP Pro downgrade option and still choose to get a coupon for future upgrade to Windows 7.

If you would like more information on Windows 7 then please feel free to email us at cpuhelp@cpuhelp.net.

Thanks and Have a Great Day!

On June 28, 2009, All Orders from this date forward will be eligible for Microsoft’s Vista-to-Windows 7 Free upgrade offer.

There are Three versions that will be eligible for upgrades:

o Vista Home Premium -> Windows 7 Home Premium
o Vista Business -> Windows 7 Professional
o Vista Ultimate -> Windows 7 Ultimate

There will be No cost to our customers or end users to redeem this offer as long as it was purchased through CPU Help. We cannot upgrade versions that were not sold through us, you will want to check with the company that you purchased it through. Please note that Upgrade orders begin shipping October 22, 2009.

________________________________________________________________________

Downgrades:

The Vista Business downgrade to XP Pro will still be available through April 22, 2010.

You will also have the option to downgrade Windows 7 Professional to XP Pro as part of a temporary downgrade program that will also be available through April 22, 2010.

We believe that this is the first time that Microsoft has allowed a downgrade by the OEM to an Operating System (OS) that is 2 generations back.

If you have any questions or would like further information then please feel free to contact us at cpuhelp@cpuhelp.net.

The new Windows 7 version from Microsoft is due out sometime between October 2009, for the Holiday shopping season, and 2010. No one seems to be absolutely certain when it will be available for purchase but when Microsoft unveiled Windows 7 at its Professional Developers Conference some months ago it showed a great deal of operating system changes and bore a slight resemblance to Apple’s Mac OS X.

Apple’s Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard, Apple’s latest operating system, is due out in mid-2009. Apple Contends that its Snow Leopard will best any operating system it has ever released.

One of the strong points of the Apple OS X is security and the fact that you rarely, if ever, hear of a virus threat that affects Max OS. However, it has been reported that Vista, with all of it’s performance problems and the humor aimed at its inquiries to “Allow or Deny”, was the most secure version of Windows yet and many miles ahead of Windows XP on security. I, myself, have noted that there aren’t near as many Critical and Security updates for Vista as there are for Windows XP SP2 and SP3.

Windows 7, which is in actuality an update to Vista, has reportedly overcome those performance problems and will rival the security of Max OS as well as adopt some of the functionality of Apple’s popular operating systems. This will position Windows 7 to at least be equal in performance to Apple’s famous Mac OS and potentially recoup some of the market share that Microsoft has lost over the years with its fledgling Windows versions.

Here’s the Buzz about Windows 7…According to Peter Bright, of ArsTechnica, “All in all, Windows 7 is shaping up well. It’s a far more modest release than Vista was, but it’s no worse for that. The new OS introduces a compelling combination of welcome innovations and much-needed polish, and that’s exactly what Microsoft needs right now. Vista’s foundation was solid, and Windows 7 just makes it better.”

However, before CPU Help will begin recommending this upgrade to its customers, we would like to make sure that there is backward compatibility to all of the various third party applications, especially the accounting applications. This would include the various Versions of MS Office currently in use as well as the graphic and database applications that our customers use. The reasoning here, as mentioned in a previous CPU Help Blog post, is that many independent software vendors (ISVs) will not support their applications running on it [Windows 7] for six to 12 months or more.

We’ll be looking forward to torture testing Windows 7 and making sure that it is everything it is being touted as. Personally, I will also wonder if Apple will be ingenious enough to retaliate and make their OS compatible with the same programs that currently work on Windows XP. Wouldn’t that be a hoot?

About the Author:
Frank Verdusco is President & CEO of CPU Help
and can be followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/CPUHelp as well as LinkedIn.

For most organizations, skipping Windows Vista and deploying Windows 7 offers an opportunity to postpone a potentially difficult and costly operating system (OS) migration. However, there are significant timing issues that must be weighed.

Although Microsoft will support Windows XP through 14 April 2014, support for third-party applications on Windows XP will become a problem by 2012.

It is also recommended that you not deploy Windows 7 for mainstream users before the first half of 2011.

Read more…

On an encouraging note, it has been reported that Windows 7 uses less RAM and disk space than Vista which has positive implications for netbooks and other cheap PCs.

According to CPU Help’s sources, Windows XP SP3 will be available for purchase until October 2009, which may be extended based on developments regarding Windows 7 availability. Stay tuned for further updates on Windows 7.