Videoguys' Thoughts on Microsoft Windows 7 (Pre-Release)

We have been getting a ton of emails and phone calls asking us about Windows 7 and compatibility with our latest DIY7 build and all our products. We are going to wait until after Windows 7 ships on October 22nd to officially recommend it, but we are very excited about it.

Let's face it, the 32 bit version of Vista was a dog. You have to go back to Windows ME to find a bigger flop. With the introduction of the Intel i7 processor we finally had enough affordable horsepower to run Vista 64-bit, and we did on our DIY7 machine. The advantages of 64 bit processing more then offset the downside of Vista. From the early reports from beta testers and the technology websites we know and trust, Windows7 is a winner! It looks like the new operating system will finally deliver on all the promise of a modern 64 bit operating system.

Windows 7 and DIY7

Once Windows 7 is released we will perform a fresh install of it on our DIY 7 machine. We are extremely confident that it will not just run great, but we will see a solid up-tick in performance. Why are we saying this? Because we've got dozens of customers all over the world running our DIY 7 build with the Windows 7 Release Candidate and editing video using our most popular software titles.

Windows 7 with NLE software and hardware

Once again, the early reports from beta testers is that Avid Media Composer, Adobe CS4, Sony Vegas Pro 9 and Edius 5 are working well on Windows 7. Some are even reporting increased performance, smoother operations and the ability to handle more HD footage and layers then under Vista64. Until we get the chance to actually run Windows7 on our DIY7 machine we can't confirm these findings, but the engineers and techs at our software vendors are leaking to us that they are also getting great results.

Note: These folks are running the NLE software, without any special video hardware. Hardware devices will require Windows7 drivers before they will function properly. We are hopeful that we'll see Windows 7 drivers from our hardware vendors within 4-6 weeks after the official Windows 7 release.

What should you do today?

Our advice is simple, have your cake and eat it too. If you are thinking about getting a new computer, take advantage of Microsoft's current offer to purchase Windows Vista 64 today with a free upgrade to Windows 7. This will allow you to install and run Vista64 now and keep the upgrade of Windows 7 in your desk until you see that our vendors, and the Videoguys' Techs, have given it the green light. When that time comes just make sure you have Windows 7 drivers for all your hardware and do a clean install of the new and improved operating system.

Get as much RAM as you can afford, and make sure that you install identical sticks, 3 at a time, to take advantage of the new triple channel architecture.

Tech Note: Running 2,4 or 8 sticks of RAM in a triple channel motherboard will have a serious negative impact on your performance.

If you are currently running your NLE workstation under Vista64, you should have no problem migrating to Windows 7 once all your drivers are available. Just remember to do a clean install. Never install a new Windows operating system upgrade over an existing version of Windows. While it may work out, if anything goes wrong it will be a nightmare to troubleshoot and resolve.