Please convince me that Windows 8 or 8.1 is better than 7 (GA Inside)

Im not gonna talk you in to it - that's your choice.
What I will say is that the issues are largely exaggerated and by people who don't like change. If you hate change, don't upgrade.

Win 8.1 is okay, you just have to get used to it, but it ain't that bad. But besides, you are going to kind of have to anyway, since DirectX 12 is coming out around 2015 (it's closer than you think) and it is probably only going to support Windows 8 and 8.1. Also, Windows 8 and 8.1 (64-Bit) use a LOT less ram than 7 and manage it better.

Its .1 better and windows 8 is 1.0 better then Windows 7, so windows 8.1 is 1.1 better then windows 7.

It's not. Windows 7 is better. Windows 8 is on the "off" release of Windows releases. Just like Star Trek films, every other one is good.

If it was that good, they'd stop modifying it to work more like previous versions of Windows. 8 is decent for phones and tablets and other touch devices. Desktops, not so much, especially if you game.

Small comparison video.

Go back to Windows XP! Before it's too late!

Don't jump to Windows 8 yet, give it more time. Windows 7 is good enough, I do not understand why you have the desire to upgrade.

Does your computer have a touchscreen?
Yes? Give it a shot!
No? Then stick with 7.

Do you mind change?

Windows 8 got slightly better with 8.1 but it's still not there if you ask me.

• If you got a recent computer, Win8 will be a bit smoother and faster than Win7.
• If you have an older system, chances are you will not find suitable drivers for your hardware.
• The clusterfuck that is Metro UI ruins any advantage that the underlying OS might give you.
• Some older games don't run correctly on Win8.

Unless you're still living in the stone age of XP, wait until at the very least the 8.2 update.

In the last year I have twice gone from windows 7 to windows 8 and back to windows 7. Save yourself the trouble. Stick with windows 7 and wait for whats next. Microsoft knows they screwed up with the windows 8 interface. And the programs that bring back your 'Start' menu for windows 8 all blow juicy chunks and cause a hitch and delay while they load up and will offset any performance gains you were going for in the first place. There are a few benchmarks that show you might be able to get a small (1 fps) performance with games under windows 8. I personally did not see it. Save your money, upgrade video card instead. Its a cell phone os forced on desktop users. microsoft knows it. now you do to. Stay away.

Hm, the problem of Win8 was that Microsoft didn't teach people how to use it and what to do with two interfaces. They have fixed it in 8.1 with tutorials and Help app.

Modern UI (ex-Metro) is the new addition to Win8.x and is basically a full-featured mobile OS attached to a desktop OS, with its own App Store just like on your cellphone and with those same mobile apps. While this may sound awkward, in reality there are some conveniences that come with it.
The new Start screen replaced the old and clunky Start menu, and it's much more useful and organized. You basically now have a fullscreen dashboard where you can pin the most useful programs for your convenience. But Microsoft doesn't explain that this Start screen now also functions as an advanced Gadget panel, as many Modern UI apps can show some useful information on their tiles, acting just like gadgets (Weather, Mail (with notifications), News etc.) You can call Start screen by pressing Win key and go back to desktop with the same key. This works similarly to OS X where widgets are placed on a widget panel that remains hidden until user wants to call it.
The "All Programs" list from the old Start menu is now much easier to navigate and search.
The ability to run mobile games or apps can be considered a nice bonus.
One new feature that I personally enjoy is the ability to take screenshots with the combination Win+PrtScr. This hotkey instantly takes a screenshot and saves it to Pictures -> Screenshots folder in PNG format.
Windows 8.x feels smoother compared to Windows 7, partly due to the absence of hardware-intensive Aero mode, partly due to 60-fps animations that Modern UI introduces.
By signing in with your Live ID you will get cloud synchronization of passwords and personal settings like wallpaper.
You can also reinstall Windows 8.x automatically without reformatting with saving your settings and activation, a feature called Refresh Your PC. You can also do a clean reinstall a similar way, Windows will do everything for you.
Windows 8.x now includes built-in support for ISOs which you can mount into Virtual drive that will instantly appear or disappear as needed. No need for Daemon Tools anymore.
Improved Task Manager and copying system.
Shutdown option is now partially mixed with Hibernate, so startup time after shutdown is improved dramatically.

As for the downsides.
Windows 8.x is something that will take some time to get used to. Dual interfaces are integrated into each other and can be confusing at first. Many functions are duplicated in various places.
No Aero Glass, just plain alpha blending, no rounded corners, shadows are extremely subtle.
DirectDraw is now software-emulated, so some old games that rely on DirectDraw may require a DirectDraw emulator (like WineD3D) to work at full speed.
MIDI Mixer is completely removed so programs without direct MIDI Playback Device selection support will use the first installed MIDI device with no way to change it.

Can't remember anything else at the moment, hope this helps.

I was in the same situation as you. But as recently updated my mobo and proc, i decided to give win 8 a chance(although my wife is reluctant).
For me the was boot/shutdown time was the most impressive feature(greatly reduced from windows 7)
Also the new copying system with graphs/pause option
You'll get the hand of the new interface in about a week. I would say go for it :D

Running Windows 8.1 just fine for months now. The only thing you have to take care is your network cards drivers. I can't really remember where I've read it, but Microsoft have modified Windows 8's network stack and without adapted drivers, you'll get troubles with your wifi/bluetooth cards. That was my case and errors was fixed by using appropriate drivers. So check if there is W8/8.1 drivers for your cards before update.

Don't do it, seriously, windows 8 sucks...

I find W8 good for touch devices but not for laptop/desktops. I find it confusing and full of useless things.
Windows 7 is essential and tidy, much more usable in my opinion :)

I'm using Windows 8.1 Pro 64 bit and it's better than Windows 7 Ultimate 64 bit performance wise, by a long shot. But if you want poor performance and ugly looks just because you can't get used to new things then stick to 7.

Its up to you. But when it comes to games Everything works. I can play tf2 , jazz jackrabbit and zdoom games without any trouble. dosbox for older games still works too.

lol just install u will love it

After update from 7 to 8.1, my laptop lost 2.1gb from 4gb ram available and the cpu always runs at 40-45% even when idling =_=

I upgraded to windows 8 on the first week it was available (I upgraded for free from my school), I have pretty much always liked it. I find that everything on my pc ran smoother, the task manager is way better, boot times are much shorter, and game performance improved slightly. Other than in the first few weeks, I have had NO compatibility issues with any programs/games that I use. I never really understand why most people hate it, I literally only see the Modern UI when I first start the computer, and it only took me about a day or two to get used to not having the start button available and get used to the other features available.

Just do it, it's the future.

Windows 8 has no problems unless you're too lazy or stupid to learn how to use it like most people who complain about it. Most of the haters don't even have it, they're just mindless sheep who believe everything they read on the Internet. I've been using it since it was released and have zero problems with it, it took me about a week to get used to all the changes to the UI but the core OS is just as good if not better than any other version of Windows.

Well if you want my personal opinion then I will give it to you but the other paragraph is probably more important really. In terms of performance w8.1 is the best overall so if you like to push to the limit in what you run(AAA games newly released for example) then you kinda need it unless you have money to blow in hardware. I used it for a while(not that much about 2 days in actual hours used spread over a week for 8 and then again for 8.1) and I personally don't really like the interface it has as it is basically a grouping of all of them I go out of my way to mod programs that update to go back to and while I could change/disable quite a few of those it wasn't all. But then I also don't like to use mobiles much either restricting myself to using them as actual cellphones only or reading so keep in mind that is my point of view there.

That said my actual advice is to go and try it out. If it bothers you then don't upgrade, if it doesn't then upgrade. Everything else is horse shit really. Haters gonna hate and lovers gonna love and all the bickering in between is a waste of time. For things like this personal experience is what actually matters.