Intel Sneaks in Windows 7-compatible H310 Chipset Revision

[btarunr]

Without making too much noise about it, Intel sneaked in a revision of its H310 Express entry-level chipset with support for Windows 7. Microsoft, if you'll recall, restricted support for newer processors (Intel "Kaby Lake" and newer, and AMD "Zen" and newer) on the 9-year old operating system, late-2016. There are ways around this restriction. The revised H310 chipset is pin-compatible with its predecessor, and hence major motherboard manufacturers are putting out revisions of their H310 motherboards with the newer chipset, being referred to as either "H310C" or "H310 R2.0."

To bolster this change, Intel is also releasing Windows 7 drivers for the chipset (INF Update Utility); integrated USB 3.0 controllers, the SATA AHCI controller, and even Management Engine Interface (MEI). What you don't get (yet), however, is Windows 7 versions of Intel UHD 6xx Graphics drivers, so you're restricted to using discrete graphics cards. Windows 7 refuses to die down, not just in enterprises, but also among PUBG gamers from China.



View at TechPowerUp Main Site

 

[Big_Vulture]

Many of us using Windows 10, because we are forced to use. Damn, it is great news!!! However that UHD graphics driver will be necessary too!

 

[StrayKAT]

No interest in Win 7 personally, but this was clearly B.S.

 

[Ahhzz]

Oh, nice! Good to know someone doesn't let M$ bully them all over the floor... just mostly

 

[Jism]

Because there's still alot of users on W7 such as me, and i really dislike the use of W10 with it's telemetry and forced updates bullshit which can cause BSOD's for no reason with no option to revert.

When W7 becomes EOL > Linux baby.

 

[R0H1T]

Oh, nice! Good to know someone doesn't let M$ bully them all over the floor... just mostly

You think MS bullied Intel

 

[Tomorrow]

Bought a laptop for my sister last week. Came with i5-7200U Kaby Lake CPU and OEM only offered Win10 drivers. I was able to get everything working driver wise including Integrated graphics. Tho there is only a single driver that makes Kaby Lake iGPU work under Windows 7: 21.20.16.4508

I also tried INF modding the newest driver and it did install (or seemed to) but after restart was still using the previous one.
Intresting that Intel added drivers for H310 r2 tho maybe not that suprising considering many OEM/Business machines will likely be using it and thus also using Win7 with it.
Tho it does open up an intresting (if not downright crazy) possibility of running the upcoming i9-9900K 8c/16t CPU on a H310 r2 board with Windows 7.
Before anyone asks: 8c support for upcoming Whiskey Lake CPU's was added to some 300 series boards including H310.

 

[StrayKAT]

Because there's still alot of users on W7 such as me, and i really dislike the use of W10 with it's telemetry and forced updates bullshit which can cause BSOD's for no reason with no option to revert.

When W7 becomes EOL > Linux baby.

I would too, if there was any hope for Linux gaming. Which there isn't and never will be.

 

[Tomorrow]

I would too, if there was any hope for Linux gaming. Which there isn't and never will be.

There is always hope:

 

[Ahhzz]

You think MS bullied Intel

You think Intel intentionally decided to leave behind almost 40% of the market support all on their own?

i will grant you that number has dropped approx 10% in a one-year period; from 2016 to 2017, it was something like this:

• Windows 7: 48.5%
• Windows 10: 26.28%
• Windows XP: 7.04%
• Windows 8.1: 6.96%
• Mac OS X 10.12: 3.21%

I wonder why the number of Win7 users dropped so dramatically...

 

[StrayKAT]

There is always hope:

I've been experimenting with Linux on and off since 95-ish.. a mere couple of years after Linus built the kernel. It's essentially been the same crap it was 20 years ago.. it's too chaotic to ever properly be implemented for desktop or gaming use. No matter how many proper elements and pieces they incorporate into it (graphics libraries, hardware support, etc), these type platforms need a top down approach. It's why NeXT (and then Steve Jobs at Apple afterwards) conquered the whole notion of a Unix desktop well before Linux with Nextstep.. and definitely with Mac OS X. People the world over are using the most solid UNIX desktop around, and don't even know it. That's how transparent it is. And the approach for gaming I'd say will require even more. Sony built the PS4 on top of the BSD/OS, but they had an entire network and infrastructure and partnerships to support it..and most of all, a simple vision. A million Svens from Denmark hacking Linux couldn't accomplish what a few dozen people at a corporation could. It's not exactly a technical or even economical issue, but I think just management (and following a single vision).

 

[R0H1T]

You think Intel intentionally decided to leave behind almost 40% of the market support all on their own?

i will grant you that number has dropped approx 10% in a one-year period; from 2016 to 2017, it was something like this:

• Windows 7: 48.5%
• Windows 10: 26.28%
• Windows XP: 7.04%
• Windows 8.1: 6.96%
• Mac OS X 10.12: 3.21%

I wonder why the number of Win7 users dropped so dramatically...

Intel makes no money off win7, MS also stopped selling win7 to all but the most niche customers i.e. govt or handful of enterprises that can't afford migration to newer OS for various reasons. As for dropping 40% of the market, do you really believe that people won't upgrade to Intel over win7 really? Where did that 40% number even come from, does that include systems not connected to the internet?

What about changing motherboards like socks, when has that deterred Intel? When has Intel done anything that makes them less profit

 

[AltCapwn]

With proper tweak, Win10 1803 is my favorite OS so far... After Bodhi Linux / Elementary OS /Linux Mint.

 

[NdMk2o1o]

I'm running a Ryzen 1600 w/Asrock Ab350m motherboard Windows 7 and enjoying it a lot more than I did running this system on Windows 10 for a year, stupid telemetry and updates keep turning themselves on despite me disabling them numerous times and using various different tools. Happy with Win7, I did have to create an .ISO and slipstream the USB3 drivers into it and use wufuc to get it to update on an "unsupported" Ryzen processor though I've had 0 issues with it so I'm happy.

 

[natr0n]

I dont understand how one is forced to upgrade to windows 10.

If you are intelligent enough you can find drivers for 7 if you look.

Also DX12 is not an answer as barely anything uses it.

 

[Final_Fighter]

I'm running a Ryzen 1600 w/Asrock Ab350m motherboard Windows 7 and enjoying it a lot more than I did running this system on Windows 10 for a year, stupid telemetry and updates keep turning themselves on despite me disabling them numerous times and using various different tools. Happy with Win7, I did have to create an .ISO and slipstream the USB3 drivers into it and use wufuc to get it to update on an "unsupported" Ryzen processor though I've had 0 issues with it so I'm happy.

i run win 7 on mine also. it just seems as if it was made for it.

 

[Caring1]

I'd prefer the Chinese version of W10, no phoning home, forced updates etc.

 

[newtekie1]

hat you don't get (yet), however, is Windows 7 versions of Intel UHD 6xx Graphics drivers, so you're restricted to using discrete graphics cards.

There are ways around that besides a discrete GPU. There are leaked drivers floating around that work with Windows 7.

My question though is does Windows 7 install updates on this platform, or does it still give you the "processor unsupported" message? I mean, drivers for the chipset are all great and good, but it doesn't do much if Windows won't update. Of course, I know there are work arounds for this issue too.

 

[Tomorrow]

I'd prefer the Chinese version of W10, no phoning home, forced updates etc.

Well that might have different phoning home. The safest bet is the LTSB (or LTSC) version of Win10. Aside from activation problems (needs KMS activation as it's enterprise volume licensing) it is the most bloat free version on Win10. Main problem with it is that it is updated every 3 years meaning the current version is from 2016 and next version will be released next year. It would be better if there were yearly (not forced, just new ISO for new installs) versions.

 

[Ahhzz]

I'd prefer the Chinese version of W10, no phoning home, forced updates etc.

I wonder how much telemetry in Windows 10N?

Also need to check these settings on the Win10 test box I have. I think I ran Shutup10 on it at some point...
Administrative Templates | System | Internet Communication Management | Internet Communication Settings|Turn off access to all Windows Update features
and
Administrative Templates\Windows Components\Windows Update\Configure Automatic Updates Disabled

 

[Fx]

Because there's still alot of users on W7 such as me, and i really dislike the use of W10 with it's telemetry and forced updates bullshit which can cause BSOD's for no reason with no option to revert.

When W7 becomes EOL > Linux baby.

I'm thinking similarly along these lines for the exact same reasons, but I can't give up gaming and linux isn't ready to widely support gaming yet. So I think I am just going to have two rigs; Windows strictly for gaming and a linux for productivity.

 

[lexluthermiester]

but also among PUBG gamers from China.

Not just China gamers. The are several metric tons of hold-outs stateside as well. And not just in the enterprise & gaming sectors either.

 

[Readlight]

I see for new laptop price increase for Windows 10 is 100 euro vs Linux 0

 

[lexluthermiester]

but this was clearly B.S.

How so?

It's essentially been the same crap it was 20 years ago..

I gotta disagree, have also been following Linux since the 90's as well and it most certainly is not the same beast it was then. There are dozens of very compitent and stable versions of Linux available.

People the world over are using the most solid UNIX desktop around, and don't even know it.

The same can be said for Linux. Android is the most widespread OS on the planet and 99.9% of it's users have no idea it's running the Linux kernel.

A million Svens from Denmark hacking Linux couldn't accomplish what a few dozen people at a corporation could. It's not exactly a technical or even economical issue, but I think just management (and following a single vision).

That can be true, just not all the time.

 

[StrayKAT]

How so?


I gotta disagree, have also been following Linux since the 90's as well and it most certainly is not the same beast it was then. There are dozens of very compitent and stable versions of Linux available.

The same can be said for Linux. Android is the most widespread OS on the planet and 99.9% of it's users have no idea it's running the Linux kernel.

That can be true, just not all the time.

Android is a joke and is already being replaced by Fuschia. It's only purpose was to destroy Blackberry and MS.. and hopefully Apple. It succeeded on the first two and now it's job is done. It was only good enough to get people in their ecosystem.