Replacing the Rig - Advice Needed

[Hammerskjold]

May as well fall into the same trap twice. Win7 OEMs are about the same price as Win8 OEMs, but despite everything I am still leery about installing Windows 8.

I gave 2 serious tries working with Win8 on a desktop setting. My conclusion: Win 8 usability, on a desktop, is fail whale. Fail whale on a Fail boat, aboard the Fail train.

Everything I heard about Win8 update\service pack\ version 1.2 'Blue', still says to me 'Wait and see the actual release version, because MS can still double down on the stupid'.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/2035409/n...ments.html

Reports earlier this week indicated that Microsoft is considering bringing back the pop-up Start menu for the desktop mode as well as a new option to boot straight into desktop mode, bypassing the new “Metro” interface altogether.

Neither of these features, however, seems to have made it into this latest leak of Windows 8.1.

Short version IMO:
-W8 on mobile\touch screen = actually not bad. Add a wacom stylus to that, and you're like an I-pad with more use to me.

-W8 on desktop = WTF?.....I don't even...

-W8 on desktop for productivity = .......BYEOTCH ARE YOU FOR REAL?!!111

Meanwhile Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer is all: Lulz, u mad?

Last time I bought a 32-bit OS. I'm not sure if I should have gone for a 64-bit one. Now that I'm faced with the choice again I'm still not sure. Bear in mind this rig would be used mainly for gaming, internet browsing, and my sister's teaching work. So I have a few more questions for this thread:

1) Would a 64-bit OS work with the computer I'm about to assemble: Intel Core i5 3570k, 16GB RAM, yadda yadda yadda? Would it just fail to work completely, or would I see a performance hit or, dare I say it, a performance boost?

AFAIK it should work. Again AFAIK, you need a 64 bit OS to use RAM amount above 4 gigs.

I'm typing this on my older machine, running 64 bit Vista, Core2 Quad and 4 gigs of old DDR2 RAM (that I didn't get to upgrade in time when it was cheaper).

I do have 64 bit and 32 bit programs that runs fine. Not sure about performance wise, but I suspect it's a wash either way since I have 4 gigs in total. I've ran older games like Diablo 1 Hellfire fine, Fallout 1&2. I don't play much modern games lately, the latest game I have is Torchlight 2. Other productivity programs in 64 bit versions fine, compatibility wise. Same with an older win 98 era graphics program I have, they run fine with no compatibility issues.

I can't give you a 100% guarantee, but from my own use at least, if you're running 64 bit most of the time there should be no problem running 32 bit.

What would I not be able to do with Win7 64?

You will not be able to marvel at how stupidly arrogant and arrogantly stupid shoving an interface more suited to a mobile/ touchscreen, onto a desktop that is NON MOBILE, with NO TOUCHSCREEN.

Are there any major hardware/software compatibility issues that I should be aware of?

None that I'm personally aware of, though I could be wrong. But if anything it should have less problems since W7 is out longer. I use Photoshop CS6, and when I was researching my new work rig specs all the graphics forum said 'Stay away from W8, it's not fully patched \ compatible with CS6 yet. You want to continue using PS smoothly\ use photoshop right away, stick with W7'.

Now all newer OS\products has some teething problem. But I'm still staying away from W8 because it's flaws are deeper than version 1.0 problems.

Unless you absolutely NEED to buy a large touchscreen monitor to play Angry Birds to recreate a Msoft Win8 commercial, then yes you'd be missing out on the wonderful experience by not getting Win8.

I'm doing a little research on the side, and so far I get the impression that if I'm going with 16GB of RAM that I will need a 64-bit OS.

Yep. In general, most things are moving up to 64 bit. While I still see the occasional 4 gig RAM machines being offered, more and more even the big box stores entry level offering of -desktop- machines I see have 6, if not 8 gigs of RAM installed.

TL, DR version:

Also, do not buy the 32 bit version, you will be locked to a maximum of 4G of RAM, spend the extra and get 64 bit.

What Lissa said.