Is Windows 10 worth it?

[shaqblogs2011]

If anyone has Windows 8, almost any new OS would be an upgrade. So yea, from the perspective of Win 8, I would not be surprised if Win10 is an upgrade!

However, Windows 7 itself was fantastic. Are there any reasons to consider upgrading to Windows 10 when coming From Win 7. Is there anything at all to gain other than a pretty looking new desktop with minor tweaks here and there?

Sure its a new OS and all the hype surrounding it. However, I am looking for completely grounded views rather than someone flying high on Cloud Nine.

 

[TheTemest]

I would like to know what the major differences are between 7 and 10 (other than 3). Is navigation within the OS vastly different? Used to be "Documents and Settings" folder which was the folder for navigating and then in win 7 it was gone. any similar changes in 10? Is it mainly a features issue (Direct X, Edge, etc.)? Have there been any "benchmarking" type studies on the differences in speed?

.....

comparing 10 Pro x64 to 8.1 Pro x64 i've gotten very slightly higher frames with 10 in a few tested games: Crysis 3, Witcher 3, Witcher 2, Dying Light, Dragon Age: Inquisition, Far Cry 4, Batman Arkham Knight(actually big step up in frame rate and way less lag with Batman AK). also got a slightly higher 3DMark score across all 4 tests.

yes, it is a better and more efficient OS. if all you do is browse the web or watch single streams of video then you will see slight improvement but nothing worth purchasing Windows 10 for.

Good info. Personally, I am not a gamer, but a good majority of folks here are. You did a comparative for games between 10 and 8.1, but what about between Win 7 and 10? Just curious.

 

[GObonzo]

Good info. Personally, I am not a gamer, but a good majority of folks here are. You did a comparative for games between 10 and 8.1, but what about between Win 7 and 10? Just curious.

havent had 7 installed in years but before changing to 8 i did the same type tests and had the same results from 7 to 8.
8 also had slightly better results than 7. so i would image the difference between 7 and 10 would be even higher than my difference between 8.1 to 10.

 

[GaryO63]

Personally,for me,I'm sticking with Windows 7.I tried the upgrade for exactly 2 days and reverted back to Windows 7.First,my boot times slowed down.I put my PC to sleep and when I came back,Windows was trying to reboot.It was using 10 - 15 % of my CPU at all times.I have an i5-4690k and the latest hardware to go with it.It was using too many resources,and I didn't feel like stopping services or cancelling scheduled tasks just to speed it up.Navigation seems more...difficult to me.My taskbar icons went from either really small to really large.And my network slowed down.To me,it seems Microsoft is designing the latest OS's for either Tablets,Touch screens,or Mobile platforms than for desktop's.I even tried Windows 8.1.Very buggy.If I do decide to go to Windows 10,I will BUY it and do a fresh install after about a year or so,just to see more feedback.I've been running Windows 7 for about 6 years,and it has been stable,fast and to me,just more user friendly.Just my 2 cents.

 

[GObonzo]

I put my PC to sleep and when I came back,Windows was trying to reboot.It was using 10 - 15 % of my CPU at all times.I have an i5-4690k and the latest hardware to go with it.It was using too many resources,and I didn't feel like stopping services or cancelling scheduled tasks just to speed it up.Navigation seems more...difficult to me.My taskbar icons went from either really small to really large.And my network slowed down.To me,it seems Microsoft is designing the latest OS's for either Tablets,Touch screens,or Mobile platforms than for desktop's.I even tried Windows 8.1.Very buggy.If I do decide to go to Windows 10,I will BUY it and do a fresh install after about a year or so,just to see more feedback.I've been running Windows 7 for about 6 years,and it has been stable,fast and to me,just more user friendly.Just my 2 cents.

i've definitely had some blown installations over the years with Windows since 98. but, what you were experiencing is not Windows 10 running correctly. it is faster and has a lot more options and security than the previous versions. but unless you're doing specific work or gaming, 10 really wouldn't benefit you or anyone in the same situation.

 

[GaryO63]

I'm pretty sure if I did a clean install,things would be diffferent.I'll wait a good year,and see where it's at.Like any OS that's new,it will have flaws and kinks that need to be worked out.I'm happy with Windows 7.

 

[TheTemest]

I'm pretty sure if I did a clean install,things would be diffferent.I'll wait a good year,and see where it's at.Like any OS that's new,it will have flaws and kinks that need to be worked out.I'm happy with Windows 7.

True. I think the only OS I bought right after it came out and there was never any bugs or issues was Windows 2000. It's still the most solid OS I've ever used.

 

[nostall]

Been following this thread and would like to thank all who have contributed; the information and experiences have helped me make my decision with my W10 experiment.
I just rolled back my ASUS G50VT laptop - 6+ years old - to W7. W10 has some feature I liked, but not enough to keep on that machine. Screen resolution is 1366 x 768, native resol. on the 15" panel.
Here are my complaints.
Except for the rapid and complete loading of my desktop, the load time seemed about 15 seconds or more longer, though the ability to have a decent picture during load was nice.
Appearance. For me, the biggest one. No way to actually adjust text size other then 100% or 125% without a lot of messing around.
Many program opening pages, even though at the non-fullscreen size, nearly filled my desktop when opened; the steam opening page (store, library, community, whichever) was the first one I noticed and it could NOT be made smaller. Norton was another. And some issues with the size of Fire Fox - speaking of which it took quite a long time to open FF every time I did so, longer then in 7. Edge opened quite quickly, but lost my home page at least once this week. (I didn't try IE)
Still talking appearance; I like the choice of windows border colors that 7 offered, but especially the ability to adjust the intensity and actually the total color (hue). This is truly a very small issue for some, but the loss of this control was important to me.
Coming back to text, the text on my desk top and some of my browser windows and program windows did Not appear as sharp as it does on W7 no matter how much I adjusted 'clear type'.
I've been working with 10 for a month today, so today was the last chance to roll back without doing some kind of clean install of 7. I must say that in many things 10 'seemed' faster, but as someone has pointed out - new installs usually are faster as there isn't as much non-OS software etc. loaded into them.

I must say that I did NOT have any issues whatsoever with any programs or games. The transition went quickly and smoothly from 7 to 10 and everything worked just fine. My complaints probably reflect more upon MS's attempt (still) to make the OS like a smartphone or tablet OS in its appearance, and for me that didn't work on the laptop.
I will probably return to 10 on the laptop about the time I convert my desktops, but until then I will stick with 7.

 

[GaryO63]

I just installed Windows 10 on a brand new SSD. Nothing on it but Windows 10.No upgrade.I installed a new MB yesterday,and my previous Win 7 upgrade from XP install was going to expire in 3 days.My product key was no longer valid.Tried to call customer service,but to no avail.I had to drive about 10 miles,but I bought it.I got the home version.It's on a cool little USB stick that my BIOS recognized immediately.It installed in about 15 minutes,if that.Loaded my Nvidia display drivers,no sweat.In fact,loaded ALL drivers,no sweat.Before finishing install, I turned off all of the privacy stuff and I'm actually going through now and customizing everything I can.I powered off after install and pointed my BIOS to my SSD.It booted to the start screen almost before I sat down.Like 4 seconds.Incredible.I just built a new rig,new SSD,case,GPU,MB etc.I haven't had a cleanly installed OS since XP. Everything was an upgrade.I liked 7.I really did.But I took the leap.So far,no disappointments.I've read countless threads on Windows 10.I was going to wait about 6 months before I installed it.The only pain is installing everything I had again.Everything is backed up,so no worries there.Oh well,I wanted a clean slate,and so far,so good.

 

[nostall]

I just installed Windows 10 on a brand new SSD. Nothing on it but Windows 10.No upgrade.I installed a new MB yesterday,and my previous Win 7 upgrade from XP install was going to expire in 3 days.My product key was no longer valid.Tried to call customer service,but to no avail.I had to drive about 10 miles,but I bought it.I got the home version.It's on a cool little USB stick that my BIOS recognized immediately.It installed in about 15 minutes,if that.Loaded my Nvidia display drivers,no sweat.In fact,loaded ALL drivers,no sweat.Before finishing install, I turned off all of the privacy stuff and I'm actually going through now and customizing everything I can.I powered off after install and pointed my BIOS to my SSD.It booted to the start screen almost before I sat down.Like 4 seconds.Incredible.I just built a new rig,new SSD,case,GPU,MB etc.I haven't had a cleanly installed OS since XP. Everything was an upgrade.I liked 7.I really did.But I took the leap.So far,no disappointments.I've read countless threads on Windows 10.I was going to wait about 6 months before I installed it.The only pain is installing everything I had again.Everything is backed up,so no worries there.Oh well,I wanted a clean slate,and so far,so good.

Glad to hear it went well. Enjoy.

 

[GaryO63]

Thank you much.Will report back in a month or so to see where I'm at with it.I've only had to install 2 drivers so far.Audio and Video.Not bad.Chrome is even faster it seems with the new update.Everything is installing and working great.Well worth it,IMO.

 

[nostall]

Thank you much.Will report back in a month or so to see where I'm at with it.I've only had to install 2 drivers so far.Audio and Video.Not bad.Chrome is even faster it seems with the new update.Everything is installing and working great.Well worth it,IMO.

GaryO63, please confirm, for me, that that install was on a regular or gaming desktop, not a laptop.

 

[GaryO63]

Oh,okay.It's a desktop.

 

[sheriff12]

Thanks for all the info! I tried Windows 10 but, after about a half hour, I switched back to 7. The main reason for this is, I couldn't find a sleep button on 10. Do you know if there is one that I didn't locate?

 

[simonchipmunk]

It depends on what you use your machine for. The OS feels distinctly faster to me, especially browsing even with older browsers rather than the included Edge browser.

DX12 will certainly offer benefits to gamers but we'll not be likely to reap any benefits from that until newer titles and drivers that support those features starting seeing implementation.

Another item to consider is the fact that mainstream support for Windows 7 ended in January of this year and extended support will end in 2020. Hardware vendors are NOT developing drivers for newer hardware on older operating systems and will be unlikely to do so just to satisfy those who don't want to upgrade which means anything you upgrade from this point forward stands a chance of not having driver support in Windows 7. Some newer drivers WILL work in Win7, but there are more all the time that will not. Developers will be focusing on drivers that work with 8.1 to some degree, but mainly their focus will be on making sure new drivers and hardware supports Windows 10. They have few if any financial reasons to continue supporting any OS older than Windows 8.

darkbreeze thanks for your ad
simonchipmunk
vice. I too found that my pcs run faster with windows 10.

 

[nostall]

Oh,okay.It's a desktop.

Thanks. Think I will wait a little longer before putting it on my desktops. Glad it is working for you.

 

[simonchipmunk]

Oh,okay.It's a desktop.

Thanks. Think I will wait a little longer before putting it on my desktops. Glad it is working for you.

nostall; I agree with you. Everytime I boot up one of my laptops into windows 10 and try to access the Internet, I have to go through the rigamarole of going to internet and sharing site ,then have it troubleshoot the connection, and then the program goes through checking out the configuration and resetting the adapter. what a pain in the rear it is.

 

[nostall]

Oh,okay.It's a desktop.

Thanks. Think I will wait a little longer before putting it on my desktops. Glad it is working for you.

nostall; I agree with you. Everytime I boot up one of my laptops into windows 10 and try to access the Internet, I have to go through the rigamarole of going to internet and sharing site ,then have it troubleshoot the connection, and then the program goes through checking out the configuration and resetting the adapter. what a pain in the rear it is.

You have my sympathy. You going to or have you rolled back to 7 on the laptops?
EDIT: that sounds like an ethernet driver issue - were you able to find W10 drivers for your network chip/card?

 

[jetblst]

It depends on what you use your machine for. The OS feels distinctly faster to me, especially browsing even with older browsers rather than the included Edge browser.

DX12 will certainly offer benefits to gamers but we'll not be likely to reap any benefits from that until newer titles and drivers that support those features starting seeing implementation.

Another item to consider is the fact that mainstream support for Windows 7 ended in January of this year and extended support will end in 2020. Hardware vendors are NOT developing drivers for newer hardware on older operating systems and will be unlikely to do so just to satisfy those who don't want to upgrade which means anything you upgrade from this point forward stands a chance of not having driver support in Windows 7. Some newer drivers WILL work in Win7, but there are more all the time that will not. Developers will be focusing on drivers that work with 8.1 to some degree, but mainly their focus will be on making sure new drivers and hardware supports Windows 10. They have few if any financial reasons to continue supporting any OS older than Windows 8.

Yep!

On my first install (the free one) I had less than desirable results. I thought to myself the very thing darkbreeze is saying here. I decided to purchase a key from Microsoft (Home $119.00), backed up my files to the cloud, and did a complete fresh install, essentially wiping my drive.

I reinstalled all my files, programs, etc., and I am quite happy with the results. I feel the same speed as stated above.

I'd go for it. (Note check with your manufacturer of your computer FIRST to make sure your machine is compliant). For example there are a few Toshiba laptops that are not able to handle Windows 10 or will not be for a while as they are getting their drivers uploaded for those who whish to upgrade to 10. Just a thought.

 

[GaryO63]

Mine is in the power icon in the start menu.I just click it,and I have the options for sleep,hibernate,restart,and shutdown.

 

[simonchipmunk]

Oh,okay.It's a desktop.

Thanks. Think I will wait a little longer before putting it on my desktops. Glad it is working for you.

nostall; I agree with you. Everytime I boot up one of my laptops into windows 10 and try to access the Internet, I have to go through the rigamarole of going to internet and sharing site ,then have it troubleshoot the connection, and then the program goes through checking out the configuration and resetting the adapter. what a pain in the rear it is.

You have my sympathy. You going to or have you rolled back to 7 on the laptops?
EDIT: that sounds like an ethernet driver issue - were you able to find W10 drivers for your network chip/card?

the drivers for the Wifi and Ethernet are up to date. Both the laptop manufacturer(IBM/Lenovo), and Century link say microsoft is to blame for the problem.

 

[GaryO63]

My upgrade to Windows 10 was less than desirable as well.I reverted back to 7 after something like 22 hours.But then I installed a new motherboard and Windows 7(upgrade) was suddenly going to lapse in 3 days unless I provided a new key.I tried to call Microsoft...what a joke THAT is.I thought about purchasing a new copy of 7,but I figured,if I'm going to spend $119.00 anyway,I may as well get Windows 10.I'm not sorry I did.I've been using it for 3 days now,and it's stable,configurable,and FAST! Especially on a clean SSD. My whole machine is brand new,and I'm very pleased with this O.S.

Here's my setup :ASUS Z97-E/USB3.1 LGA 1150 ATX Motherboard
G.SKILL Sniper Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 2400 SDRAM
EVGA GeForce GTX 960 4GB 128-Bit GDDR5 SLI Support FTW ACX 2.0+ Video Card
Intel Core i5-4690K Devil's Canyon Quad-Core 3.5GHz LGA 1150 (OC'd to 4.5 GHz)
Crucial BX100 2.5" 250GB SATA III MLC (SSD)
2x Seagate Barracuda 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drives
Fractal Design Define R4 Blackout with Window Silent ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
CORSAIR Hydro Series H50 120mm Quiet Edition Liquid CPU Cooler
. 2x Acer K242HL Black 24" 6ms HDMI Widescreen LED Backlight LCD Monitors

 

[simonchipmunk]

My upgrade to Windows 10 was less than desirable as well.I reverted back to 7 after something like 22 hours.But then I installed a new motherboard and Windows 7(upgrade) was suddenly going to lapse in 3 days unless I provided a new key.I tried to call Microsoft...what a joke THAT is.I thought about purchasing a new copy of 7,but I figured,if I'm going to spend $119.00 anyway,I may as well get Windows 10.I'm not sorry I did.I've been using it for 3 days now,and it's stable,configurable,and FAST! Especially on a clean SSD. My whole machine is brand new,and I'm very pleased with this O.S.

Here's my setup :ASUS Z97-E/USB3.1 LGA 1150 ATX Motherboard
G.SKILL Sniper Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 2400 SDRAM
EVGA GeForce GTX 960 4GB 128-Bit GDDR5 SLI Support FTW ACX 2.0+ Video Card
Intel Core i5-4690K Devil's Canyon Quad-Core 3.5GHz LGA 1150 (OC'd to 4.5 GHz)
Crucial BX100 2.5" 250GB SATA III MLC (SSD)
2x Seagate Barracuda 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drives
Fractal Design Define R4 Blackout with Window Silent ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
CORSAIR Hydro Series H50 120mm Quiet Edition Liquid CPU Cooler
. 2x Acer K242HL Black 24" 6ms HDMI Widescreen LED Backlight LCD Monitors

I am very happy for you.
I have some minor issues with 2 of my pc's that were upgraded but,otherwise,I like the program as it seems to make my pc run faster.

 

[bwallx]

2) Never go through Upgrade paths. ( once again re-installs and KEYs were a pain )......

2. Can someone confirm on this..
From what I read, Win 10 eliminates the need for a Key when upgrading or for those who upgraded and then did a clean install.

though i did have problems upgrading from the 10 TP to 10 RTM, upgrade from 8.1 was easy and went flawless. 10 Pro x64 generated new activation key and activated without a problem. i then installed 8.1 Pro on another partition and activated it with it's original sticker key. both are activated, updating, and working great.

Why do you wish to leave the Insider program and the Tech Previews anyway?

I read a lot of confusion about clean installs. My understanding from practical experience is this. I can currently upgrade my Win7/8 to Win10 for free. Simples. If I wipe my drive and do a clean install the free upgrade offer doesn't apply as there is nothing to upgrade. Simples. So you need to install Win7/8 again THEN do a free upgrade. Simples. Keys or activation doesn't come into it so long as Win7/8 is activated prior to the upgrade to Win10. [Sorry, for non UK readers, the term 'simples' is a catch-phrase from a TV ad].

As a long term Insider, I know that MS did release a series of activation keys for Win10 in the early stages and that those keys are now ALL invalid.

Finally everyone is asking "is the upgrade worth it?" . If you are the sort of user who feels they need to justify a move forward in this way then my answer is no, don't bother. If you are the sort of user who is excited by new possibilities, is a bit of a risk taker, is keen on staying up to date and being ready for the next great thing, then my answer is Yes, come and join us.

 

[Kallakix2015]

I thought Windows 7 was almost faultless. Windows 10 feels like a higher quality Windows 7 to me, but with more bugs. It isn't buggy, but I have run into some minor irritants.

 

[Ironsounds]

Hello... There are a lot People, Governments, IT's and Businesses that depend on their OS to pay the BILLs...
1) How many of these PC's, in here, Jumped in on the offer?
2) What were the results?