Any advantages to Win7 over Win8?

[Lovestar]

I am currently designing a build for a completely new system. So, I'm not upgrading, I'm choosing which OS to buy and install from scratch. I was going to use Win7 Pro, but before I order OS I wanted to double-check.

I'm under the impression that Win8 has several code-level improvements that make it faster, more efficient, and better than Win7 and the primary complaints are UI-oriented.

But, I'm curious if there are any technical advantages or reasons to use Win7 that I haven't heard about; anything that's 'worse' in a meaningful way on Win8.

THIS IS WHAT I USE MY COMPUTER FOR:

• 
  ■ Trivial fluff (Office programs, email, etc blah blah)
  ■ Gaming, including recording while playing
  ■ Video editing / rendering
  ■ 2D illustration/design (PS, Illustrator, etc)
  ■ Messing around in 3D programs (Maya)

HARDWARE MY NEXT BUILD WILL HAVE

• 
  ■ i7 CPU + mobo (4770K + z87 or 4930K + x79, depending on budget)
  ■ SSDs (at least one, possibly several)
  ■ HDDs in RAID0
  ■ 32 or 64 GB RAM, depending on final budget.
  ■ Dual monitors.

ABOUT MY CURRENT SYSTEM

• 
  ■ I currently use WinXP SP3, so that's my reference frame for comparison.
  ■ I rarely ever use the Start menu and access almost everything from Desktop icons.
  ■ I play my games in Windowed mode so I can quickly flick between applications.
  ■ I'm usually running many apps at once and constantly switching between them.
  ■ I usually run programs with the window maximized (for working space) and use their Taskbar buttons (at the bottom of the screen) to quickly switch between them while working.

Okay, I hope that's enough info to give me a good recommendation. I'm not 'afraid' of Win8 as long as it won't mess up my workflow or create problems for me. I just want to make sure I'm not losing any advantages of Win7 by using 8.

TY. =)

Also do I need Win 8 Pro for any reason?

 

[cklaubur]

Personally, I think the big complaint about Windows 8 is the interface changes. However, the last time I played around with Windows 8 was during the Consumer and Release Previews, which of course a lot of changes could have been made. Windows 7 and 8 seemed to run very similar on the computers I tried them on (the desktop in my sig, and a Dell Latitude D531).

Windows 7 will give you a computer with similar usability to your current Windows XP system, with most of the performance of Windows 8.

Casey

 

[mc962]

You pretty much summed up the reasons why I would recommend 8 to you over 7. I too mainly use the desktop and don't get as much use out of the start menu, and after a week I barely remembered that I had switched over to 8. While it's not worth the money to upgrade from 7 to 8 in my opinion, when buying new system I like to recommend 8. The only real technical advantage I might see with 7 over 8 is that maybe it might be more compatible with some older program/hardware, but that would more likely be on a case-by-case basis. As far as most will notice there isnt too much difference between 7 and 8 aside from the start menu, and you have said that you don't really use it much. You might wish to check to make sure that there arent any known problems with the software/hardware that you are getting just to be sure, but if it will work on 7 there is usually a high chance it will work on 8 from what I've seen

 

[Lovestar]

OK, thanks. I was put off Windows 8 at first by a lot of FUD'ing from people who are used to the XP/7 interface, but the more I look into it the more it doesn't seem like a big deal and most people on 8 seem perfectly happy.

I think I'll just be progressive. :D

 

[Zeal514]

I do the same as you, go with 8.

The only issues i've had with 8 was my wifi dongle didnt have drivers for 8, which I just installed 7 drivers and it worked fine. Turning off the computer is a pain, its like way more clicks than it needs to be. I fixed this by making a Shortcut to the power button and reset button, and placing them in toolbars on the bottom of my Start bar.

I really like the lack of a start menu, since its all on my bar or desktop. If it isn't just Windows key and type waht you want, click your done. Its very nice UI 1nce you get used to it. The start menu is pretty much useless, I never use it myself.

 

[mc962]

You can also get to shut down by doing alt+f4 from the desktop, it's about the same number of clicks as it would be through the start menu