Windows 8.1 vs Windows 7

[bunny]

These are my specs:
Processor: AMD A6-5200 APU with Radeon(TM) HD Graphics
Video card: AMD Radeon HD 8400 / R3 Series
RAM: 4.0 GB
Operating system: Windows 8.1

So, here's the thing, I've been searching for a long time which windows is the best for gaming and stuff and alot of people say it is windows 10 but my pc can't handle it because it is kinda old PC. So, I was reading some discussions about windows 8.1 vs windows 7 and I really cant decide which one is better, I am concidering downgrading my pc to windows 7 but I'm still not sure... So here's the question:
With these specs I have in the start of this discussion, what is best for my pc: Windows 7 or Windows 8.1?


(Btw my pc is from like 2013 I can't really remember but i hope this helps a bit).

Guys i tried windows 7 but it made no difference, so i think ill stick with windows 8.1... Thanks for helping me out! :)

[Andrius227]

Got an ssd? Its essential to have your OS on an ssd. It makes any pc run like new. I even had an ancient core 2 duo running windows 10 and it felt just as fast as my i7-5930k when browsing or doing other desktop stuff...

[Cathulhu]

Windows 7 is no longer supported.
And to be honest, neither Win 8.1 or 10 will give you a great gaming performance due to the slow hardware and the lack of a dedicated videocard.

[pasa]

So you were "searching" for 7 years while using it -- I say that is good indication to just leave it as is.

[Omega]

Windows 7 isn't an option due to the fact that it is no longer supported.

Windows 8 is just like Windows 10 bloated garbage. If 10 runs horrible on your machine 8 will not run any better.

Linux would be a better option if you are willing to try it out. Distro's like Manjaro XFCE and Xubuntu use 1/5th the RAM Windows does.

Linux would require some slightly advanced tweaking to get the best game support and performance on your machine. You will have to switch the AMDGPU driver for (Experimental yet stable from my experience) Vulkan support. Everything on Linux runs on Vulkan. Your card will default to the Radeon driver which only supports OpenGL.

[mtono]

i cant believe that windows 10 doesnt work on your pc...it should...imho
??
edit: i am sorry...the a6-5200 is weak. i didnt know that. just had a look

[nullable]

Nguyên văn bởi perfect15:

i cant believe that windows 10 doesnt work on your pc...it should...imho
??
edit: i am sorry...the a6-5200 is weak. i didnt know that. just had a look

I'm sure it works. OP seems to be holding out hope for some sort of software configuration that will provide "optimal" performance for his hardware. And that configuration will mitigate the hardware's age and meager performance.

If he can't afford better hardware and has nothing better to do, then jumping through those hoops may seem worthwhile.

I remember spending untold hours fiddling with Windows XP and back in SP1 days and could get it to use 56MB of RAM on a clean boot. Not terribly worthwhile or beneficial, seeing as I had 512MB at the time anyway. It was just a thing I could do, so I did.

[mtono]

ok

[Jamebonds1]

Neither. Get windows 10 instead.

[bunny]

Nguyên văn bởi Jamebonds1:

Neither. Get windows 10 instead.

I can't, when i installed my pc was all slow and stuff

[Jamebonds1]

Nguyên văn bởi piru.JPG:

Nguyên văn bởi Jamebonds1:

Neither. Get windows 10 instead.

I can't, when i installed my pc was all slow and stuff

A better option would be to build a new PC.

[bunny]

Nguyên văn bởi Jamebonds1:

Nguyên văn bởi piru.JPG:

I can't, when i installed my pc was all slow and stuff

A better option would be to build a new PC.

I dont have any money :(

[AbedsBrother]

Windows 7 would work - I've installed it on an old Pentium 4 PC - but yeah, Win7 isn't getting security updates anymore, so can't recommend it.

There is a 32-bit version of Win10 iirc, maybe try that. Sure, you'll lose access to some ram - 32-bit can only address ~3.3GB of system ram. But with the video part of your APU also using system ram the memory won't sit there unused. You'll lose the ability to run 64-bit applications. The upside would be a significant reduction in ram usage by the operating system, perhaps allowing your system to run fast enough to use Win10.

[nullable]

I don't think the 32bit version of Win10 would perform better, and certainly not so much better that the RAM restrictions would be offset. I mean OP is free to try. But some basic research is going to expose being able to address more bits isn't a performance concern.

[AbedsBrother]

Nguyên văn bởi Brockenstein:

I don't think the 32bit version of Win10 would perform better, and certainly not so much better that the RAM restrictions would be offset. I mean OP is free to try. But some basic research is going to expose being able to address more bits isn't a performance concern.

My suspicion is that Win10 didn't run well on the OP's system because he tried the 64-bit version, which would have used almost all of his available system ram at idle. (Assuming he has between 512-768MB of system ram allocated to be video memory - this is an APU after all). So a slimmed-down Win10 might run just fine. Hence the 32-bit suggestion (since 32-bit OSes take less ram to run).

[xSOSxHawkens]

Why do you all think windows 10 is heavy?...

In *actual testing* not just someone's opinion, window 10 has consistently been shown to be lighter and faster than 8/8.1, as light or better than 7. You can boot and use 10 with less resources than either 7 or 8. Is almost as light as xp was but with all the advanced tech added to the os since then.

A proper ssd and 10 can run on a pentium 4 or weaker. I have installed it and used it fine on an E1-1500 apu thats *way* slower than an r6.