The best version of Windows. The best version of Windows Which windows is better 8.1 or 10

Windows 10 has been rolling out for almost a month. The guys from Microsoft made a good marketing platform, but even it does not answer questions regarding the advisability of switching to a new version of the OS. In fact, there is nothing surprising in this case. One has only to remember what the situation was at that time with the release of the same “seven” or 8.1.

The release of each new version was always accompanied by doubts from potential customers. After all, they are not aware of what to expect when upgrading to a new version of the software. Equally important, on this moment missing complete stable version tenth generation, based on which any conclusions can be drawn. However, according to experts, the differences in the beta version and the final release will be minimal. Accordingly, it is advisable to start conducting this kind of checks right now - we are unlikely to be able to see a noticeable difference in the future.

System performance

To check the performance indicators, an HP Specter x360 laptop was used as a “guinea pig”. It contains LPDDR3 memory with 8 GB, identical to a 128 GB SSD, “brains” Intel Core i5-5200U, as well as identical BIOS. To carry out the tests, the PCMark 8 Creative Conventional benchmark was used, the task of which is to simulate everyday tasks - such as video files, browsing, games and group chats via video conferencing.

According to the results obtained, the advantage of the tenth generation is at a minimum. Approximately the same difference can be seen in other testing programs.

As for gaming applications, without support for DirectX 12, the difference is more obvious, but not so great as to indicate a qualitatively different behavior.

Testing did not affect file system, duration of work in offline mode and so on. In fact, the conclusion suggests itself: even though both systems have very good performance parameters for our time, it showed only a slight difference in performance before 8.1. This, in turn, can be classified as a disadvantage, because it is unacceptable for a modern operating system. And this is taking into account the fact that Microsoft representatives claimed that Windows 10 will have significant differences.

In front of you is a graph that shows the time in seconds required to fully load the operating system when exiting sleep mode. The graph is designed in a rather unconventional way: the lower the value in each field, the better. Interestingly, the results of this test revealed the following: the “ten” cannot even overtake the 7th generation. This raises a number of questions for developers, who claim that it will be possible to get started even faster, and this despite the increased load on the processor during startup. Windows 7 loses almost one second to Windows 8.1, which is quite logical. But for the top ten to be two seconds behind 8.1 is unacceptable.

Although, on the other hand, it is not worth drawing exact conclusions. Even due to different behavior on different devices ah, where a fundamentally different filling is installed.

In terms of archiving speed Windows files 10 also loses to previous generations. Even though the difference is insignificant, a number of uncomfortable issues for Microsoft engineers cannot be ruled out in the future.

Interface differences

Perhaps one of the most exciting news is the introduction of the traditional Start menu. This suggests that the developers really understood their mistakes made in the eighth generation, deciding to listen to the opinions of their customers. After analyzing user opinions, we can come to the conclusion that using a touch-based interface is a fundamentally absurd idea.

However, a complete “back to past” should not be expected. The company decided not to abandon the successful solutions implemented in Windows 8. For example, the engineers decided to leave “live tiles”. The color of the start menu, as before, will adjust to the color scheme of your desktop.

The redesigned Start menu allows you to call up the traditional list of programs, but its size can now be changed at your own discretion. “Live tiles” from the eighth version are also present here. You can scroll through it without opening all applications, as was the case in the previous version. The user is also not imposed such a command as placing applications in the start menu from the official Windows Store Store. If this action is not taken, the icons will appear in the basic list along with other programs installed on the computer.

Charms Bar is no longer there

Both Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 came with the Charms Bar. Buyers licensed versions it has long been said that this is a completely useless program that takes up additional RAM. In version 10, it is used exclusively on touchscreen laptops and tablets. You will not find this panel in all other devices.

When the developers decided to fully return the desktop, the guys from Microsoft thought about a number of innovative solutions, with the help of which it would be possible to improve the traditional user interface. And one of them can probably become the most effective and useful. We are talking about the possibility of creating multiple desktops. It is noteworthy that this function has existed in OS X and Linux for a long time.

Using this approach in user interface, the computer owner has the ability to create several desktops at once. Their organization is at the discretion of the user. In order to add a new desktop, the user must use a special menu. You need to right-click to move application icons, which is a rather inconvenient solution. If you have a running application, you can close it using Task Switcher mode. The program can be closed regardless of which desktop is being used at the time of this operation.

conclusions

Yes, indeed, in new Windows 10 developers tried to implement as many innovations as possible. But such a decision had to be made at too high a cost. It was necessary to sacrifice productivity, which, in principle, was done. In practice, we have a very small difference in performance compared to 8.1. In addition, the launch time raises questions, which, as can be seen from the tests, is inferior even to the 7th generation.

If you want to try something new, we recommend waiting full version Windows 10, and if stability is your priority, it is better to use version 8.1.

Microsoft Company improves And optimizes each its own product. Each a new version operating room Windows systems has a number benefits or shortcomings before the previous product, but each time a new OS is different its shell and the presence of new options.

It is impossible to say which version of the operating system is better: each software is different decent performance and versatility. Most people like the old builds of Windows with a comfortable and established design, but they do not have a Microsoft support program, unlike the new ones, which are improving every day based on user feedback.

Comparison of Windows 7 and 10: what is the difference

Despite the peak of popularity of Windows 10, many users remain loyal to Seven. Windows 7 has:

  • habitual design and convenient location of all options,
  • recovery center and stable performance,
  • light software filling that does not load the processor.

Most users prefer the seventh OS, but if the “seven” is significantly ahead of the eight in functionality and performance, then Windows 10 is serious competitor, winning in many respects. In addition to fast performance and ease of use, Windows 10, unlike Windows 7, has:

  • light system backup and recovery center,
  • constant upgrade and shell optimization,
  • work with the latest drivers and application support,
  • support DirectX 12 and Microsoft Edge.

Despite the wide popularity of Windows 7, the OS is outdated an option that is gradually losing its former multifunctionality and quality of work. If the user appreciates convenience location functionality"seven" and the old design, then Windows 7 will be an excellent choice. This OS will do for people of the third age or the old school - for those for whom ease of use is more important productivity.

Windows 7 or 8: version features

Data OS very similar in appearance, but Windows 7 has a larger potential and the best performance, as well as a comfortable and familiar design. According to statistics, users do not have a choice between versions 7 and 8; many return to the “seven” after testing Windows 8.

Windows 8 did not become a breakthrough in the computer industry like 7 or 10. This operating system has inconvenient desktop, start menu, and item layout. G8 was initially aimed at running mobile devices and you shouldn’t expect any special performance in games or general performance from this OS. The OS is designed to work on touch gadgets, as well as increased energy efficiency, and on stationary PCs it may not be as comfortable as its counterparts in the seventh or tenth version.

Which is better – Windows 8 or 10

Windows 10 is multifunctional: it will be convenient to use the OS both on a desktop PC and on mobile platforms Oh. By choosing the tenth version, you get wide-profile and a stable operating system with a wide range of features and additional configurations. Windows 10 is the most in demand an operating system that gets better every day. "Ten" allows:

  • use new browser Microsoft Edge,
  • work with several virtual tables,
  • use option analysis disk space,
  • use notification center,
  • launch games for Xbox One.

Microsoft Company invests more resources to support and optimize version 10, which is the most popular and popular version after the gradually dying “seven”. The eighth version is designed to work mobile platforms on Windows based and has a number shortcomings in the interface: it is difficult to get used to the OS and master the basic functions, which is significant distinguishes"eight" from 10 and 7 versions.

So what to choose

In order to receive best performance and the ability to use all available configurations, recommended Perform a clean installation of the operating system. Windows installation through updates significantly impairs performance computer and may cause some drivers or applications to malfunction.

It is believed that each subsequent version of Windows is better than the previous one: in new versions is improving and the software is rotated and the performance of the operating system is improved. However, ordinary users for whom a slight increase in power will not give much benefits, choose an OS based on their own comfort in using the software. Choosing an operating system is a matter of habit and largely depends on the nature of the user.

With the previous product from Microsoft. We tried to make sure that the Eight was not inferior in performance to Windows 7, which was a major update Windows Vista, published in 2006.

In the end, we found out that Windows 8 and 7 are almost equivalent, but the first is a little faster. This led us to this conclusion:

“Windows 8 turned out to be more interesting than Windows 7. Even if you are not going to part with your desktop computer and cannot stand home screen new OS, it is worth considering that it is faster and more pleasant to work with. This was very noticeable in our underpowered Athlon II X4 system. Perhaps a great start for the OS. A modern style Metro should make Windows 8 a cross-platform OS that will unite PC, laptop and tablet."

It's clear now that the Metro style opening screen was an epic failure. In my opinion, this was the only real Windows problem 8 because I had fun using this OS when I installed Classic Shell (a program to bring back the classic Start menu).

Fortunately, Microsoft is learning from its mistakes and has taken into account Windows disadvantages 8 during the development of version 10. We consider it the best OS, at least for its excellent appearance and functionality across devices and form factors.

When I installed Windows 10, it seemed like the system was relatively fast and stable. But I couldn't say for sure how much faster it is compared to Windows 8.1 and all beloved Windows 7.

This is what we plan to find out today. The authors of the techspot.com portal tested various aspects of the operating system: boot and shutdown times, speed of copying files, encryption, browsing the Internet, performance in games and some special programs.

Specifications

All three operating systems were tested at clean install with all updates. Then we installed other programs. The same hardware was used for each configuration. Only the OS changed.

  • Intel Core i5-4670K (3.4 GHz – 3.8 GHz);
  • Asrock Z97 Extreme6;
  • 8GB DDR3-2400 RAM;
  • Nvidia GeForce GTX 980;
  • Crucial MX200 1TB;
  • SilverStone Essential Gold 750 W;
  • Windows 7, Windows 8.1, Windows 10 Pro 64-bit.

Boot, sleep and hibernation

Using BootRacer, we measured the time it takes to boot. Windows 8.1 showed best result- just four seconds. This is against six seconds for Windows 10. The report was conducted from the appearance of the Windows logo to the loading of the desktop.

Manual measurements using a stopwatch showed the same results, although I had a hard time detecting the difference in feel. With a fresh installation it was one or two seconds.

These results will vary depending on the hardware used, the configuration and state of the operating system after months of use, installing updates and third party applications. All this affects performance. But our hardware was identical for all three OS configurations. Therefore, we can assume that Windows 10 was slower to load.


Here we measured the time it takes for the system to wake up from sleep. It was recorded at the moment the desktop was fully loaded. We put the computer into sleep mode using a special shortcut.

Windows 7 took the longest to wake up from sleep - an average of 17 seconds. Windows 8.1 did it faster - in 12 seconds. But Windows 10 beat its result by 2 seconds.

Many users note how much slower the system “wake up” is compared to a laptop, where the same versions of the OS boot almost instantly. The reason is that we conducted tests on desktop computer, where Windows is set to Hybrid Sleep by default. This combination of sleep and hibernation allows you to avoid losing data in the event of a power outage.


The results of “waking up” after hibernation are similar to emerging from sleep. Here, Windows 10 takes 21 seconds, Windows 8.1 is a little slower and takes 23, and Windows 7 boots in 27.

Synthetic benchmarks


The Cinebench R15 program used in the test has an acceptable error of about 5%, although its influence can be reduced. To do this, you need to take the average of three runs, which is what we did. Results in single-threaded mode showed a slight increase in performance from Windows 7 to 8.1 and from 8.1 to 10. Nothing interesting here. But this greatly affected the results in multi-threaded mode. They indicate that Windows 10 is 7% faster than Win 7, and only 2% faster than Windows 8.1.


Next, we ran the PCMark 7 program and got interesting results: Windows 8.1 naturally faster than Windows 7 by almost 100 points, and Windows 10 is ahead of it by an average of 600 points. Further testing showed that for some reason Windows 10 has more high speed"video playback and transcoding" compared to previous operating Microsoft systems. The speed was almost twice as high, reaching a bitrate of 9600 kbps.


The latest synthetic benchmark is 3D Particle Movement. Here we see similar results for all three operating systems. Windows 10 is slightly slower, while Windows 8.1 performs better.

Application Performance


Microsoft Excel 2013 runs as fast on Windows 10 as it does on Windows 7. The program performs worse on Windows 8.1.


Works slower than in 8.1 and 7. Based on an average of 7 runs of the program, the browser in the new OS was 7% slower.

Please note that the lower the result, the better. Don't pay attention to the order of the indicators on the graph. Instead of ranking the OS in order from slow to fast, we fixed the systems in one place. When each operating system always occupies the same position, it is easier to evaluate the data. The confusion of the results will not cause difficulties, since there are only three positions.


Interestingly, the indicators Chrome works in Windows 10 and Windows 8.1 were lower than in Windows 7. And noticeably lower.


As you can see, Internet Explorer works slowly on all three OS. But new Microsoft browser Edge, which is exclusive to Windows 10, is faster than Firefox and Chrome.


The speed of WinRAR in Windows 10 in single-threaded and multi-threaded modes is lower than in 8.1 and 7.


Photoshop works best with Windows 8. The result for Windows 10 is the same as Windows 7.


There's not much to say here since illustrator CC works the same on all three systems.


With 7-Zip the situation is the same as with WinRAR: Windows 10 shows lower performance compared to 8.1 and 7.

Storage Performance

We took it for testing solid state drives type AHCI ( Samsung SSD 850 Pro) and NVMe (Samsung SM951) with motherboard Asrock Z97 Extreme6.

Tests with Samsung 850 Pro 512 GB SATA 6 GB/s drive


CrystalDiskMark's sequential benchmark of the Q32T1 showed similar results across the three operating systems.


In the random 4K Q32T1 test, Windows 10 and 8.1 show similar read speeds, while Windows 7 is slower. This difference grows when you look at write speed, where Windows 7 is far behind other operating systems.


A sequential test showed that Windows results 10 and 8.1 are again identical, and Windows 7 is inferior.


Random 4K test results indicate that all operating systems perform roughly the same, but Windows 7 is slightly faster than Windows 10 this time around.

Storage Performance with Samsung SM951 NVMe SSD

The following tests were performed on a Samsung SM951 256GB NVMe SSD, which was installed in the Ultra M.2 slot on motherboard Asrock Z97 Extreme6. Please note that this media does not work with Windows 7.


Here, Windows 10 and 8.1 show similar results.


In the 4K Q32T1 test we again see similar performance.


The results of the sequential test are also close.


And a random 4K test diluted the performance. Windows 10 is slightly better in read speed, and Windows 8.1 is slightly better in write speed.


In the HandBrake test, Windows 10 performs about the same as Windows 7, and Windows 8.1 is noticeably faster than both.


The Hybrid 4K benchmark revealed almost no difference between the operating systems, but Windows 8.1 is still slightly faster.


Here again we see that Windows 10 scores similar to Windows 7 and is slightly behind 8.1. I emphasize that it is not much.

Gaming performance


As expected, Windows 10 with DX11 doesn't show much in the way of performance compared to previous versions OS. At least this applies to BioShock.


Surprisingly, Metro Redux with GTX 980 runs better on Windows 10. Although this may be due to drivers.


In Hitman, the performance gradually drops when moving from Windows 7 to 8.1, and then to 10.


Tomb Raider demonstrates the same performance on all three OSes.


Finally, we launched Crysis 3. Here again, Windows 10 did a great job and showed better performance in both resolutions.

Faster, slower, better?

We saw roughly identical results in most tests that cover encryption speed, storage performance, and gaming and app performance. But it is difficult to summarize, since there are many nuances that we cannot control.

We tested operating systems on the same hardware, using the same benchmarks and methods. But it cannot be said that compatibility with graphics drivers, for example, did not affect the results. And technologies like Intel's Turbo can spoil the accuracy of the indicators, even if you run all tests three times and take average values ​​into account.

So, a short conclusion:

A computer with relatively modern hardware can run Windows 7 normally. Hardware, which works fine with Windows 7, should handle Windows 10 without any performance issues.

Previously, it took time for a new Windows release to reach the same level of performance as its predecessor. The most striking example is the transition from Windows XP to Windows Vista. Although the problems were partly due to "raw" drivers under new platform, Vista itself was a resource hog.

Therefore, it would not be surprising if some aspects of Windows 10 performance improve in a few months, and even more so in the next year. But the most important thing is that today you can freely upgrade to Windows 10 and not suffer from the slow operation of the OS.

We can't measure the future Windows performance 10. Even if they could, it would not be possible to compare it with previous versions of the OS. DirectX 12, for example, will only be supported on Windows 10 and later OSes. This is where the DX12 API Overhead test in 3DMark comes in handy, but it will be useful for comparing different hardware and is only available on Windows 10.

If you forget about benchmarks, Windows 10 is a full-fledged working operating system. But it’s worth saying that surprises cannot be avoided when working with it. I installed Windows 10 on seven computers (six of them were upgraded from 8.1). The update was very easy and fast. There were a lot of applications installed on one computer (1 TB), but the system ran smoothly.

I ran into a few small problems. My photo and media libraries, which number thousands of files, take a very long time to load in Windows 10. In 8.1 they loaded instantly. Of course, this problem will be fixed soon.

Speaking of games, I noticed a strange delay in StarCraft 2. It's not immediately noticeable, but scrolling and issuing commands take a little longer than it used to. And in competitive play you can feel the slowness.

I searched on Google and found users complaining about the same problems. All resources blame the Xbox app. It is built into the operating system and cannot be removed using conventional methods.

Although I have never launched the app or created an account for Xbox, this program has become a problem. Luckily, there is a command in Powershell that disables it, allowing you to play StarCraft 2 normally. I was a little disappointed by this discovery, but I'm glad that the problem can be easily solved using the Internet.

Windows 8 and 10 are some of the latest products from Microsoft. These operating systems are similar to each other, but each of them has its own characteristics. They are quite difficult to compare, so in this article we will tell you about the advantages and disadvantages of each of them, and also consider their important differences.

The long-awaited Start menu has returned

Windows 8 appealed to a very small number of users. Microsoft can safely call this OS a failure, and with the release of “tens” everything more people started downloading and updating the system exactly to it. It is believed that Windows 8 is more focused on smartphones or, but is almost unsuitable for a computer.

Many complaints were caused by errors made in the development of the system, such as the absence of the Start menu. In Windows 10, the button again took its usual place.

You can get rid of the "Trash" In all operating systems released before Windows 10, the Recycle Bin icon was an integral companion of the Desktop. Whatever one may say, it was impossible to get rid of him. Many lovers of minimalism are accustomed to a “clean” desktop and remove absolutely all shortcuts from there, leaving only the splash screen itself or a plain screen. But “Basket” always remained. Of course, after downloading necessary software

, the icon could be transformed or even modified, but still, it could not be deleted. Windows 10 provided this opportunity.

All notifications are collected in one place

The answer to the question: “which is better: Windows 8 or 10?” found by most people that is already . All the changes have been made here to help you use your time at the computer more efficiently, as well as space on your desktop. Now you can see notifications from all applications in one place and you won’t have to scroll and look through blocks for a long time, as you did in the G8. In addition, in the settings you can specify which applications you would like to receive notifications from and which ones you would not.

  1. Other Features Using virtual desktops. They appeared only in Windows 10. Now you can create multiple desktops. This is very practical if you use different documents and applications for work and home, or, for example, one account
  2. several users. Windows 10 adapts to any type of device.

For example, in Settings you can configure “Tablet Mode” to solve the problem of app optimization. Since its appearance in 8, it almost immediately acquired ardent haters and gained a reputation as a failed operating system. Compare with her in quantity negative reviews only Vista could, and even a modified one Windows version 8.1 did not save the situation. Windows 8, like 8.1, was aimed primarily at touch screens and it was extremely difficult to manage on a desktop computer.

The starting screen is in the Metro style (by the way, a very interesting solution), but, unfortunately, not many people liked it. The “Start” button is, in general, a separate conversation; users seem to have been deprived of something very important and necessary. Those who risked upgrading to eight, like an avalanche, rolled back the system back to the stable, familiar Windows 7. Comparing both operating systems, Windows 8 or 10 , We can definitely say that Win 10 is better. At first glance, it, of course, looks like a figure eight, but this is just an apparent similarity. It has absorbed all the best from Windows 8 and Windows 7.

Positive aspects of Windows 10

  • In the uncompromising debate Windows 8 vs Windows 10 , Undoubtedly, the top ten is in the lead. Finally, the OS has a really good, and most importantly, fast and functional, built-in Edge browser, replacing the obsolete and extremely slow Internet Explorer.

  • It became possible to work with virtual desks, which was previously impossible to do in the Windows family without using third-party programs. It is very convenient to use one table for work and another for entertainment.
  • The “Start” button, naturally, is in the top ten, and is much more ergonomic than in earlier releases, tiles can be swapped, groups of applications can be created and placed in folders, and the size of tiles can be changed. Living tiles look very interesting. True, only application tiles from the store can change and show some information in real time without launching the utility. Third party programs are displayed simply as a folder, by clicking on which you can easily launch this or that application.
  • Appeared voice assistant Cortana, for certain reasons, is not yet available in most regions, including in Russia. This is due to the difficulty of translating and integrating Cortana into language and culture. But we hope that Cortana will soon speak Russian, at least work is underway in this direction, according to unofficial sources. It is unlikely that Microsoft will bypass the great and mighty.

  • Free Cloud service OneDrive, in which you can save any information if you need to reinstall the system or for quick access to work documents from anywhere you have access to the World Wide Web.
  • Notification Center is fast access to most settings. To events in in social networks, mail, and many other very useful functions.

We can talk endlessly about how good Windows 10 is compared to the eight, the loading speed, the huge number of a wide variety of functions that amaze the imagination. With each new update, the top ten receives even more goodies that satisfy the needs of even the most demanding users.
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