What OS do you use for gaming??

[Taniniver]

Windows 8.1, but I wish I was still on Windows 7. Start screen needs to die, I got one of the start menu replacements (Start8) after being annoyed by it for about a week.

[Firejack]

Windows 8.0 for the majority of games. Playing around with Ubuntu 12.04 LTS a bit for a few games that support Linux.

[Hideout]

Windows 7 Ultimate, Its best for 'Keyboard + Mouse' PC

[azrael-]

Can't believe I'm the only one as of yet to come clean about Windows XP...

[kalniel]

Can't believe I'm the only one as of yet to come clean about Windows XP...

There's nothing clean about XP these days

[Jellyfish]

I have been on xp for nearly a decade, and just changed over to 8.1. Been pretty confusing as i hadn't used 7 before either. I'm not hugley fond of win8, from reading about it but i don't mind it (haven't tried to optimize it, or add start bar as of yet)

[Stylin]

Windows 8.1 because I am insanity wolf and can't see what all the fuss is about over the start button

I don't like the interface. Nothing to do with change I just do not like it. They didn't have the balls to completely change the OS so they did this monstrosity. I have heard of and seen some reports that win8/8.1 can give gains in newer games but I have not played around with it much to test my self.

So to but it in a simple sentence. Win 8/8.1 is a mashed up mess while Win 7 is built off a well known and accepted style.

If only they had just upgraded the OS's performance and functionality for PC. Let the tile nonsense stay on the tablets!

[naromOG]

Personally i love the start menu of windows 8, and ill never look back

[aramil]

Windows 8.1.(upgrade 1) lol

[minicale]

Why is windows 7 in the same option as 8/8.1 when windows 7 is nothing like them and is much better

[Frankenfurter]

Why is windows 7 in the same option as 8/8.1 when windows 7 is nothing like them and is much better

Exactly what I was going to say.

More or less anyway, I can't fairly judge 8 as I've only used it for about 5 minutes. Would be interesting to see the differing adoptions though - seeing that 44/47 voters play some of their games on windows Vista OR 7 OR 8 doesn't really tell me anything new.

[DanceswithUnix]

Dual boot system. Linux for work, programming etc. Windows is on there just so I can play games.

In the grand scheme of things paying for Windows on a PC historically hasn't been a big percentage of cost, but I must admit I am resenting it more and more.

Edit to add: I think I resent it because the cost of Windows could have gone on the graphics card. That and booting out of Linux and into Windows feels like stepping out of a BMW and getting into a Trabant, because that is the only way to get to where the games are.

Sadly consoles aren't the answer for me either.

[Jonj1611]

I use 8.1, I have Start8 installed and the only time I have to go near Metro is if I accidently click it.

I don't have a problem with 8.1 but I have had a couple of games that won't run for one reason or another meaning I have had to go back to compatibility mode but they are few and far between. I have a 256GB SSD and it loads pretty quick and ready to go.

For clarity I do also have Linux Mint installed which I use for bits and pieces. I do however have Steam for Linux installed and for the games that run on linux it all works pretty well.

[mikeo01]

I've been trying to find reasons to move from Windows for years... but as always games is the reason I don't want to completely abandon it.

That and I am too used to it. I'd love to move to Linux one day however

[DanceswithUnix]

That and I am too used to it. I'd love to move to Linux one day however

I expect you will find you mostly have

I have an Android phone (Linux based), which talks to my WiFi access point (embedded Linux), which talks to the Internet through a router (another embedded Linux). I have a TV that runs Linux, which is plugged into an old series 1 TiVo which runs Linux. Linux is just everywhere, and mostly it is hidden away in appliance style devices. That is why I think the SteamBox might work, it turns a PC into another Linux appliance and Linux is really good at that.

Don't make the common mistake of confusing the windowing front end for an OS. It isn't, that is just a GUI, and they are ten a penny.

Mind you, if you are serious about networking then you need to get comfortable with the Linux network stack as server rooms are basically a bunch of Linux boxes tied together with Cisco routers.

[peterb]

And if you use Apple's OSX, that is BSD unix based, with an underlying structure not too far away from any linux installation.