JonasV 9 #1 Posted October 17, 2009 Just as the topic asks. I am currently running XP-Pro SP3 on hardware less than 6 months old. I am hearing that the performance gains in Windows 7 - better memory usage, 64bit threading, streamline caching, DX10 - are pretty big. So I'm asking anyone who has betaed it has it early, if it is worth the 120 bucks. Will all/most of my programs still work without having to shell out the extra $80 for Pro? Are the performance gains on new hardware reasonably large over XP? Any insight would be appreciated. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
You suck and have no life 203 #2 Posted October 17, 2009 Just as the topic asks. I am currently running XP-Pro SP3 on hardware less than 6 months old. I am hearing that the performance gains in Windows 7 - better memory usage, 64bit threading, streamline caching, DX10 - are pretty big. So I'm asking anyone who has betaed it has it early, if it is worth the 120 bucks. Will all/most of my programs still work without having to shell out the extra $80 for Pro? Are the performance gains on new hardware reasonably large over XP? Any insight would be appreciated. Depends on how much money you have and what you value. To a millionaire, a mercedez benz might be worth it. For a homeless guy, the money would probably be better spent on food. Is Windows 7 a good OS? Yes. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Oww My Nose 19 #3 Posted October 17, 2009 Just as the topic asks. I am currently running XP-Pro SP3 on hardware less than 6 months old. I am hearing that the performance gains in Windows 7 - better memory usage, 64bit threading, streamline caching, DX10 - are pretty big. So I'm asking anyone who has betaed it has it early, if it is worth the 120 bucks. Will all/most of my programs still work without having to shell out the extra $80 for Pro? Are the performance gains on new hardware reasonably large over XP? Any insight would be appreciated. I'm not 100% sure, but most of your programs will probably work with windows 7. I THINK the XP mode will mostly be utilized by COTS (business accounting/inventory/HR stuffs, among other things) and most of the normal programs the general public will use will work fine, or there are similar programs that will work. as for worth it, ya it's nice. very nice. DX10 is so vista though, DX11 is the new thing, which is supported in windows 7. another nice thing is the 64-bit version. supporting up to... well, a ridiculous amount of memory (something like 4TB?). tl;dr version: your programs should work. worth the $120 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dashuu 11 #4 Posted October 17, 2009 Over XP I'd say it's a good upgrade. Your system specs do matter, only in that you should likely have about 2 gigs of RAM and about 40 gigs for your main HDD. Other than that, it should work with anything made in the last five years. Now, if this is your first foray into using DX10, I highly recommend re-visiting some games that you may have missed the advanced settings for. Crysis is a good one, lots of shiny DX10 effects. Ghostbusters is pretty good too. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JonasV 9 #5 Posted October 17, 2009 Oh yeah, I plan on cranking Crysis up in DX10 since I played through it on 9. I also have plenty of memory so that wont be a problem. I'm most interested in the 64bit coding and the better memory utilization. I'm thinking of bumping up my memory from 4 to 6 gigs this Christmas since I have a dual channel pair still open. Right now can only use 3.2 of 4 gigs. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rigormortis 15 #6 Posted October 18, 2009 I can safely say that Windows 7 is a huge upgrade from Vista, but it's still a really good upgrade from Windows XP; boasting far more security enhancements. It's also much better with resources, compatibility, accessibility, and performance. I got mine for free, so I'm definitely not complaining. Edit: Windows 7 does an excellent job when it comes to being backward-compatible as well. Most of your old programs should have no problem with it; however, there are always exceptions. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mana 3,867 #7 Posted October 18, 2009 It is worth the upgrade. Gave 3 friends Windows 7 Ultimate and they are all enjoying it. Though they might be a wee bit biased because they got it for free... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JonasV 9 #8 Posted October 18, 2009 How many licenses do you get? I know XP and Vista came with a key for your desktop and your laptop typically. Will that still be the case for 7 or will I have to shell out 120 for each system? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rigormortis 15 #9 Posted October 18, 2009 MSDNAA gave me a free download-able copy that ive had sitting on my desktop for a while now. I imagine it has unlimited licenses. If it didnt, I could just download another copy from my university's server, so there isnt really a reason to limit the licenses. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mana 3,867 #10 Posted October 19, 2009 How many licenses do you get? I know XP and Vista came with a key for your desktop and your laptop typically. Will that still be the case for 7 or will I have to shell out 120 for each system? I have a pile of Win 7 DVDs in paper sleeve cases with cd keys. Haven't really counted how many there is. Perks of helping out an "oem". Now if I could only get some more Server 2008 disks and keys I could make some money on ebay. And I believe it's 1 key per install officially. Un-officially it might activate upto ~3 times with the same key. But I'm not sure how MS manages all this. I only tried multiple activations using the same key on my home pcs which are on the same network. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dashuu 11 #11 Posted October 19, 2009 When Vista was new you got 5 activations before you had to call microsoft and get them to reset your key. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Univar 0 #12 Posted October 20, 2009 I have also been thinking about upgrading to windows 7. I am getting new hardware at Christmas i hope and it would be great to pair it all with a new OS as well. Everything i have read indicates that as long as you have the hardware to use it, it is very good. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The Computer Geek 6 #13 Posted October 20, 2009 I'll wait about 3-4 months so they can get the major bugs and security holes plugged up. Every time they release a new versions of windows it has more holes in it than Swiss cheese. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mana 3,867 #14 Posted October 20, 2009 I'll wait about 3-4 months so they can get the major bugs and security holes plugged up. They already did this. It was called Vista. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
OregonSniper 1 #15 Posted October 20, 2009 you can preorder Windows 7 right now for 30 bux from MS if you have a valid school email! well worth it if you want it. I have the link somewhere if you want it... let me know. You have to do it before the 29th I think. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
+Henry Spencer 117 #16 Posted October 20, 2009 you can preorder Windows 7 right now for 30 bux from MS if you have a valid school email! well worth it if you want it. I have the link somewhere if you want it... let me know. You have to do it before the 29th I think. This is relevant to my interests. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rigormortis 15 #17 Posted October 20, 2009 Or I could give you the link to download from my school server for free. edit: windows 7 ---------------------------------^ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Univar 0 #18 Posted October 20, 2009 Well of course I am looking for the cheapest way to get Windows 7. I did find the $30 preorder site on Microsoft I think but I was under the impression it was only for the upgrade, meaning you would need vista already. As vista is crap, I never bought it. I would love to have the media, but I guess I could settle for a digital copy if the price was right! After looking into it again, I realized it was the web site that linked me to the page that said upgrade. The site itself does not seem to have any mention of an upgrade or a time limit. Can this be? Although free is still better than $30, this is not bad if all you need is a valid .edu email address! http://windows7.digitalriver.com/store/mswpus/en_US/DisplayHomePage?resid=iXqSLQoBAkYAAG2@rw4AAAAK&rests=1256050172757 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Oww My Nose 19 #19 Posted October 20, 2009 gayyyyyyyyyyy my school email ends with .ca Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JonasV 9 #20 Posted October 21, 2009 Well, with the price for the full retail now $200 minimum, bill Gates can go **** himself. Way more than I am willing to pay for an OS. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Super Sean 1 #21 Posted October 21, 2009 Well, with the price for the full retail now $200 minimum, bill Gates can go **** himself. Way more than I am willing to pay for an OS. Just wait a couple of months until it comes up on eBay for $50 cheaper... And then pay $50 for shipping. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JonasV 9 #22 Posted October 22, 2009 Meh I'm just pissed because I wanted to format and do a fresh install in the near future to make my system a bit smoother. I had intended to just install Win7, but at that price I'm just going to reinstall XP Pro. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Univar 0 #23 Posted October 22, 2009 I agree, i will not be paying $200. Although, my wife is in school right now so i think the student price might be around $100 so i might be able to swing that. However, even for $100 Bill can still "have fun" with himself! Also, i found out that the student upgrade is only $30 if you don't mind installing the old OS every time you want to format! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JonasV 9 #24 Posted October 22, 2009 (edited) Nevermind, somehow I managed to still qualify for the student upgrade program so I got a Professional 64bit upgrade package for super cheap. Edited October 22, 2009 by JonasV Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
+Henry Spencer 117 #25 Posted October 22, 2009 Y'know, this isn't really a "worksafe" board, per se... you can say fuck if you want. >_> I certainly do. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
