[Musica Amantem]

Hi! I decided to stick with a laptop as my only source for music listening. The question is whether I should replace my old unit with a Win 7 or Win 8 / 32 or 64 bits operating system. What would be the best OS for my purpose within the Windows realm (Apple is not my cup of tea)? I normally listen through Foobar2k, latest version, and my DAC is an Audio Gd NFB 3 (2014). Thanks for your support.

 

[PurpleAngel]

For music listening it really does not matter (Win 7 or Win 8 or 32-bit or 64-bit).
I guess go with Win 8 64-bit as in general it's guts seems to be a decent improvement over Win 7
 
And get the free program Classic Shell, Win 8s user interface is designed to work like a tablet
But Classic Shell will make the Win 8 interface more like Win 7.

 

[Roseval]

The major difference is that a 64 bit OS can address more than 4 GB memory.
Foobar is a 32 bit app and probably remains so for a long time.
As I run Win on an iMac and it supports only 64 Win, I run 64 Win.
Can't say it really makes a difference.
All my 32 bit audio apps run fine

 

[Musica Amantem]

Thanks, guys, for the feedback. I guess I'll run my new laptop on 64 and probably choose Win 7 as I'm more familiar with it and it is supposed to have proven itself in audio streaming (the good and the bad of it!).

 

[AladdinSane]

IMO there is not much difference in the experience of Win8 once you enter the Desktop for the average user or start up an app. Yes, there is some learning curve on where to find things and Win8 in general but if you're not digging into the guts of the settings or tinkering really not a big deal. I chose Win8 64-bit for my new box as it is inevitable Win8 will rule someday and I'd rather have a from the ground up install of Win8 then have to upgrade over a previous install of Win7. Obviously you can overwrite your Win7 but you then have to reconfigure your apps and settings which is either fun or a PITA depending on your point of view.

 

[cel4145]

Thanks, guys, for the feedback. I guess I'll run my new laptop on 64 and probably choose Win 7 as I'm more familiar with it and it is supposed to have proven itself in audio streaming (the good and the bad of it!).

Good idea to go with 64 bit. AMD and Intel processors have now been out long enough so that most consumers have 64 bit capable hardware that I would imagine we are close to the point where applications may only be designed for 64 bit.

I also downgraded my laptop from Windows 8 to Windows 7. IMO, Windows 8.x is Microsoft's attempt to get consumers used to their tablet and phone interface and to try to sell touchscreen monitors. However, even though with 8.1 you can choose to bypass the new tablet screen display for startup, their are some small compromises made over Windows 7 in order to make Windows 8.x more touchscreen friendly that result in some small usability losses for traditional tablet and desktop users.

Then again, for a music only system, might be nice to go with a touchscreen laptop since choosing what music to play might be nice to do via using the screen instead of mouse or touchpad, in which case Windows 8x is the way to go.

 

[Musica Amantem]

Thanks all! I'll stick with Win 7 at 64 bits this time around.