Windows 8 vs. Windows 7 Benchmarks: Microsoft's Latest OS Put to the Test

And as always, everyone is afraid to pit XP vs something new in fear XP will out perform the newcomer. We did our own tests here at the shop, and while not over-the-top, XP was indeed faster on the same hardware vs 7 and 8.

But yes, 8 is marginally faster than 7.

So what? XP is just too old to be around. The basic security architecture simply does not cut it anymore. Then when you factor in the myriad enhancements that are in the later versions there is no way I would consider going back to XP. Who cares if it is "fast" when the real time-saving features are completely absent.

Great article, thanks guys. I will definitely be giving win 8 a try.. not used it once yet but I can tell already it's going to be better. I hardly ever use the start button so i'm really not bothered by that at all, plus I switch off my computer at least once or twice a day.

The general theme with this article seems to be:

Windows 7 results marginally better than Windows 8 = "Similar performance, little difference"
Windows 8 results marginally better than Windows 7 = "x% better/faster/improvement"

I will be switching to windows 8. I don't see what the big fuss is about. People find the least thing to whine and complain about. There is no perfect OS, not at this point lets live with the flaws, while taking advantages of the things that work. Windows 8 is a great step forward. This is Microsoft way of Migrating people to the cloud(not a fan of cloud computing and storage).

I usually leave my system up so the increase in shutdown / boot don't affect me much. The gaming looks slower, and the performance differences are largely a mixed bag. Add to that the awful interface and the way Microsoft has moved all functions around to keep you searching for what used to be so easy to do. When I tried it on a VM it took me 10 minutes just to figure out how to shut down. It's not intuitive at all. I'm sold. Windows 7 is staying on my box.

Because, M$ claimed that it would be putting a thread scheduler that is aware of the unique architecture of the AMD FX chips into 8, and that may allow FX to show its mettle. Reviews of FX all basically show that MT performance on FX is quite good. So, if you are running an OS that has many threads running and is aware of the FX architecture, then FX might just shine in an environment like that.

"I will be switching to windows 8. I don't see what the big fuss is about. People find the least thing to whine and complain about. There is no perfect OS, not at this point lets live with the flaws, while taking advantages of the things that work. Windows 8 is a great step forward. This is Microsoft way of Migrating people to the cloud(not a fan of cloud computing and storage)."

I'll be switching to decaffeinated coffee. I don't see what the big fuss is about. I think I am just looking for little things to complain about. There is no perfect coffee and at this point I think I should just live with the flaws while taking advantage of the good things about decaffeinated coffee. This is coffee sellers way of migrating people to decaffeinated coffee(not a fan of it though). But I'm gonna run out and buy some anyway and fall in line like a good little soldier. Hate to be accused of whining. I couldn't live with the social stigma of that label ever being attached to me. Oh, that reminds me. Guess I'll have to run out and buy Windows 8 also.

lol wtf u talking about. If you run the test multiple times probably u gonna get those few points up and down. The test will lways show the same points, its the same hardware...too few was changed on the OS that would change the final score.
Mine is actually getting better score on win8 than win7 but for real, in games, ati drivers are still bad (about 10-15% fps drop in comparison with win7), but they are going to change it with the final drivers they said.

Typically, the pattern for Microsoft OS's is for each bad version, a better one comes out a bit later (for Example, Windows ME to Windows XP / 2000, or Windows Vista to Windows 7).

For my money, I'll hold onto Windows 7 a bit longer to see what they release after Windows 8. All in all though, there doesn't seem to be enough of an improvement in it's current state for me to consider switching over yet... that is, unless the rumor of Windows 8 allowing you to play Xbox 360 games turned out to be true, but doubtful as Microsoft would be shooting itself in the foot with it's console sales.

There most certainly is a 32-bit Windows 8. I'm running it in my VM now (final release from MSDN).

LOL - so the really big takeaway from all this is, use Win7 or Win8, other than start/stop they're basically the same - but be aware that Firefox and especially Chrome blow away IE10, so make dang sure you're not using IE; and under no circumstances use any browser shackled by the Metro browser limitations.

Hmm, not sure that's what MS was aiming for ...

I would agree with the others, I do not like the metro UI and wish that Microsoft gave you the option between the two on installation. I know there are some of you out there will say just run it in desktop mode.. it just not the same and most if not all business users will stay away from this OS like the plague. I think Microsoft has just just themselves in the foot on forcing this new UI on every one. I can see maybe if you had a tablet it might be okay, but not for a desktop user. I think with such a low upgrade price (around $40 moving from Windows 7) they think they will get a lot of users to convert, but I bet when they try it they will go back to Windows 7. I hope they introduce the performance enhancement in Windows 7 Service Pack 2.

People didn't like the Vista/Windows 7 interface for a long time, some still don't.

Ugh....I'm not the biggest fan of the "metro" interface, but I might as well start to learn it.

And there's some people who say that they'll skip this and wait for Windows 9.

But how do we know that Microsoft will abandon the "Start" Menu altogether and discontinue this feature for all future versions of Windows?

All I can say is we should all try to embrace this new UI and get used to it in case Microsoft does indeed continue this route.

"Ugh....I'm not the biggest fan of the "metro" interface, but I might as well start to learn it.

And there's some people who say that they'll skip this and wait for Windows 9.

But how do we know that Microsoft will abandon the "Start" Menu altogether and discontinue this feature for all future versions of Windows?

All I can say is we should all try to embrace this new UI and get used to it in case Microsoft does indeed continue this route."

It seems you like a basic common sense in how free market enterprises work. The less number of copies people purchase of Windows 8, the less money Microsoft makes. The more inclined Microsoft might be willing to actually listen to the hands that are feeding them next time around.

You making a conscious decision to go out and buy a product you don't have a strong interest in allows and encourages Microsoft to continue producing whatever software 'they' want to put out instead of what the consumers of the product want.

The consumer decides on whether or not Windows 9 goes back to the roots of Windows 7 or continues down the same path as Windows 8. Make no mistake about that. Microsoft cannot afford to make decisions in a bubble.

I consciously will 'choose' NOT to buy Windows 8. I making a conscious decision with my wallet no matter how cheap it is. I hope many people will join me.

LOL. Hey man, I'm with you. I'll be sure to tell my system administrators at work who commands over 800 workstations to make sure not to upgrade to Win 8 in the next few months.

Thanks for the tip bro. I'm sure every little bit helps. =P


@RubinOnRye

Sad, but true I'm sure. On a side note, I still have friends and relatives who still use WinXP because they refuse to embrace the changes of Vista/Win 7. Nothing wrong with it as long as the functionality still works for them.

Just a little performance improvement.
But, I need to use the ugly interface that degrade usability.
Absolutely, I must save my money on upgrade.

So encoding performance is better on 8, ugh.

I will never touch 8 unless it's on a tablet. The OS is an insult for desktop power users like myself (as is Microsoft's insatiable and pointless need to re-design the UI for every Windows release. That alone keeps me from using Windows 7 in more than a VM.)

W8 is plainly designed for tablet users,with an option to (sort of ) use on a desktop.