Which version of windows uses less ram and is more efficient?

accesgranted1 · Nov 1, 2014

hi guys i was wondering which version of windows 7/8/vista should i get? which one uses less ram and less cpu?im going to use it for gaming... i can't upgrade my ram so im stuck with 2gb but not for long time (probably im going to get 4 or 6 gigs of ram later)so what should i get now?

Brighttail · Nov 1, 2014

Vista is a memory hog. Win 7 and win 8 both require 1 gb as minimum but things are going to be slow. Very slow until you get more RAM.

Joseph DeGarmo · Nov 1, 2014

Windows 8.1 is less of a memory hog than Vista and 7, but you'll need a decent CPU.

Darkbreeze · Nov 1, 2014

To start with , we would need to know your complete system specs. 32bit versions of windows can only support slightly less than 4GB, 4GB for all intents and purposes though. So if you ever want to use more than that, you will need a 64bit version.

As far as gaming is concerned, Windows 8 seems to slightly edge windows 7, although this is a hotly contested issue as well. Some swear they get better rates in 7. Most benchmarks show 8 as the clear winner. For support of hardware and games going forward, 8 would be a better choice. However, you need a minimum of 2GB of RAM to run Windows 8 64bit, which you have, so it will at least install and run.

Windows XP would run much better with only 2GB, but I don't recommend going backwards on purchases of a new OS.

Gaming results in Windows 7 vs Windows 8:

http://www.hardocp.com/article/2013/11/24/battlefield_4_windows_7_vs_81_performance_review/5#.VFV8D-l0xhE

accesgranted1 · Nov 1, 2014

So my full specs are a q6600 3 ghz (can overclock it to 3.4 but i like it when it's quiet) a 7750HD and 2gb ddr2 kingston. i like windows 8 but which one 8.1 or 8 does the 8.1 ?

Joseph DeGarmo · Nov 1, 2014

Windows 8.1 since support for Windows 8 will end soon.

Brighttail · Nov 1, 2014

For win 8 you can buy it and you get a free upgrade to 8.1 which is what you want to end up with eventually.

accesgranted1 · Nov 1, 2014

Do you know what is windows 8's idle memory usage with few services disabled like aero/Indexing?

Joseph DeGarmo · Nov 1, 2014

accesgranted1 :

It varies mostly depending on anti-virus programs running in the background. Out of 8 GB of RAM, my PC uses a minimum of about 1 GB of it in idle with Kaspersky, Malwarebytes, EVGA Precision X, and Logitech Gaming Software running in the background.

accesgranted1 · Nov 1, 2014

Joseph DeGarmo :

I'll use microsoft essentials/malware bytes in the future depending of memory usage other than that i'll assume it will be under 1 gig

Darkbreeze · Nov 1, 2014

I've currently got a fairly decent system, with a few dependent services (Standard windows services, malwarebytes, windows defender, some others.) , and about fifteen browser tabs open, and I'm sitting at 1.5GB of RAM usage right now. And when I say windows 8, I'm assuming 8.1 as it makes no sense to not upgrade for free since so many of 8's issues have been resolved. I usually just lump 8 and 8.1 together. Nobody ever really refers to older OS's differently, like XP, XP2 or XP3, depending on the applied service pack, they just refer to it as XP and assume the service packs so I imagine eventually 8 and 8.1 will be the same.

accesgranted1 · Nov 1, 2014

So i'll be getting windows 8.1 and i'll be waiting for sales for the ram.I have another problem... You guys are so helpful and i can't really choose,you all solved my problem and i can't choose... Will it be a problem if i leave the thread without a solution?

Darkbreeze · Nov 1, 2014

Joseph DeGarmo :

Support for windows 8 is NOT ending anytime soon. As per the Microsoft site, mainstream support ends 1-9-2018, Extended support ends 1-10-2023 and Service pack support ends 1-12-2016. The end of service pack support does not mean the end of updates however. Updates will be available through the end of extended support. It just means there wouldn't be any major overhauls after that date which is a moot point anyhow since 8.1 IS the major overhaul and it's extended support is also in 2023.

All that aside, I agree there is no reason to ever purchase the initial windows 8 anyhow. 8.1 is less expensive and if you had 8 you'd just get plagued with requests to install the 8.1 update anyhow. Plus it lacks many of the issues that first hampered the release of 8.

http://support2.microsoft.com/lifecycle/search/default.aspx?alpha=Windows+8

accesgranted1 · Nov 1, 2014

Darkbreeze :

Joseph DeGarmo :

Support for windows 8 is NOT ending anytime soon. As per the Microsoft site, mainstream support ends 1-9-2018, Extended support ends 1-10-2023 and Service pack support ends 1-12-2016. The end of service pack support does not mean the end of updates however. Updates will be available through the end of extended support. It just means there wouldn't be any major overhauls after that date which is a moot point anyhow since 8.1 IS the major overhaul and it's extended support is also in 2023.

All that aside, I agree there is no reason to ever purchase the initial windows 8 anyhow. 8.1 is less expensive and if you had 8 you'd just get plagued with requests to install the 8.1 update anyhow. Plus it lacks many of the issues that first hampered the release of 8.

http://support2.microsoft.com/lifecycle/search/default.aspx?alpha=Windows+8

So what should i get for best performance and framerates i dont really care of interface or the "beauty" of windows i just want to get best performance and fps if possible.

Darkbreeze · Nov 2, 2014

8.1. Windows 8.1 is going to offer you the best support for modern hardware and drivers going forward and games to some degree, better. On a separate note, if you don't like the Windows 8 Metro interface, just install Classic shell or Start is back or something similar to return to the Windows 7 style desktop and start menu. That's what I have as I can't stand the metro interface on a desktop.

Joseph DeGarmo · Nov 2, 2014

Darkbreeze :

Joseph DeGarmo :

Support for windows 8 is NOT ending anytime soon. As per the Microsoft site, mainstream support ends 1-9-2018, Extended support ends 1-10-2023 and Service pack support ends 1-12-2016. The end of service pack support does not mean the end of updates however. Updates will be available through the end of extended support. It just means there wouldn't be any major overhauls after that date which is a moot point anyhow since 8.1 IS the major overhaul and it's extended support is also in 2023.

All that aside, I agree there is no reason to ever purchase the initial windows 8 anyhow. 8.1 is less expensive and if you had 8 you'd just get plagued with requests to install the 8.1 update anyhow. Plus it lacks many of the issues that first hampered the release of 8.

http://support2.microsoft.com/lifecycle/search/default.aspx?alpha=Windows+8

I really meant that support for the old Windows 8.0 will end soon and all users of it will be required to upgrade to 8.1 to continue receiving updates.

Darkbreeze · Nov 2, 2014

Do you have something that supports that, because I've not seen anything that indicates that being true. It may be, I just haven't seen it. If it is, I'd like to know about it.

afdsfsdafd · Nov 3, 2014

If you're going to play games I suggest you get windows 7 - none of the older DD* games work properly on windows 8.
Also, windows 8 was done mainly for tablets, all-in-one PCs and touch screens - no matter what anyone says. In fact Microsoft even advertised it as such before win8 was released.

As for Vista, it's the heaviest windows by far. You need at least 30% more processing power to run Vista compared to win7.

*DD - DirectDraw (works under DirectX);
Pre-2002 almost all 2d game graphics were rendered either by DD or OpenGL, DD being more popular.
Since microsoft fucked it up in win8 you won't be able to play these games - and there's no fix to date

Darkbreeze · Nov 3, 2014

afdsfsdafd :

Really? So I guess the guys at hardocp just made up their testing results? IDK, most people are not playing games from pre-2002 so that's kinda irrelevant.

Joseph DeGarmo · Nov 3, 2014

Darkbreeze :

This article details that users of Windows 8 must install the 8.1 update by January 2016 to keep receiving security updates.

http://www.gottabemobile.com/2014/04/07/windows-8-1-update-coming-tomorrow-why-you-must-update/

Which version of windows uses less ram and is more efficient?

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