Edge Computing Division Users Forum

Basically, installing Windows 7 on the z510 is training for dealing with Windows 8, which gives you the most modern Microsoft browser and can be made to provide gma500 acceleration that resembles gma3600 acceleration.

Let me see if I can remember how it's done:

1. Don't install sound or graphics until after patching Windows 8 via Windows Update, at least one go-around.

2. Make sure to use the MID+Digital version of the graphics driver. The digital only Compulab graphics setting may give more screen coverage, but doesn't exhibit full-screen acceleration. That means 1024x768 is your default resolution and your monitor should have a button to display in 4:3, rather than 16:9. But test this out exhaustively and repeatedly for yourself.

3. Get rid of Intel and Realtek startup items using the task manager to prevent unnecessary kibitzing in the background that uses CPU Time, such as constant recommendations for "optimal resolution", which are not optimal.

6. Set realtek sound to 16-bit, which is the realistic setting for this chipset. Set performance to maximum on the graphics effects portion of "performance" in Control Panel. (Heard on the internet:) Set the swap file to constant size, not variable. Turn off useless devices such as IR and SD.

Use a very, very large magnifying glass to read the activation code from the label.

One more point: Without patching the system, Internet Explorer 10 is completely unresponsive on the z510. After completely patching, it is moderately, but not completely, stable for use. Google-chrome is not recommended on the z510 and Windows 8. Firefox works adequately, but is slow in the text typing area.

Let's see: That z510 burned out, my fault. So, I got a brand-new z510 and a brand-new Windows 8 32 bit. I found that setting the bios on various combinations of C-states in this W8 version simply shifts the now-fixed operating frequency from 600 mhz to 1.1 mhz, regardless of the actual operating load. There are Windows user forums out there where this problem is mentioned in connection with other cpu and computer combinations.

At any rate, using the gma500 driver on this W8 with this z510 gives a no-problem 16:9 resolution which shows up as hardware video rendering and software acceleration in many, but not all, flash videos. Probably true for Windows 7 also.

So, what is really needed is some way to get a modern 'ondemand' frequency ladder for the z510, which I suspect amounts to a call for a newer bios or some utility to trick Windows 8 into doing right by the z510. Well, actually, 'ondemand' is available in modern versions of Linux, notably Slackware 14.0, whose 3.2 series kernel supports /dev/fb0 and /dev/dri for the gma500 architecture and uses the fbdev graphics driver available in the /extra directory of the Slackware 14.0 CDROM.

Oh, latest wisdom is _not_ to update or patch Windows 8 at all. In fact, installing on, say, an AMD system gives a message that updates are not necessary, the installation is complete.

Basically, there are Windows 8 problems on other Intel platforms. For instance, the Cedar Trail platform crashes when a Windows 8 "app" is started, exactly the same way that the fit-pc2 will crash when a Windows 8 "app" is started. Maybe that's why the Intel downloads web site does not mention Windows 8.

(Note that the fit-pc3 running Windows 8 32 bits does not crash when running "apps".)