Win 8 or 8.1 recommended today for PC gamers?

Just curious because last time I looked into this I read about mouse lag problems for 8.1 users. Has this been addressed by now and is it safe for PC gamer/enthusiasts to switch to Windows 8.1? Don't mean temp fixs and adjusting compatibility mode with every game but actually fixed?

Is it worth it for DX 11.2? Can I still use classic shell to to further tweak the start button using 8.1? I'd also like to know if it's true that it uses even less memory than Win 8? If so that's almost enough reason for me to upgrade pending mouse issues.

Thanks.

Windows 8.1 in my opinion is the best operating system that Microsoft has released. It works extremely well for gaming. I've noticed pretty much zero problems with it so far. You could tweak the start button if you wanted to but it's about time to leave 2001 behind and join the rest of us in 2014.

Windows 8.1 is still an OS I do not like to recommend, but good old Win 7 is fading out from the shelves. there is still issues with 8... with apps and games to run correctly even though on 7 works without hassle Now windows 8 is suppose to get a upcoming feature update making the desktop more like Windows 7's UI. Afterward MS will be full bore on 9. If you already have Windows 7 going to Windows 8 is a waste.

Thanks for the repsonses. Let me say that I have Windows 8 now but am hesistant on upgrading to 8.1 because of known past issues. I'd like to know first hand from gamers if they still experience mouse lag in games, as well as any other problems associated with 8.1. DX 11.2 seems like a marketing scam, but I suppose it will allow for better Xbone ports? Is it really a benefit to us or not?

I've a win 8.1 laptop that doesn't seem to have mouse lag in games, but don't use it too often to know for sure so take that with a grain of salt.

As for the dx11.2, note that MS's DX12 is coming out next year as well as Windows 9. DX12 is supposed to actually be a big deal and will be implemented in some form on the Xbone. If MS's history is any guide, they may well make DX12 a Windows 9 exclusive.

I have 8.1 and never had any problems with mouse lag.

The only issues I've noticed is that some games (a minority) you need to run on compatibility mode (Win7) or they crash.

8 is what I use. I had to revert back from 8.1 after getting horrendous judder and mouse lag in some games. Even mouse movement outside of games didn't feel right.

I always recommend sticking with 8, but do whatever you want. I see no reason at all to use 8.1 when 8 has no such issues and a program called Classic Shell makes it feel like you're using 7 again anyway. No downsides to using 8 imo.

I personally recommend Linux :)

Dude, you come across as too much of a fanboy sometimes. The guy is asking if 8.1 has fixed some of the random mouse lag, and whether he should upgrade to 8.1 or stick to 8 for now. You are recommending a totally different option which doesn't even support most games. Stick to the topic.

Can I ask which games? Because I've been running 8.1 without no issues on mouse lag.

Dude, you come across as too much of a fanboy sometimes. The guy is asking if 8.1 has fixed some of the random mouse lag, and whether he should upgrade to 8.1 or stick to 8 for now. You are recommending a totally different option which doesn't even support most games. Stick to the topic.

I wasn't serious lol. I actually just bought a new 500GB HDD, and installed Win7 on it for games that Linux doesn't have.

If I'm going tell the TC anything, its that Windows 8 is a pain in the ass, and 8.1 is less of a pain in the ass :P But I have limited experience with either of them though.

@FelipeInside: For me New Vegas and L4D2 were games where it was most noticeable. Any first person game really. Now everything is completely smooth on 8.

All good dude. I'm just careful cause you never know how much the TC knows about technology, so I try to give him best advice based on what he asked.

Weird. I play BF4, Titanfall, COD and other genre games on 8.1 and no mouse lag at all. Must be a specific driver it's having issues with. Do you have just the Windows drivers or additional ones?

All good dude. I'm just careful cause you never know how much the TC knows about technology, so I try to give him best advice based on what he asked.

No problem.

It'd be nice if we have a quick list of these apps and games. That way, we can avoid those particular apps.

8.1 is absolutely the best gaming OS you can have. it is easily one of the best OS's that MS has come out with.

steamOS? lul... does anyone even remember what that is anymore?

Linux definitely makes more sense, and is better designed than any version of windows IMO, it may not be the best gaming OS, but that may change in the near future.

More sense where though?

Only thing so far I see Linux more desirable than Windows is the price (FREE), but even then sometimes free isn't the best choice.

You cant be serious

if you have 8, upgrading to 8.1 is a no brainer, no point skipping an update. If you already have 7, I'd stick with 7. That's how I see it.

dead serious. im sure you will have some bullshit snarky comeback, so go nuts. hard not to expect anything but word diarrhea from you.

please regale us with tales of how this is going to be the year of linux. how steamOS is going to sweep the world and take over...how MS is an evil corporation and **** the man....*gags*

I advocate freedom of choice, and windows being the only choice (and thus the most popular) is kinda crappy, and that doesn't make it the best. I found linux to just be better in some ways, not all, but some. Software management is so much better and quicker in linux thanks to repositories. You never have to defrag thanks to much better file systems, and they may even make your HDD last longer. The terminal is super easy to use when you need it (rarely), its much more secure, has somewhat nicer file management with tabbed file browsing. Has lots of good free alternatives to windows software like video editors and whatnot. infinitely more customizable, system update doesn't just update the system, but all the software installed too. I don't hate windows, I just like linux more. If one distro doesn't work for you, try another, there are a lot to choose from (some may see that as a negative, but I don't). I see TONS of ignorant forum posts, and websites spreading false crap about linux, and that just makes me defend it more. GNU/Linux is just as easy to use as Windows, it just doesn't have the game library that windows has (still pretty big), but I do hope that Valve can change that.

A lot of reasons why I think it's better. Of course you can say I'm wrong about most things, I probably am, no doubt you have far more experience with Linux than I do.

I wouldn't say I have that much experience with Linux. I did a year's course on Red Hat Enterprise for work, have used Ubuntu and Debian, and had to troubleshoot a few of them for work purposes (nothing too complex).

Linux has gotten a lot better over the years, especially with distros like Ubuntu, making it easier to install and use. If you had used Linux 20 years ago you wouldn't be a fan of it like today, lol.... Saying that, Windows 20 years ago was also a lot worse than it is now.

Personally I always tend to go with what does what I want/need the best, and that's always been Windows for me. It has all the home, work and leisure needs in one package, and isn't stupid expensive so that's why I continue to use it.

I've had no issues so far with the games I have installed or was installed on my ASUS lappie (Win 8.1):

I've worked from this layout since the 8.1 patch. It's okay. I haven't seen Metro since. I much prefer Windows 7's Aero though.

I'd prefer Windows 8.1 for gaming.

@jun_aka_pekto said:

I've had no issues so far with the games I have installed or was installed on my ASUS lappie (Win 8.1):

I've worked from this layout since the 8.1 patch. It's okay. I haven't seen Metro since. I much prefer Windows 7's Aero though.

What is your screen refresh-rate?

Aside from server stuff with Redhat (at work) and Ubuntu Server (IT courses), I've been tinkering with Linux on the desktop since 1995 starting with Slackware 3.4. Linux certainly had made a lot of progress since those 3.4 days when just getting X-Window to work was cause for celebration.

The problem is, there's varying inconsistencies with different distros. One of the more common examples is the use of USB WiFi adapters. Most Linux distros seem fine with automatic configuration when using a Live-CD. Yet, the moment I install the OS on the hard drive, the WiFi autoconfig just shits on itself. The OS finds the USB adapter without problems. But it chokes when trying to establish an online connection. What should take one attempt often took repeated tries without success. I'd end up having to unplug and then replug the USB WiFi adapter. After some more unsuccessful attempts to connect, then a successful login may result. That particular problem happens across different distros ranging from Ubuntu to Linuxmint to Fedora. It could be the WiFi adapter itself. Still, I ended up overwriting the Linux distros with an old XP license which configured the WiFi adapter. First attempt at login, Boom. Gets it right the first time. There's a similar problem with the video defaulting to 4:3 instead of 16:9 or 16:10 when installing a Linux OS (different distros) on the hard drive. I could edit the XF86Setup file to add the modes. But, no self-respecting user should have to do that in this day and age.

I'm fine with editing via file or command line since I spent a lot of time with MS-DOS and AmigaDOS. But, it just won't do with mainstream consumers. I think Linux should just stay with either servers or Android.

@murray69murray: 60Hz on a 14" 1366x768 laptop LCD. The image was originally a .png which I converted to .jpg. The .png looks much sharper with no artifact/color bleeding.

That's what I was wondering, it looked odd.

Im referring to windows 8 being the best gaming OS...... which is a joke have had multiple issues with xp era games and a few early win 7 era games, but was able to fix the newer based ones with compatibility mode.

@04dcarraher:

That's not really unusual considering I've also had issues with some XP-era games refusing to run in WIn 7. An example is IL-2 Forgotten Battles. I have the original which still refuses to install in Win 7. Yet, it now installs and runs fine in Windows 8.1.

I like 8.1. You have to have a Start button replacement so you dont ever have to see Metro, but besides that its great and smooth.

Why would you need a start button replacement? There is no reason to see metro anyways? In fact I haven't seen mine in months. The fact that people still prefer to browse through a list rather then simply open a program astounds me. Windows Key+S then the first few letters of the program you want and bam. Or just pin them to the taskbar. The start menu is shit, why use it?

I won't recommend anything but 7 at the moment. 8 isn't worth it for the hassle it provides and no other major player has the game library it does.

I simply could not get my old Netgear wifi adapter to work on any distro, it just couldn't be done. My Rosewill USB wifi was however instantly recognized, configured, and working perfectly right out of the box in Manjaro though, but PCLinuxOS refused to acknowledge it was even there, could be because it uses a hideously outdated kernel. Windows did not always detect the wifi for me either.

Oh I see. thats cool dude.

If Linux was as bad, or worse than windows was 20 years ago, I probably wouldn't like it as much as I do if I had used it lol.

I've been running Windows 8 from launch and then updated to 8.1 when it came out. Haven't had any difficulties running any game.

Windows 8.1 is a good OS if you get used to it. It has those features for tablets like app store and such but they are no obstacle.

It boots up almost instantly, metro apps like browsers use so little memory and are so fluid and all games work the same or even better than in 7. Games like bf4 have two times the framerate on win 8.1 than on win 7 or older.

I also ended up liking the Start menu thing, i never really used the windows button, and now with a quick click i have all my programs in place with fancy big icons.

It only affects games that do not support direct input btw.

Just put this one for everything fixed http://donewmouseaccel.blogspot.com/2010/03/markc-windows-7-mouse-acceleration-fix.html

KDE homerun kicker menu does the same thing as metro, you simply type the first couple letters of the app you want in the search field, it appears, you click it and bam, it opens. Why use a cumbersome full screen apps menu, when you can have a much smaller, simpler one that does the same thing?

You need to some research again buddy friend. The small start menu is still there in Windows 8.1, just hidden. People always talk about lack of options with Windows, but look:

To open a program:

1) you can use the Metro Menu

2) you can use the search bar

3) you can use the classic menu

4) you can install the classic menu (Start8)

5) you can use a desktop icon

6) you can use a taskbar icon

and probably a few more ways which I can't think of at the moment.

And I still don't understand why people think the new menu is "cumbersome"? It takes about 10min to set up the icons you use the most the way you want (I have them by groups), and then takes 2 clicks to get anywhere.

Well again, I've not had enough time to spend with 8. I've heard win8 users say things like "whats the point of the tiny start menu that takes forever to look through when you can use the nice big modern start screen with big buttons?" which is dumb too, and I can counter that with ease. If the hidden start menu your talking about is start8, thats kinda cheating, since its a third party mod you have to pay for.

Don't listen to people that don't know what they are saying. BOTH menus have their pros and cons, but the new menu isn't something impossible to use like most like to paint it. It works the same as the old one, just bigger, more colourful and with added features, like live tiles, resize options, groups, touch friendly etc. It's basically the old one just brought up to date with modern technology and features. It needed a revamp. The Start Menu hadn't changed since XP 15 years ago.

The hidden menu isn't Start8, they are two different things. With 8.1 there is a hidden limited start menu, or else you can install Start8 to have the fully featured old Start Menu.

Any which way you go, Windows 8.1 works the same as 7, just with added features.

Its cool, I know that metro isn't as bad as many make it seem. It dosen't have to be one way or the other, like you said, both have pros and cons.

If you have Windows 7 stay with it. If you have nothing get 8.1.

Its a good Os. I got it on my laptop and I see nothing wrong with it. I'm using my laptop for html stuff and it doesnt slow me down any.

Although I have no problems using Windows 8.1, I was rather surprised to see the 64-bit OEM version sold out at newegg.com while there's still plenty of Windows 7 OEM in stock.

Well, it's cheaper to buy 8.1 now then 7, so for someone with a new build it makes sense to buy 8. (unless it's business)

8.1 is back in stock now. The OEM version is $99.99, same as Win 7 Home Premium OEM. If I was assembling an all-new PC with no OS, I'd go with 8.1. But, I still have an unused Win 7 3-pack at home.