Windows 8

[Flexin]

Who has a computer with Windows 8 and what do you think of it?

James

[pauldun170]

I have it running.
Its a wee bit annoying transitioning between programs and its seems stupid the way they have it set-up with the separate desktop environments.
However, like any major shift you get use to it after awhile.
My overall recommendation is if you are buying a new PC\Laptop, just go with Windows 8 as its the current\latest OS. Windows 7 is now the past.
If you are thinking about doing an OS upgrade from windows 7 to windows 8, not really worth it.

I have it running in vm's.

I'll try and toss in more details later...taking cvare of holiday stuff right now and people are yelling at me to get decorations out of the attic and crap

[Homeslice]

Only time I'd buy 8 is with a tablet. For a PC/laptop, no way, I would rather buy old stock with 7 on it.

[Flexin]

It would be for a new computer. My desktop is running XP, my laptop is running Vista and I have a BlackBerry Playbook.

A newer computer would make my life easier with some of the things I am doing. I will just need to see if I can afford to get one now and what specs.

If I buy something I don't want to go crazy. My laptop was around $1000. The desktop was about the same. My desktop before that was around $2400. Under $1000 would be a nicer range without a monitor.

I'm thinking of an i7 processor. Undecided on the amount of ram I want. What are your feelings on that?

James

[pauldun170]

Originally Posted by Flexin

It would be for a new computer. My desktop is running XP, my laptop is running Vista and I have a BlackBerry Playbook.

A newer computer would make my life easier with some of the things I am doing. I will just need to see if I can afford to get one now and what specs.

If I buy something I don't want to go crazy. My laptop was around $1000. The desktop was about the same. My desktop before that was around $2400. Under $1000 would be a nicer range without a monitor.

I'm thinking of an i7 processor. Undecided on the amount of ram I want. What are your feelings on that?

James

Bang for buck is definitely outstanding nowadays and you don't have to spend a lot to get a really nice performing PC or laptop. If you build it your self you could put something really nice together especially since you can get Windows 8 for cheap.

You looking at OEM or homebuilt?
Desktop or Laptop?

If you are looking at laptops, it may be worth waiting until next summer since intel is going to be releasing a major architecture update that should really be a huge jump in battery\media\processor performance.

4gb is fine but 8gb is the way to go. 8GB ram is so cheap nowadays I can only recommend 4gb if budget is tight.
i5 are probably the best choice for most folks who want a strong CPU. i7's are best if you have specific things that need the extra threads.
For most people, the i7 is not worth the extra money.

What exactly are you doing now with your computer? How many peripherals will you have hooked up?

How old is the current laptop and desktop?

[Flexin]

Originally Posted by pauldun170

Bang for buck is definitely outstanding nowadays and you don't have to spend a lot to get a really nice performing PC or laptop. If you build it your self you could put something really nice together especially since you can get Windows 8 for cheap.

You looking at OEM or homebuilt?
Desktop or Laptop?

If you are looking at laptops, it may be worth waiting until next summer since intel is going to be releasing a major architecture update that should really be a huge jump in battery\media\processor performance.

4gb is fine but 8gb is the way to go. 8GB ram is so cheap nowadays I can only recommend 4gb if budget is tight.
i5 are probably the best choice for most folks who want a strong CPU. i7's are best if you have specific things that need the extra threads.
For most people, the i7 is not worth the extra money.

What exactly are you doing now with your computer? How many peripherals will you have hooked up?

How old is the current laptop and desktop?

Both computers are about 7 year old or so. Bought the desktop just before starting the detail shop and the laptop was around the time I started the used car business.

I want to replace the desktop first. The kids use the laptop. I use the desktop more. I'm kinds looking at OEM. Not sure yet.

What do I do with it? Forums and Porn...why? Is there anything else on the web? I spend most of my time on forums and working on my site. Because of my site and kids I find I'm looking for pictures a lot on my external. That can be a pain a times but I find things get bogged down when I try to reorganize the external. I also want to play around with making shot videos. I wouldn't call myself a power user but I like to have the power there if needed.

Another thing that has be looking at a i7 over an i5 is the length of time I seem to keep a computer. The extra power is nice 5+ years down the road.

As far as ram goes I won't be going lower then 8 gb but I'm wondering if I should go higher.

James

[derf]

some reviewers are already saying that 8 will go the way of vita if current projections are going to stay the way they are

[pauldun170]

Originally Posted by Flexin

Both computers are about 7 year old or so. Bought the desktop just before starting the detail shop and the laptop was around the time I started the used car business.

I want to replace the desktop first. The kids use the laptop. I use the desktop more. I'm kinds looking at OEM. Not sure yet.

What do I do with it? Forums and Porn...why? Is there anything else on the web? I spend most of my time on forums and working on my site. Because of my site and kids I find I'm looking for pictures a lot on my external. That can be a pain a times but I find things get bogged down when I try to reorganize the external. I also want to play around with making shot videos. I wouldn't call myself a power user but I like to have the power there if needed.

Another thing that has be looking at a i7 over an i5 is the length of time I seem to keep a computer. The extra power is nice 5+ years down the road.

As far as ram goes I won't be going lower then 8 gb but I'm wondering if I should go higher.

James

Keep in mind that there isn't exactly a lot of "extra power" between an i5 and an i7. An i7 is basically an i5 with hyperthreading and in some case a slight speed advantage. Only in applications that take advantage of the extra threads will you see a significant advantage.

What that really means is that an i7 is an excellent choice over the long run but if it starts messing with your budget to do so you will not lose much by going to an i5 unless you are using applications that really need the capability offered by the i7.

Desktop
Having said that, looking at what you actually do with your computer I would recommend an i3-3xxx with 8gb RAM, a big ole monitor and picking up an SSD.
Matter of fact I would say it should be mandatory you get an SSD, preferably a 256gb or greater Samsung 830, Samsung 840, Plextor M5 or Crucial M4.

If you are still within your budget, then bump up to an i5. For what you are doing, an SSD is more beneficial to you tan having an i7 over an i5.

Laptop - Don't buy a laptop this year. Wait until next summer. Intel will be releasing a MAJOR architecture update and it is supposed to be an unicorn shitting, penis extending ball of titty machine when it comes to laptops.
Insane battery life, a huge leap in performance free cookies whenever you open the laptop cover. That sort of thing.

If you really need a laptop, there are so many options out there between intel based and amd based, various manufacturers and whatever support plans they offer...I'm not sure where to start

[Papa_Complex]

Messed with it a bit, a while back before the release. Hated it. The design is obviously biased toward touchscreen devices like tablets and it tends to get in my way.

[pauldun170]

Right now, my home network is all nicely setup with Windows 7 homegroup of 3 PC's and a laptop.
Windows 8 plugs right in to the existing homegroup and Skydrive integration is nice. Sharing libraries and cloud crap integration looks like it should be decent but I need to take care of an issue with adding remote shares into my libraries. Stupid index issue that I experienced once in win7 but cant remember what I did to deal with it.
Integration with facebook\google\microsoft crap is ok. Still need to play around with calendars but photos is nicely done. However, there it seems to be connecting to folders on other PC's that I did not explicitly allow (edit- looks like a skydrive thing). I don't like that even if it is in the confines of a local homegroup.

Metro UI just doesn't work well at all for non touch screen users.
Another note on touch screen and the big push for it...
Fuck off.
I have a nice 24 inch monitor. Why the hell would anyone think sitting at a desk and constantly reaching up (ergonomic issues right there) to leave big greasy finger prints on a touchscreen would be great idea?

Oh..I know...we are supposed to throw out all of our office furniture and replace them with "surfaces" so this way we can crane our heads down while swiping away on a table.

So far the maximum amount of windows I can have open is 2 in metro and its fairly limited. I couldn't use metro at work. I definitely do not like the way its parks programs in memory.

I've been doing a lot poking around but I have yet to seriously try and configure win8 appropriately for my use at home. I might buy a one or two licenses before the deal they have on it is up but I do not see myself upgrading any of my PC's just yet to this.

For now I'm sticking with eval copies in VMs.