can someone give me a list of pros and cons of both of these systems for gaming and stuff ?

i'm using vista 64 in my current computer and was really wondering which would be a upgrade for gaming before i spend alot of money.

I only look at it one way.

Not all software and games support Win8 yet.. a lot do, but not all.

For that reason alone I'll wait until the OS is more established. It's the only reason I need.

Whichever is cheaper, newegg either has Win7 for $80 or Win8 for $80... ATM I think it is Win7. I personally prefer Win8 to Win7.. once you get used to it.. it feels alot more fluid.

I was just reading abit about win8 and the lack of a start menu and its focus is more for tablet/touch screen/mobile devices 

which tells me it wil lbe a confusing cluster F*** to learn lol.

i noticed some retailers aren't going to sell win7 anymore, atleast thats what i heard from salesman at best buy yesterday which i'm not exactly believeing this line of bs myself. 

while on the subject is there any difference between win7,home ed,pro ed, ultimate besides price ?

Home Premium has all of the features that Microsoft thinks home users might plausibly need.  Professional adds some features that may be useful to some businesses, with the idea being that Microsoft wants to make businesses pay more than home users.  Ultimate exists primarily as a way to let people who want the best of everything have a way to give Microsoft extra money.  (The most important feature of the Ultimate edition is the ability to switch between any of the language editions of Windows whenever you feel like it.)

Windows 7 Home Premium caps you at 16 GB of system memory, which was a huge amount in 2009, but less so now.  The OS-imposed memory capacity cap on Windows 7 Professional and Windows 8 is higher than you can physically get in a desktop without springing for server hardware.

Both are good and fits entirely based on personal preference imo. 

Upgraded to Win8 on my MsiGT70 gaming laptop and the diff is night and day in boot up speeds.

I think it depends if you're a facebook junkie who wants constant updates and a stock ticker and crapload of crap covering your screen.  I personally think that Windows 8 is repulsive visually as well as by design. There are just too many ways that I see Windows 8 screaming "I don't give a fat ^#$% what you want, Windows 8 is about what Microsoft wants"

it's the little things that really bother me, like if you took the standard oem installation. Windows 8 is missing out on some basic abilities that Windows 7 has. Why? So you have to go to the Windows store to purchase them (even if it's free. It's just there to make you comfortable with the Windows store)

So yeah, I have a serious dislike for Windows 8 and I am hoping that the majority of people out there feel the same, so that when the next version of Windows comes out it's designed about what the community wants, not what some $%^# engineer thinks is the profitable design just to cater to profits from microtransactions.

Originally posted by Vannor

I only look at it one way.

Not all software and games support Win8 yet.. a lot do, but not all.

For that reason alone I'll wait until the OS is more established. It's the only reason I need.

Seems to be an ongoing theme with MS. Every major release has this problem for months and i believe it's because they don't release the builds in time for devs so that the underground press won't see something they shouldn't.

I wouldn't touch it period but if i were an avid windows user I would only touch it after a whole year of being out.

I really like Windows 8.   The start menu is full screen and can be customized with the programs and apps you like.  You can arrange it any way you like.  For me it has performed the same as Win7 and my mmos run fine.  My older games from GoG run okay too.  I don't play newer single player except TL2 and it runs fine.

I like new software/updates so adjusting to the change is more of a challenge than a hassle.  Win8 pretty much has everything Win7 does plus a little more.

Win7 is a good version too.  I use it at work.  It's reliable and runs everything I need it to.  Then again there isn't anything running on my work machine that I can't run on my home machine.  Win7 will be a lot more like Vista than Win8 will be with regards to your UI interactions.  UAC is a lot friendlier in both versions and not something I have to work around anymore.

In any event it's worth buying the Pro version of each if you do any development or IT work.  If you're purely a home use then the regular edition is acceptable, but I would still recommend Pro if you can get a good deal.  The memory limit for Win7 Home Premium is 16GB.  Win7 Pro is 192GB and Win8 is 128GB and Win8 Pro 512 GB.  Not that you'll need that cap, but if you want to go over 16GB of memory then go Win7 Pro or Win8.

You can get Win8 fairly cheap until the end of the month.  It's possible to get an upgrade to Win8 Pro for $40 - $80 depending on where you go.  Starting in February the price is going up to $200 for Pro and $170 for base.  I doubt you'll get a Win7 license for $40 - $80 so the Win8  Pro should be the better deal now.

Win7 will be supported for a long tiime so it's not a bad choice.  I think Win8 is a better choice because the platform it's working on has a lot of room for innovation.  Win7 doesn't really.  It's like the pinnacle of the XP design.

hmm you guys make it hard to decide then i just posted before i'd go with win7 most likely because its familiar and like xp/vista

Originally posted by grndzro
The only differences you are likely to notice between win7 and win8 are the start screen, the boot up time, and snappier performance. Windows 8 has better guts imo.

I read this a lot yet i can barely notice a difference in speed between the two. Maybe a second faster in boot up and apps are as snappy on each, pretty much instant. SSD's kind make that benefit of Win8 irrelevant.

If i had to choose i'd probably just go with win8 though as the driver issues are few and far between (creative have driver issues no matter the OS) and it can be made to look and function almost identically to Win7 with a little tweaking if you don't like the new layout. Going from one to the other is more of a sidegrade.

Originally posted by Kabaal

Originally posted by grndzro
The only differences you are likely to notice between win7 and win8 are the start screen, the boot up time, and snappier performance. Windows 8 has better guts imo.

I read this a lot yet i can barely notice a difference in speed between the two. Maybe a second faster in boot up and apps are as snappy on each, pretty much instant. SSD's kind make that benefit of Win8 irrelevant.

If i had to choose i'd probably just go with win8 though as the driver issues are few and far between (creative have driver issues no matter the OS) and it can be made to look and function almost identically to Win7 with a little tweaking if you don't like the new layout. Going from one to the other is more of a sidegrade.

I agree with the above, though I prefer sticking with windows 7 lol. I actually like windows 8 on my tablet, its fluid and intuitive but on a desktop getting use to it is such a pain. I've actually had people request win 8 when building them a rig only for them to call me after it arrives to ask if there is a way to get windows 7 instead lol. Also if you are going to the trouble of making win 8 look and function like win 7 you might as well save yourself the trouble and get win 7. 

Windows 8:

+boots up faster than Win 7

+is really good if you have less than 10 inch screen or touchscreen

+can do some nice new tricks

-the interface isn't as optimal for large monitors as Win 7's

-worse support for using multiple programs at the same time and abysmal multi-monitor support

-if you like to play old games, it might cause some problems, but all the new games should work just fine

-requires you to le-learn how to use your computer

Windows 7:

+as older OS, it has less bugs, driver probems or compatibility problems and it's more polished

+interface designed for larger monitors, and has even good multi-monitor support

+if you're coming from Vista, the interface is very similar and immediately familiar to you

-can't do all the new tricks Windows 8 can do

-bad touch-screen support

Originally posted by Vrika

Windows 8:

+boots up faster than Win 7

+is really good if you have less than 10 inch screen or touchscreen

+can do some nice new tricks

-the interface isn't as optimal for large monitors as Win 7's

-worse support for using multiple programs at the same time and abysmal multi-monitor support

-if you like to play old games, it might cause some problems, but all the new games should work just fine

-requires you to le-learn how to use your computer

Windows 7:

+as older OS, it has less bugs, driver probems or compatibility problems and it's more polished

+interface designed for larger monitors, and has even good multi-monitor support

+if you're coming from Vista, the interface is very similar and immediately familiar to you

-can't do all the new tricks Windows 8 can do

-bad touch-screen support

Nice break down +1

Did Win 8's footprint (memory it sits in, processes running) drop compared to 7?