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The benchmark numbers are in, is Windows 8 any faster than Windows 7?
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Read more.Quote:
The benchmark numbers are in, is Windows 8 any faster than Windows 7?
Not defending Apple here as I am not big fan of their politics but tablet OS on Apple devices looks, feels and is tablet OS. Desktop OS is once again - desktop OS. While I like that Windows uses basically same core and can run nearly identical software (except on RT one that is) - there is no differentiation between the two. Why would I need touch-screen Modern/Metro/Annoying GUI as default (and without official possibility to default to Desktop only) when I don't have a touch-screen? And why would I need a touch-screen on desktop PC in first place when I am more than 1m away in first place. I am 6'2 but still my arms are not that freaking long and it's not comfy at all.
So.. I think it is very capable OS its just that it was ruined by it's inability to default to Desktop (I can live without start menu, never mind that one, we have keyboard shortcuts for Run etc.). I don't want an OS that everyday screams at me - look, I have touch-screen functionality but you don't have one! In your face! No thanks. Hope next version of Windows will be actually smarter not just "smarter".
can you compare an AMD BD or PD on win8 now? would love to see what imporvements from the OS alone there are
My own experience (limited as only installed a couple of days ago) is that w8 feels a lot quicker than w7, it may be simply as a function of quicker to start and quicker to start programs. I am still not really happy with it as an OS but cannot fault it on speed
+1 to this, please? :hexlub:Quote:
Originally Posted by HalloweenJack
The Win 8 thread scheduler is meant to be better optimised for BD-style modules, so it'd be interesting to see whether AMD do get any gains from Win 8...
From what I have Experienced is that Windows 8 gives a great performance increase on machines with not as powerful hardware compared to the massive power rigs that either gamers or enthusiasts have. I mean From using windows 8 in both a corporate and private environment I can find pro's and Con's to it compared to previous OS's and I can see the most common question coming up if people do migrate to windows 8 and that is where is my start Bar??. But from what I can see if that Microsoft are trying to push towards touch and ousting out the old traditional style of Windows(desktop/menu etc)and this is from Microsoft trying to get get a hold on the markets that are currently dominated by both apple and android devices. Although I find not much of a performance increase on my powerful AMD machine at home compared to my weak dual core machine in the office. But all in all I like it and I find it quite easy to work with in both environments. :)
They did get gains in the early previews - but so did the Intel offerings, in some cases more than the BD ones.Quote:
Originally Posted by scaryjim
"Microsoft needed to bring its flagship product up to date in a radical new way, and in Windows 8, it has finally combined the power of the PC with the flexibility of the tablet."
I think the above quote from your review is the problem most folk will have with this new OS - it is quite obviously geared for tablets and if Microsoft wanted to try and corner that side of the market they should have done so with a new OS that was solely written for those devices and not the "jack of all trades and master of none" that they have ended up producing.
At the very least they should have offered up different versions of the OS so users could have had Windows 8 tailored a bit more towards their own needs - whether that is desktops or indeed tablets.
8 is quite a bit quicker than 7 - although in this review the boot times for both look very long indeed compared to my system(!) Is hexus including POST etc?
Typically I see boot times of ~8 seconds - my ulv laptop is near instant. Apps also seem to load a heck of a lot quicker too.
Windows will never be all things to everyone - and you can already do what you mention anyway. I hated explorer in 7 - so I replaced it. If you don't like MUI or the start screen there are several alternatives.Quote:
Originally Posted by edvinasm
Yes MS have an agenda in what they're doing, and no it's far from complete in this version (how the heck could it be?) - the only question for buyers or upgraders is really whether there is something they can't do to tailor it to their individual needs. I suspect the answer is more often than not obvious - they can - as I very rarely read substantive reasons as to why 8 can't work for them. There can be solid reasons too - like driver compatibility (or lack of drivers altogether) but it's extremely rare to see them posted. Equally it's fine if you don't want to spend the cash :)
OTOH today I read about some good apps for the Surface - and it was kind of weird to realise I could try them on my desktop (and I must admit I quite like news bento) even though I don't have the tablet. Interesting.
I think MS learnt a lot from WinCE, WP and the complete failure of XP on tablets to think some new direction might be warranted.Quote:
Originally Posted by davidcrofter
Coukd you test DIRT3 please?
Another +1Quote:
Originally Posted by HalloweenJack
The scheduler in W8 was supposed to be a big deal so it would be interesting to see how it stacks up against intel in this scenario.
"The touchscreen experience is practically nonexistent(1), music and video content is served primarily by third parties(2), the game selection is drying up(3), and there's no central app store(4)."
1. So?
2. So?
3. No it isn't, go check steam.
4. We don't want one.
Although on the whole win8 looks reasonable, i see no reason to upgrade from 7 as yet.
Obscurity: so far I have ditched the music and video apps for the simply reason that they are advertising hoardings, gone back to the old WMP - if I want to stream music or video I go to you tube or equivalent or use internet radio stations. I do not care about touch - if anyone puts their greasy fingers on my nice shiny monitor the fingers get broken.
Waiting for Firefox and Chrome to deliver W8 browsers so I can then choose to ditch IE10
What's stopping you form using Chrome on Windows 8 now? It works fine.
From Lion OS X onwards there's a rather annoying full-screen Apps system, unlike Windows 8 however, feels like it was slapped on purely to add the feel of an iPad to the desktop (it's not as useful). Likewise, there's a similar attempt at an app store, granted not quite the same but Microsoft clearly isn't alone here, mostly it's a way for OS makers to charge money on programs.Quote:
Originally Posted by edvinasm
Chrome already supports Windows 8 including Modern UI mode, though there seems to be an occasional close-down bug where it thinks it hadn't closed cleanly but it's nothing major.Quote:
Originally Posted by cjs150
On another note I'd also like to see BD and PD performance comparisons in Windows 8 and, yes the Hexus figures did include POST, would have liked to see them without + a review on a Windows 8-ready motherboard, which passes over to Windows almost instantly; performing a little in-head counting, on my Phenom II 1090T with a Vertex 4 SSD, boot-up and shut-down times were very similar to Hexus figures once I removed POST from the math and so fairly accurate I'd say. This should be much shorter with the correct motherboard in reality.
My old ACER Timeline core2duo 1.5GHz with 5900rpm hard disk is blazing on Windows 8, the benefits are much more significant on a machine with I/O and CPU bottlenecks.Quote:
Originally Posted by Boywilluk
The Good
Has the best Start Screen of any OS
Introduces a centralised Windows Store
Improves on the Windows 7 desktop
Were you guys sipping the special Hexus brew last night ?
Indeed, surely the 'improvements' to the desktop are negated by the fact you're forced to switch back and forth with the tablet interface, and the app store is surely only a plus for tablets?Quote:
Originally Posted by OilSheikh
I also would dearly like to see these tests repeated in a separate article with an FX-8150.
Just installed Windows 8 Pro N (UK) and there is no "add features" function available to install Windows Media Center. It seems to be a bug with the UK (and French) editions. Or a feature.
Actually, I do, although the one they created is nothing like what I hoped they would make.Quote:
Originally Posted by Obscurity
After using various distributions of Linux, I have become enamored with the concept of repositories (even though I think Linux in general is way over-hyped). In Windows, since a lot of software is not free, the repositories of Linux would not be much use, but I figured that Microsoft might be able to create something half-way between a repository and an app-store that would serve the same purpose as a repository (you can update all or most of your installed software in one go) while at the same time allowing companies to charge for their software.
When I first heard about the app store in Windows 8, I thought that we might finally see something like that in Windows, but I was wrong. It's just a plain old app-store.
My thoughts entirely...what a ridiculous summary of Windows 7, particularly points 2 & 3 as highlighted by Obscurity. Will video & music only be served by Microsoft in Windows 8? So Youtube, iPlayer, iTunes, Netflix etc etc are going to disappear overnight? And in what universe is the selection of games 'drying up' under Windows 7? The only restrictions for running games under particular versions of Windows in the past has come from Microsoft itself; it restricted certain games from running on XP as a means to push people in the direction of Vista, & later Windows 7.Quote:
Originally Posted by Obscurity
Nothing wrong with the app store thing (although i'd have a problem if they banner other stores like steam) but it would be way better if it covered desktop apps and their updates. Makes you wonder where Windows Update is placed now that the App Store deals with pushing updates for MUI apps..
Quote:
Originally Posted by spraint
Probably because of reliance on having Media Player installed?
Feature. The whole point of the 'N' variant is that it has no Windows Media Player/Center.Quote:
Originally Posted by spraint
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-GB/windows7/products/What-is-Windows-7-N-edition
That, I must admit, was my reaction.Quote:
Originally Posted by OilSheikh
I have no particular objection to W8, other than that it makes me jump through hoops to get back to a UI I want. So I may well elect to just not jump through them.
I've seen comparison tests between Win 7 & Win 8 where Win 7 comes out on top in benchmarks, all depends on which review sites you visit. I don't think there's much between them in terms of performance and faster boot times in Win 8 mean little to me if I'm then forced to navigate the Modern UI, (aka Metro Interface) on my PC which uses a standard monitor, keyboard, and mouse. Put simply, after using Win 8 for a few weeks I see the Modern UI as nothing but an obstacle to be worked around, I have no love for it at all. Windows 8 will be great for tablet users and other devices using touch screen technology, not so great if you use a keyboard & mouse, so I definitely will be sticking with Win 7, and you can stick the "Modern UI" and the "Charms" menu where the sun don't shine, that's just me.
i think i will stay away from Win 8.
Not impressed at all. Not even if i was given a copy.
Understood, but this is after installing WMP via the link MS gives, so that should make it code identical with the vanilla release. No versions come with WMC. That has to be installed subsequently via activating a code. Except I can't for some reason.Quote:
Originally Posted by devBunny
Well having upgraded for a mere £25 I have to say I like it - it's different and switching between apps is actually very easy because of the multitasking bar on the left hand side of the screen. I don't feel the new start menu is very difficult to use at all.