Please convince me that Windows 8 or 8.1 is better than 7 (GA Inside)

I have Win 8 and I really don't see what the hate or love is about. It's really nothing horrible and really nothing special either. If you have Win 7 then just keep it. There's no reason to get Win 8 unless you're getting a new computer. All the complaints about Win 8's interface is just people not liking change and unwilling to learn. Once you learn the interface it's perfectly fine. I agree in that the "metro" apps (or w/e the hell they're called) are really useless on a conventional computer; but the fact that they exist doesn't really bother me other than setting new file types to not open with them.

As for gaming, I've noticed absolutely nothing about Win 8 that limits me in my scope of games. There was one update prior to 8.1 that really fked up a game but that's passed and fixed. Other than that one errant patch I've had no problems.

As far as the interface goes, I think Metro is crap. But download a replacement start menu and boot to desktop and 90% of the crap you won't have to deal with. As far as speed goes, yeah Windows 8.1 runs much quicker.

all in all sounds lik a gamble and a pain

use a Chinese OS instead then

The metro interface is crap but honestly the only time I ever even see it is for two thirds of a second when I want to launch something since searching for stuff works the same as it did on the Start menu (and it's faster for 8/8.1). Everything else is faster and more responsive. Still, if you've already got 7 there's no reason to pay for the upgrade.

Look you just need to run windows 8.1 one time, try it, if you like the OS and the changes go for it, your pc will run faster, if its an AMD APU it will run a litle more faster and get a 15% boost over the graphics, Then again you need to like the way the OS run, its really easy and not all that hard to learn, 30 minutes and you be good to go.

Then if you dont like go back to W7, its nothing really big, you will not have any gain over the pc but since its a fresh windows you will feel it faster, and you will use it the way you like, windows 8 is windows 7 with some options and visual changed, thats why he give a better performance but its w7 at the core so go for the one you like the most, and if you still want to change theres always ubuntu or the new revision of the windows 8.1 with the promisse of run the interface as w7.

i wouldnt take windows H8 even if you paid me to. i would rather throw my comp out

I'd strongly recommend going for Windows 8/8.1. It gives you all of the fancy features that people have already mentioned, including excellent native dual monitor support, a much more powerful Task Manager, a more intuitive file explorer and file copier, and automatic background synchronization.

Best of all, if you're turned off by the Modern UI and all that comes with it (as am I), you can entirely cut yourself off from that by using Classic Shell. In fact, I'd even say that I prefer Classic Shell to the Windows 7 start menu, both for usability and customization.

In case you're a more visual person: take a look at this.

Never touch a running System.
If the support will be set for Windows 7, then you can look like after a different operating system.

Stay away from Windows 8... as far as you can!

I had to create custom batch scripts to retrieve lost user accounts after every system update installation for two notebooks running Win8 for my friends - because MS support answer was to create new account, manually copy all files to new account, rebuy all metro apps again.
Other than that, I found my short experience with Win8 annoying, but it usually is that way with new system (I hated WinXP until SP1, got constant activation issues with SLP Vista and my Win7 at the beginning was constantly destroying some files to the point I had script doing backup on every system shutdown).
I haven't touched Win8.1 yet and I'm running Win7 myself. That's because my rig and my OS are always from the same era, 20 years of experience taught me that.

i got windows 8.1 olbigatory, but once steam os is finished im taking it.

1. Metro
2. Start Screen

These alone make it infinitely better than 7, though I'd really prefer they did away with the Desktop altogether. :/

i use win7 and wait for Win9 :þ

Sorry, I don't have any argument to convince you. Actually I don't think they ever exist.

So basically your too lazy to do research so you ask everyone else to? Because of that all I'll say is if you have win7 already, there is no point in upgrading to win8, if you dont already have win7 and are looking for a new OS, get win8. The only reason its hated it because of the stupid metro interface but... you never have to use it. Windows explorer is much better on win8 and its uses less resources than 7 and win8 works just as well for gaming as win7 did with a performance increase of around 1fps in games (I know its fuck all).

...And as I always say, ask on a actual tech forum not SG, purely as you'll get more help and better answers but this question has been asked a million times really so you just need to do some searching.

If you have a copy of Windows 7 somewhere, use it.

Else, upgrade to 8 directly.

7 and only 7.

Running 8.1 myself.
Ill never go back to 7!!
the metro interface is great when using your big screen for your pc.
older games can give you shit tho.
If your not playing old games go for 8.1 no doubt

Some people just want to watch the world burn...

It's not.

It has caused so many games to stop working..I don't know why it is called an upgrade, everything is just awesome in W7.
W8 is hardly upgraded from W7.

I've spent some time with Windows 8 in a VM and after taking the 15-20 minutes it takes to learn the ins and outs it honestly felt the same to me.
You hear a lot of negativity surrounding the Modern UI but from my experiences I was rarely using it after the initial setup. Oh, and the easily replaceable Start Menu (which I've come to realize I hardly ever use).

Something big I don't like is that I've gotten so used to the Aero theme, it seems really plain to me. Compatibilities issues are also always a bit of a worry, but unless it's something really obscure and made before 2000 and barely works on Win7 anyway I don't think you'll have a problem. As for the whole "app" thing, which I think is what really annoys/confuses some people, I'm not a fan.

Whether or not you want to use Win8 is up to you though. Sure, under the hood Windows 8 does do this and that better but overall I found it's just another flavor of 7. If you're comfortable with 7 and are worried about compatibility, stick with 7. If you think you might like 8 try the evaluation copy in a VM.

http://i.imgur.com/UdMoNCF.jpg

this is how my win8 actually looks.

If you want to play older games too stick to Win 7.