Windows 7 vs 8.1 for SandyBridge i3 laptop

Red_Machine · Jul 8, 2017

So I've ordered an SSD for my laptop, and I'm debating about what OS to put on it. It's got a 2.3GHz SandyBridge i3 and 16GB RAM. I'm not putting 10 on it, because I don't really like it tbh. I only have it on my desktop because it was free. I'm debating between sticking with 7, or upgrading it to 8.1. The laptop was designed for Windows 7, however it has features that 7 doesn't support, such as secure boot. And I have had 8.1 running on it previously for testing purposes and it runs fine. Are there any strong feelings regarding one or the other?

Shou Miko · Jul 8, 2017

Many laptops and desktop pc's was sold with Windows 8/8.1 downgrade to Windows 7 that's why the bios got Secure boot, but u can still get Windows 7 that runs UEFI if you want that.

One thing is that Windows 8 and up got a higher disk usage on hard drives than Windows 7 ever had u can really see and feel that on a mechanical drive with the SSD I will say go for Windows 8.1 make sure it's UEFI and enable secure boot so u won't have problems with viruses/malware editing the mbr from booting and with the SSD u won't feel the higher disk usage not even in Windows 10 for that matter.

Vya Domus · Jul 8, 2017

Something doesn't make sense to me , you want to chose between 7 or 8.1 but 10 is clearly a step up from 8.1. I'm curios what makes you want to consider 8.1 but not 10 ?

Shou Miko · Jul 8, 2017

Vya Domus said:
Something doesn't make sense to me , you want to chose between 7 or 8.1 but 10 is clearly a step up from 8.1. I'm curios what makes you want to consider 8.1 but not 10 ?

@Vya Domus even my own Windows 10 Pro is a upgrade from Windows 8.1 Pro I do this everytime for my setup other wise I got some games and applications that doesn't work properly and one specific game I like to sometimes are Mafia 2 it might start, run my do make unexpected crashes but if I install Windows 8.1 and then upgrade to Windows 10 it works fine and a reinstall of this game doesn't make it work better on Windows 10 sadly.

newtekie1 · Jul 8, 2017

Vya Domus said:
Something doesn't make sense to me , you want to chose between 7 or 8.1 but 10 is clearly a step up from 8.1. I'm curios what makes you want to consider 8.1 but not 10 ?

I agree. I can't see using 8.1 instead of 10.

My daily driver laptop is an IvyBridge i3 @1.8GHz, and it runs 10 wonderfully. It only has 12GB of RAM though. These i3s from that era are still pretty usable. So I'd put whatever the most modern OS you can on it.

Vya Domus · Jul 8, 2017

puma99dk| said:
@Vya Domus even my own Windows 10 Pro is a upgrade from Windows 8.1 Pro I do this everytime for my setup other wise I got some games and applications that doesn't work properly and one specific game I like to sometimes are Mafia 2 it might start, run my do make unexpected crashes but if I install Windows 8.1 and then upgrade to Windows 10 it works fine and a reinstall of this game doesn't make it work better on Windows 10 sadly.

That's weird. I went through 7/8/8.1/10 and haven't encountered anything like that.

Shihab · Jul 8, 2017

Differences are mostly insignificant, IMO, specially if you're on an SSD.

If 10's out of the equation, go for 8.1, mostly for the reason that it'll maintain security support longer than 7, saves you a migration later on (not sure if an installation would last 3 years, though). The UI issues can be somewhat lessened by third party software, and it has been around long enough that I'd say it should be as stable as 7.

Jetster · Jul 8, 2017

7 is old, 8.1 I can't stand unless you have a touch screen. If you paid for 10 (because it came with it) then I would use it. Anything else is a step backwards. Trust me you will get use to it. Windows 10 all day

eidairaman1 · Jul 8, 2017

Whichever os costs less.

Red_Machine · Jul 9, 2017

Forgot to mention, these are all free as I was a member of Microsoft TechNet. I still have my ISOs and serial numbers. I generally dislike everything post-Win7, but I prefer to keep my main computer up-to-date regardless. This is just a laptop that I won't be using particularly often, and I'm not planning to play anything outside of old/casual games on it. I COULD put 10 on it, but right now Dell's site isn't working properly, so I can't download drivers; I already have drivers for 7 and 8.1 downloaded.

Mussels · Jul 9, 2017

Install windows 10, let it finish all the updates and disable the windows update service (chugging away at the big updates/compressing the leftover files for system restore etc at idle is what slows down these older systems with W10)

99% of my hardware is sandy and ivy, and i've tried the older OS's... win10 is the simplest to set up and the fastest for day to day use by far.

Frick · Jul 9, 2017

Mussels said:
Install windows 10, let it finish all the updates and disable the windows update service (chugging away at the big updates/compressing the leftover files for system restore etc at idle is what slows down these older systems with W10)

My i3 370M have no such problems as you describe. In fact Win10 seems a lot more friendly to all kinds of hardware than Win7. Disabling Windows update is pretty silly IMO.

Mussels · Jul 9, 2017

Frick said:
My i3 370M have no such problems as you describe. In fact Win10 seems a lot more friendly to all kinds of hardware than Win7. Disabling Windows update is pretty silly IMO.

depends on the hard drive used, i've seen plenty of sytems choke because of mandatory 1GB updates in W10 - i disable the service and manually turn it back on every now and then.

P4-630 · Jul 9, 2017

I'm on Windows 8.1 on laptop and desktop, I'm used to it not having a start menu however there is software to get you that start menu if you want it.
I wanted gadgets so I installed the 8gadged pack.
IMO it's a snappy and very stable OS.

Melvis · Jul 9, 2017

what do you plan to use this laptop for? what other software do you intend to use on it?

I vote for 7 as it just works and supports more programs then the other two and support for your hardware is better.

W10 or W8.1 will run fine and quick on it since you have a SSD for it, if it was a mechanic drive you I'd push more so for 7 as 10 is a slug on mechanic drives.

Or run all 3 and test each one for a week or two and make your decision then

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Windows 7 vs 8.1 for SandyBridge i3 laptop

Red_Machine

Shou Miko

Vya Domus

Shou Miko

newtekie1

Semi-Retired Folder

Vya Domus

Shihab

Jetster

eidairaman1

The Exiled Airman

Red_Machine

Mussels

Freshwater Moderator

Frick

Fishfaced Nincompoop

Mussels

Freshwater Moderator

P4-630

Melvis

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