Window 7 or 8

[DiscoDes]

I will soon be getting a new laptop my budget is about £600 and most now come with Windows 8. I have no experience with Windows 8 and just wondered what other think about it?

I am considering THIS LAPTOP as I have some Debenhams vouchers.

I currently run Vista (32bit) on my current laptop and main PC and Windows XP on my work laptop.

I am reasonably "computer savvy" and have heard that Windows 8 is pants on a non touch screen device, is this true?

[vicuk]

well i have windows 7 and i think its ok i also aways buy AMD computers as it's faster than intel i dont know anything about windows 8 but i think it's for phones

[Super-Shiny]

Windows XP here, can't beat it

[sleepyduck]

Apr 12, 2013 9:06:42 GMT DiscoDes said:

Windows 8 is pants on a non touch screen device, is this true?

True

[fred]

Apr 12, 2013 9:16:54 GMT Super-Shiny said:

Windows XP here, can't beat it

You can, but it's probably against the law!

No experience of Win7 or 8
Still got Vista on the Lappy, as never been bothered to change it - prefer XP though.
Everything else is some flavour of Linux.

[Mev]

Apr 12, 2013 9:14:49 GMT vicuk said:

well i have windows 7 and i think its ok i also aways buy AMD computers as it's faster than intel i dont know anything about windows 8 but i think it's for phones

Sorry vic but AMD is rubbish compared to Intel and no way is their cpu's faster. It's a known fact.

I'd opt for Win 7 as Win 8 is designed for tablets.

[Roscopecotrain]

Windows 7 all the way. Get your ram clocked and your processor clocked and away you go.

Sent from my Galaxy Note 2

[genguskhan]

I use Windows 7

I use it on my gaming PC my sons gaming pc and upgraded both my laptops and they run better than vista

[Deleted]

I have a Windows 7 laptop and a Windows 8 laptop. Windows 8 is pretty much identical apart from the fact you have to hack the registry to disable the tablet interface ... it's bloody annoying and not designed for a keyboard only device imho. Try it out in PC World or similar

[aguavape]

Windows 7 and an intel I3 or I5 3rd gen processor. If your playing games get a dedicated graphics card. At least 6gb of ram and if you can afford it an SSD from crucial with the upgrade kit. Bigger the SSD the better as they slow down as they fill up. Windows 8 if your going touch screen however. I'd always recomend getting a commercial model like a dell optiplex as the support when they go wrong is top notch and build quality is loads better. Like everything you get what you pay for

- Own an IT company hence the LONG reply haha.

[DiscoDes]

Apr 12, 2013 10:51:39 GMT genguskhan said:

I use Windows 7

I use it on my gaming PC my sons gaming pc and upgraded both my laptops and they run better than vista

Yes, anything (almost) runs better than Vista but I've not had too bad an experience with it, I had Windows ME once (shudder) and came through that barely sane!

[womble]

I've got Win8 on my new PC, it's alright really, not worth the press it's getting IMO. Takes a few minutes/a day, to get used to it, then you're off.

I do agree it's obviously made for touch screens, but tbh we use that screen as well now and we don't have a touch screen.

I think the reason win8 has been lambasted so much, is that it's different and you've got to learn something new.

[DiscoDes]

Apr 12, 2013 10:56:02 GMT @ashmal said:

I have a Windows 7 laptop and a Windows 8 laptop. Windows 8 is pretty much identical apart from the fact you have to hack the registry to disable the tablet interface ... it's bloody annoying and not designed for a keyboard only device imho. Try it out in PC World or similar

Is it an easy hack?

Apr 12, 2013 11:21:56 GMT aguavape said:

Windows 7 and an intel I3 or I5 3rd gen processor. If your playing games get a dedicated graphics card. At least 6gb of ram and if you can afford it an SSD from crucial with the upgrade kit. Bigger the SSD the better as they slow down as they fill up. Windows 8 if your going touch screen however. I'd always recomend getting a commercial model like a dell optiplex as the support when they go wrong is top notch and build quality is loads better. Like everything you get what you pay for

- Own an IT company hence the LONG reply haha.

Thanks for the detailed answer

I think a decent SSD is not within my price range

I don't want an additional touch screen as it's a coffee table machine.

My budget will allow for a i5 or i7 and I want at least 4gb ram (as long as I can upgrade to 8gb later) and 1tb HDD.

My laptop sits on my coffee table and I use it mainly to surf and watch videos by connecting it to my 42" Plasma and suround sound system, but I am a file hoarder so like a big HDD.

Also I'm after a dedicated GFX card anything from a 630m or above would be okay, though I don't play games anymore just to help with video playback.

As I convert DIVX or MP4 files to DVD quite a bit using converxtoDVD I guess a i7 would be better.

Unfortunately the choice of new laptops with windows 7 is falling fast with windows 8 mainly installed/supplied.

[gunbunny]

Windows 7 64 bit is most stable general public operating system, Windows 8 is for tablets or touch screen devices, Intel have always been faster than AMD but AMD are cheaper and can be overclocked, unlike the latest Intel stuff, windows Vista is a system / memory hog and equivalent to windows ME which was a disaster.
Windows XP is a good operating system but getting dated and security flaws are starting to be exposed and not supported / repaired by Microsoft.
Try Ebuyer for a laptop, will be cheaper and better spec, are you a gamer ?? if not then the graphics chip is not as important to you and it will be a whole lot cheaper if you dont need it.
hope this helps

Just seen the other replies that were made whilst i was typing so ignore me where i repeat other advice lol.

[DiscoDes]

Apr 12, 2013 11:35:40 GMT gunbunny said:

Windows 7 64 bit is most stable general public operating system, Windows 8 is for tablets or touch screen devices, Intel have always been faster than AMD but AMD are cheaper and can be overclocked, unlike the latest Intel stuff, windows Vista is a system / memory hog and equivalent to windows ME which was a disaster.
Windows XP is a good operating system but getting dated and security flaws are starting to be exposed and not supported / repaired by Microsoft.
Try Ebuyer for a laptop, will be cheaper and better spec, are you a gamer ?? if not then the graphics chip is not as important to you and it will be a whole lot cheaper if you dont need it.
hope this helps

I would normally go to Ebuyer or PC specialist (my main rig is PC specialist) but I have some Debenhams vouchers.

My current laptop is a Toshiba with a 2 core AMD processor and it runs sooo hot, my work lappy is a i3 and is lovely, that's why i want a i5/i7

I used to be a MASSIVE gamer, but not any more, I was in a clan and one time was in the top 20 Half Life players in the UK, but I just lost interest in it in the end, getting too old I guess.