Windows 10 vs. Windows 8.1 vs. Windows 7 Performance

jfreemont said:

Anecdotally, I'd say that Windows 10 is faster than Windows 7, but it just doesn't seem as snappy as Windows 8.1.

Windows 8.1 is just extremely fast. It boots fast, apps open quickly, it shuts down quickly, etc.

I was going to say, I had installed Windows 10 Build 10240 (hoping to set myself up as an Insider again). I ended up bailing because of activation issues but that's not the point. I did notice that Windows 10 ran very quickly on my old HP Compaq Small Form Factor DC7600 (1 GB of RAM and a 20 GB IDE HDD).

However, I bailed and installed the x86 build of Windows 8.1. Well crap, it's even FASTER, and it looks nicer. For those who lament Windows 7, I think 8x with Classic Shell just looks and acts like a flatter, faster Windows 7. That's just me though.

jimbo45 said:

My idea of pleasant music is a night out at the Opera preferably followed BEFORE the event by a decent meal in a proper restaurant -- no "Take aways" or vile stuff like that.

However as far as W10 is concerned - It works fine for me - better than W7 / W8 / W8.1

My main complaints

Modern popular music --HIDEOUS

I agree with quite a few of the things you said. Windows 10 seems even faster than Windows 8.x on both of the machines I have it running on.

And on my main gaming rig, I have about half a dozen DAWs (Digital Audio Workstations) to compose my own music. I'm afraid that some of it ... some of it ... possibly might fall under the category of that modern and/or thump thump music you despise. :)

But even if I write something that is techno or electronic in nature, I try to make it do more than just "thump" -- I try as best as I can to actually put melodies and hooks in it.

And I'll keep on writing it because I enjoy it and I think it's good. I've got fans on SoundCloud. But to each their own -- everybody has different tastes and has the right to like what they want. What a boring world it would be otherwise. :)

But anyway, back to the topic at hand. Even though Windows 10 seems fast, I guess it can't work miracles with hardware that just isn't up to the task. Over the weekend I upgraded my mom's friend's laptop. It must have just had a traditional 5400 RPM hard drive in it, because even with Windows 10 it still took a little patience waiting for the desktop to continue loading. Otherwise though, she seems happy.

I'd say that 10 feels just like 8.1 to me and both better than 7. I do play a lot of computer games and always have and I'm 67 years old and retired. I'm seeing a few old fuddy-duddies here who are younger than me. I've been playing World of Warcraft since Nov. of 2005 and still enjoying it. I also use Facebook daily, and Twitter occasionally. To me a computer is for fun and entertainment, nothing too serious. I also do a good deal of online shopping and my bank is completely web based. I have a good collection of games on Steam, GOG, UPLAY and Origin. I like the first person shooters and the driving games. I hate the Grand Theft Auto series though and honestly feel it should be banned. I have been playing video games since the Pong days and was a huge Legend of Zelda addict. Every computer I have owned has been bought primarily with gaming in mind. Having said that, I don't own an Xbox and haven't used the Xbox App. It also hasn't caused me any problems either. The parts of Windows 10 that I have no use for, I don't use and have disabled. Things like Cortana, Task view, the Search box in the taskbar, Hibernation and fast boot, some of the default apps but not all, and even System Restore. (I do regular system images) I use Classic Shell to give me the Windows 7 style Start Menu but all my most used things have desktop icons.

All my games work fine in 10 and so does everything else. I did have to reinstall Chrome which somehow got messed up in the upgrade but it's working fine now. I really only use it for streaming to my Chromecast device and for the very few pages that don't work right in my default browser, IE 11. Edge is okay but not a finished product yet. I'm happy with 10 and looking forward to the games which will support DX 12. That's the main reason I upgraded. If not for that, I may have stuck with 8.1.

I do agree that the modern popular music is horrible. Give me The Beatles, Eagles, Stones, Santana, etc. Music where people actually sing, play their instruments well, and melodies are important. I also like smooth jazz, some modern Country, and some Classical. I've never been into Opera at all. I hate rap and metal. I can only take about 3 seconds of either one before I have to hit the mute button. Some Techno is okay though. I am somewhat of a fast food aficionado though. Getting dressed up to go out and eat is too much of a chore, especially since I don't even own a suit jacket or tie.

Like I said, Windows 10 boots, shuts down, and performs pretty much the same as 8.1 did. All programs and games open just as fast and perform just as well. Some of the games actually perform a little better.