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Vista PC Reviewed: HP Pavilion Slimline s7700n PC

This HP Pavilion Slimline s7700n PC is actually the second PC with Windows Vista pre-installed that I worked on. The first one was Gateway® GT5404 Desktop.

UPDATE: Download and install the latest nVidia GeForce driver to enable higher resolution display. I tested it with Samsung SyncMaster 940MW at 1440×900 resolution.
http://www.nvidia.com/content/drivers/drivers.asp

HP Pavilion Slimline PC is roughly one-third the size of a mid-tower PC. Previously it was equipped with Intel Celeron, AMD Sempron, and AMD Athlon 64 Processor. HP Pavilion Slimline s7700n PC is equipped with AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ dual-core processor.

Product specifications:

  • AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ dual-core processor (2GHz)
  • 250GB Serial ATA hard drive
  • 1GB DDR2 PC4200 RAM (2x512MB); Supports up to 2x1GB
  • Multi-format/dual-layer LightScribe DVD drive
  • 5 USB, 1 FireWire, 1 VGA, 1 headphone, 1 microphone, 1 S/PDIF out, 2 PS/2, 9-in-1 memory card reader
  • 54g Wi-Fi LAN (802.11b/g)
  • 10/100 Ethernet
  • Integrated nVidia GeForce 6150 LE video card with 128MB dedicated memory and TurboCache
  • 1 PCI slot
  • 56K bps data/fax modem (occupying the PCI slot)
  • Windows Vista Home Premium

It is a great Windows XP machine, but it is a little sluggish running Windows Vista. I eventually upgraded the RAM to 2GB (2x1GB) and it’s been running a lot better.

Windows Vista uses around 800MB of RAM right after it finishes booting up. The computer was unusable for the first few minutes when it has only 1GB of RAM. After Windows Vista settles down it uses around 500MB of RAM; that’s before having an anti-virus software installed. It is imperative to have a minimum of 2GB of RAM on this machine if you want to run Vista comfortably.

This computer is equipped with nVidia GeForce 6150 LE video card with 128MB dedicated memory. It also takes 191MB from the sytem RAM. It has one VGA port, no DVI. It has no problem driving a 22-inch flat panel at 1680×1050 resolution. It has one PCI slot available, so theoretically a PCI graphic card can be added. Unfortunately it will only accommodate cards with shorter bracket. At this point there is no option to adjust the amount of system RAM shared by the graphic card. There is no such option in the BIOS or in nVidia control panel.
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Review: Slingbox Pro (Part 1)

Watching live TV on the computer has never been easier thanks to Slingbox. I first heard of Slingbox roughly two years ago. Such device was still new and somewhat pricey. Sony even had their own version of such device which is now called “LocationFree® TV Box”. In the eyes of many Slingbox was one of the first in this particular industry. Sling Media (the manufacturers of Slingbox) introduced its new line of Slingbox on September 28th, 2006. They introduced Slingbox Pro, Slingbox AV, and Slingbox Tuner; the succesors of the original Slingbox.

A friend asked my help to set up his new Slingbox pro. He wanted to connect the Slingbox pro to his HDTV receiver, but unfortunately the Slingbox HDTV adapter was back-ordered. We decied to connect the Slingbox Pro to a standard cable TV for the time being. The installation was easy and we watched TV on a Macbook Pro shortly after within the local area network.

So far it has been a pleasant experience

to be continued…….

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Megadeth New Live CD Appears First on iTunes Store and Napster

Megadeth new live DVD “That One Night – Live In Buenos Aires” is released today. The CD version is scheduled for release sometimes later this year. Without any announcements, the “CD” is made available on online music stores such as iTunes Store and Napster.

This is one of few instances when songs are released on the online music stores first before the actual CD. A lot of times, new CD’s are leaked on to the internet days, weeks, and even months before the actual release dates. The fact is, most of the times the recording, mixing and mastering of the CD’s are done long before the actual release dates. Advance copies of the songs are the likely source of the leaks. The songs can easily made available for purchase on the online music stores whenever someone leak them on the internet.

Artist can greatly benefit from this model by releasing some of their songs early on the online musi stores before the CD release date. Online music stores are the perfect medium for new singles.

Now, if only we can get rid off those pesky DRM……….

For sure fans of Megadeth are now buying the songs on iTunes Store and Napster to accompany the DVD.

Megadeth “That One Night – Live In Buenos Aires” on iTunes Store (iTunes required)
Megadeth “That One Night – Live In Buenos Aires” on Napster

Megadeth “That One Night – Live In Buenos Aires” DVD on Amazon.com

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Megadeth: “That One Night – Live In Buenos Aires” Audio is Available on iTunes Store

Megadeth “That One Night – Live In Buenos Aires” DVD is released today. At the same time, the audio version of DVD is also available on iTunes Store. Supposedly the CD version of “That One Night – Live In Buenos Aires” will be released later this year.

this is one of few instances when the “CD” appears on iTunes Store first before the actual CD itself.

Megadeth “That One Night – Live In Buenos Aires” on iTunes Store, click here.

Megadeth “That One Night – Live in Buenos Aires” DVD

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Apple Updates iTunes and QuickTime

Apple releases updates to iTunes and QuickTime.

iTunes 7.1 adds support for the Apple TV and also supports a new full screen Cover Flow and improved sorting options.
QuickTime 7.1.5 delivers numerous bug fixes and addresses critical security issues.

http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/

iTunes 7.1 and QuickTime 7.1.5 are available for Mac OS X (10.3.9 & 10.4.8) and Windows 2000 (SP4)/XP (SP2)

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Heaven and Hell Tour 2007 US Dates Announced

Tour dates and line-up for “Heaven and Hell Tour 2007” US Dates

Ticket Pre-sales starts on March 9th

The Bands:

Heaven and Hell
Ronnie James Dio, Tony Iommi, Gezzer Butler, and Vinny Appice reunites as “Heaven and Hell” for the first time in 15 years. It is confirmed that they will be playing Black Sabbath songs off The Dio Years.

Megadeth
Dave Mustaine is back with Glen Drover, Shawn Drover, and James LoMenzo; having just completed “United Abominations”, the latest and the first album from this line-up. “United Abominations” is scheduled for release on May 08, 2007. Megadeth live DVD “That One Night – Live in Buenos Aires” is scheduled for release on March 06, 2007.

Machine Head
New CD “The Blackening” is scheduled for release on March 27th, 2007.

For more informations:
http://www.megadeth.com/index.php?section=killingroad

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