Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 for gaming?

[Codbo2]

So I am building a gaming PC:

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/C7xpD3

Which OS would be better for gaming? I prefer Windows 7, but I've heard that 8.1 has quite a few performance improvements over 7. Which one should I choose?

 

[ronintexas]

Both are solid operating systems - I personally like Windows 8.1 over Windows 7 (never thought I would say that) for new computers. The only downside is some of the older hardware (printers, scanners, etc) are not compatible. If you have devices bought in the last couple of years, they should all work. I purchased Start8 to go with Windows 8 - and it looks and feels really close to Windows 7 with additional features.

 

[mbreslin1954]

I second that advice. I never thought I'd like Windows 8, but with Start8 it operates just like Windows 7, and it does have improvements over Win 7. I would also advise to go with Windows 8.

P.S. I LOVE the task manager in Windows 8 much more than that of Windows 7. You can see the hard drive activity on every hard drive and the network activity on every network port, all from the main Performance tab of the Windows 8 task manager.

 

[Codbo2]

Both are solid operating systems - I personally like Windows 8.1 over Windows 7 (never thought I would say that) for new computers. The only downside is some of the older hardware (printers, scanners, etc) are not compatible. If you have devices bought in the last couple of years, they should all work. I purchased Start8 to go with Windows 8 - and it looks and feels really close to Windows 7 with additional features.

Could I possibly get an Aero theme for Windows 8.1? That's really the only thing I would miss from Windows 7.

 

[ronintexas]

They have similar themes - but not the exact Aero theme.....Stardock (Maker of Start8) has several add-on packages that give you some great options....

 

[velo3100]

I have not noticed any performance difference between 7 and 8.1 in games and in normal use. So I would say it depends on the interface you like the best and which one you find the easiest to use.

 

[manidontevenknow]

i cant find the exact page now but when i was deciding between a intel or amd cpu i found some benchmarks comparing same hardware vs win 7 and 8. windows 8 on average has more fps and is alot snappier than 7

 

[ronintexas]

I run both - the biggest difference is boot speed. Windows 8.1 boots in less than 5 second on my PC - as compared with 20-30 seconds on Windows 7. Programs launch a bit faster as well.