Windows Windows 7 or Windows 8 for gaming laptop.

Looking to get a gaming laptop from Scan, but I'm unsure as to what OS to get.

W7 has definate advantages - used to using it, I know the software works and there is no learning curve to go up.

W8 also has advantages - it has a longer support life (I generally use the same computer for at least 5 years, so support may become an issue), software will be written for it for longer then W7, it is meant to be more secure.

So, what would you get?

My requirements are that it should support World of Tanks, World of Warplanes, Civ 5, Skype, Firefox and Thunderbird among others. It will also be used to perform Monte Carlo analysis with (if any of you know it) MCNP.

I'm intending on getting the LG15 with the 7970M and 16GB RAM. Not decided on whether to get the SSD or just go for the mechanical drives, but that will depend on budget. It will be taken on the road as my evening entertainment while working away from home, hence the Skype and WoT requirement.

Any thoughts would be useful.

Andy

P.S. I did search for a similar thread, but didn't come up with a recent one, so apologies if this is a repeat of other threads.

 

Windows 8

 

Download the windows 8 evaluation edition and run it in a virtual machine on your current computer. It'll rapidly let you find out if you can live with Windows 8.

So far it's been fairly polar - some people absolutely hate it. You should definitely give it a try before committing in case you fall into the latter camp!

 

Don't do like some Windows XP users. They hated Vista so they stayed with XP, obviously they hated 7 as it's based on Vista.. and now they new computer doesn't work with XP, and Windows 7 or 8 (especially 8) have such a large learning curve that they are completely lost.
And now they sound like old grumpy man going "In my old days the back ground was green and blue... now it has a flower in Win8.. I am confused, and I assume so will me the average users. Ban Windows 8!!!".

I have Windows 8 on my desktop and laptop, and I don't regret it. In fact I prefer it. Here is why I love it (main points):
-> Start screen is the entire screen. I can put a bunch load of icons, and make nice cool groups, like Games, Office, Productivity, and have it all organized nicely. Also, unlike the old Start Menu, I can pin exactly what folder I want to access. For example if I want to pin my SkyDrive folder (or it could be your dropbox, or wtv you use), you can. Start Menu... nope.

-> Like most people, I just use the search nearly all the time

-> I saw a visible difference in performance increase in games on BOTH: Desktop and Laptop. The jump was, on my desktop, not being able to play a simple game like StarCraft above Medium-high settings at 60fps... in Windows 7 with the latest Nvidia drivers, to now I can go to Ultra settings at ~60fps. My laptop is over 4 years old (but I don't really game on it), and my desktop has a GTX 260.

-> I have gain more battery life on my laptop over Windows 7, at almost 1h.

-> As the Start Screen is full screen, when I do a search, I have more results showing

-> While I am not using StorageSpace for my desktop looks kick-ass. While slower than using a RAID card, its not picky about HDD's, or the setup... you even have USB flash drive used with it, and you don't need to spend 500$+ on a RAID card to do the same thing.

-> File History (go back in time on a file or folder)

-> Much less intrusive OS update system. In fact, you don't even know its running, but it is, and doesn't bug you to restart, as it waits on you

-> Modern UI apps are actually pretty cool on the desktop and laptop. I use News apps and Weather apps as gadgets like in Vista and Windows 7. But, they are away from my desktop, keeping things nice and clean.

-> 10h of Music listening, of 30 million songs (as big of iTunes) for FREE. Make that unlimited download, streaming, and no ads, with possibility to do playlist for 10$ a year or 100$ per year with XBox Music app (your subscription also works with the desktop Zune music software). Screw iTunes, Spotify, and the rest. This is WAY better.
(Downloaded music is only playable on Windows Phone, Zune MP3 player, Windows 7 or 8 or RT, and XBox)

Here is what I don't like about Windows 8:
-> Search results on the Start Screen has no All filter
-> Not east to shutdown/restart the computer, sleep as well but no issue for laptop (close lid, or press button button.. then again you can do that on the desktop too (press the power button and change its task)).
-> It wants to open everything with ModernUI apps if there is an app that can do that by default. Spending a few minutes uninstalling unused Modern UI app, and default file association panel fixes that.
-> Loss of network connection management panel of Windows 7.
-> Default layout of the StartScreen sucks. Once you organized things, make groups, remove a bunch of stuff, and pin folders, you are good.
-> No DVD codec anymore, however until Jan31st you can get that ability and Media Center for free. (You need Windows 8 Pro. If you have Windows 8 (not Pro) its 70$ for making it Pro and Media Center and DVD playback included)

Hardly any killer features that makes Windows 8 impossible to use as some people claim.

On my side, tech savy people and not, people like Windows 8.

 

Using windows 7 on work pc
Using windows 8 on gaming pc

Both have advantages.
Both have problems.

Cant say I've noticed any fps gains what ran on 7 runs on 8 for the most part few exceptions though.

On older video cards you never know but I update to often to notice that sort of stuff.

Only 2 issue I had on 8 that was a problem was my Linux files kept playing up.

Also had some wierd network issues under win 8 with the Internet working in one room and not in another.

Length of support for win 7 is 2020 so that's not going to be a problem.

I'd test windows 8 out first see if you can live with it as if not windows 7 will be the OS to choose.

Windows 8 also runs a lot better on a touchscreen computer than it does under mouse and keyboard.

 

Windows 8. After the MWP™ (Mandatory Whinging Period) everyone will be using it.

 

Lol and yes I agree.

Sent on my CM10 JB powered i9100 by TapaTalk 2

 

I have 2 reasons to go for W7. Firstly it will probably be cheaper for the same spec laptop and secondly W8 is an awkward clunky piece of crap. The OS itself is ok, but the GUI is possibly the worst thing Microsoft have ever done. Fine on touch screen what it was designed for but useless on a laptop.

End of rant..lol

Edit: I had W8 running on my PC for 2 hours and I put the windows 7 start menu on it, makes it 10 times easier to use.

 

Brilliant

Definatley windows 8. Metros there if you want it, and its quite easy to get rid of.

However, does anyone know how to disable the swipe things on win8, i just use the win key to get to the start screen?

 

Wrong and wrong.

1- Laptop price is the same. As Windows price has already be paid for in the price of the computer. Also retail stores returns laptops to the manufacture to be upgraded to Windows 8 and repackaged.

2- In your own words you have not experienced Windows 8. You saw a different background and you freaked out. Proof: You provided 0 argumentation onto why it reflect your view.
Like with the Task Bar in Windows 1, like the Start menu in Windows 95, like the start Menu of XP, like the start menu of Windows Vista, and like the new task bar of Windows 7, like Office 2007 ribbon bar, all of which had a vocal group of people like you that bitch and moan about it, never went away, and those who complained now loves it.

When the average consumer is more willing to try something new, and are more open to change than you, and use and decide from them-self, you know something is wrong. It's like the world just went up side down.

 

I have experience W8 and I didn't like it. The actual OS it good and has loads of useful features, it's quick and does what i need from it. it's just the GUI I don't like. So I changed it to some thing I do like.
Every one moaned about Vista, I loved it. I loved it even more when I put it through Vlite, threw out all the junk, created my own disc and made it behave exactly how I wanted it. It also improved boot times.

I done the same thing with XP using a Nlite to make a cut down version. With an old P4 and 2Gb of ram It would boot with 11 processes running and go from hitting the on/ off button to desk top in 17 seconds.

Windows is very customizable and very adaptable, whether using reg edit or downloading little programs that make it in to what ever you want. So that is what I do. Make it what I want it to be.

Edit: That said though, with modern CPU's and loads of RAM I have never had the urge to strip down W7. Maybe one day I will just for the hell of it to see just how fast I can make it go. Maybe even W*. Boot times are really quick, but a bit more speed is always welcome.

 

I found windows 8 to be puke.

Don't need or want half of what it is trying to do.

Id play with the evaluation for a bit and see how you feel, it's ultimately your computer and you should run whatever you feel comfortable with.

 

No you have not. You said yourself that you only had it for 2h. That is not even enough pass the learning curve of a game. When I first put Windows 8 on my laptop, I didn't like it either... then again I was using the developer preview (alpha) where the interface got hugely better at every update. Now I prefer it over Windows 7. Everyone I know prefer Windows 8 over 7 on both desktop and laptop. This includes my mom, and people I help get a new computer. The only thing I show them are:
-> The start menu is now full screen, so that they can see more items and arrange everything to their liking
-> Modern UI apps, which I refer as full screen apps at first, to be less technical sounding
-> How to shutdown their computer

They use it, and not one noticed that the Start button is gone. They just, by reflex, move the mouse down to the corner of the screen and click. After a month later, they are perfectly happy with Windows 8, and don't want to go back to their previous version of Windows, let it be Vista or 7 (depending on how old their previous computer is)

Wow, I had my XP boot in 19sec with an average HDD, and I didn't tweak anything. I got to enjoy the full OS.

Windows 8 support instant boot. All you need is a full UEFI motherboard and a GPU that support (or updated to support) GOP.

 

How many people even turn there pc off to notice a boot up time on these sort of sites people will have pcs with uptime into the weeks.

If I do switch mine off and turn it on say in morning.

By the time you have washed shaved got the tea and breaky made it will be ready to use a long time before I'm ready to use it. And I'd imagine most working people have a similar enough routine.

 

Windows 8.

From a desktop POV, at it's core, it's a more refined modernised version of what 7 already did well.

Your mileage may vary when it comes to upgrading an old system (I'd personally still recommend doing it while it's cheap), but there really isn't any good reason to use 7 on a new system.

 

My only concern with Windows 8 (besides the terrible interface) is compatibility. I'm curious to know what older games will work on it: Windows 7 was a little tricky but XP SP3 Compatibility Mode basically did the lot, with a little tweaking. I've always been able to get really, really old games to run on W7, and I'd miss that if it was no longer the case in W8.

 

Everything that works in Windows 7, should be working fine under Windows 8, even drivers. So you should be good. The only thing removed is XP Mode. But you can't run games on that in any case, as its just a simple virtual PC environment with a license of XP, and allows you to have floating XP programs on 7.

 

Thanks for all the replies guys. I decided to go with the overall consensus and choose Windows 8.

I'm sure I'll get used to it.

Eventually.

Maybe.

 

you don't xp mode anyway, win8pro has hyper-v built in, but you do need a proc with second level address translation you also need an xp license.

 

For the first, haven't we been doing that since Win3.11? Grouping icons on their desktop is what most people I know do.
("Pinning" everything to the startmenu/taskbar to get an empty desktop is a typical Win7 thing)
It's just the icons are a lot bigger now.

To the second...that was the real killer for me.
Does it allow you to change the file associations so evrything opens on desktop and it stops reverting to Metro all the time?