Windows 8 & gaming: yes or no?

By kiddingguy
in Microsoft (Windows)

 Share

Recommended Posts

Grand Master

kiddingguy

Posted
Posted

Several sites mention there is practically no difference in gaming experience between Windows 7 and Windows 8.

My question to you guys is: is there a difference? noticeable? and is it preferable to upgrade for gaming-sake?

(and not for better performance and memory management, boot time increases etc already in Windows 8)

Link to comment
https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/1125612-windows-8-gaming-yes-or-no/
Share on other sites
Grand Master

Brandon H Supervisor

Posted
  • Supervisor
Posted

IIRC DX11.1 is only available for windows 8?

game devs have hardly started touching directx 11 and have just began taking real advantage of directx 10

directx 11.1 i wouldn't really say is a selling point at this point in time

Grand Master

Brandon H Supervisor

Posted
  • Supervisor
Posted

Crysis 3 !

crysis has always been about trying to push the boundaries though

most other AAA titles are still using directx 9 as the base and adding in a little directx 10/11 as an afterthought

some companies are starting to announce they're gonna drop directx 9 support soon though thankfully

Grand Master

spaceelf

Posted
Posted

crysis has always been about trying to push the boundaries though

most other AAA titles are still using directx 9 as the base and adding in a little directx 10/11 as an afterthought

some companies are starting to announce they're gonna drop directx 9 support soon though thankfully

They already did. Even Activision finally released one without dx9.

ZeniMaxx is the only major one left that I can tell still releasing dx9 games.

Several sites mention there is practically no difference in gaming experience between Windows 7 and Windows 8.

My question to you guys is: is there a difference? noticeable? and is it preferable to upgrade for gaming-sake?

(and not for better performance and memory management, boot time increases etc already in Windows 8)

Load times do seem improved for gaming in W8, but performance on a same app basis won't be much different.

Grand Master

Max Norris

Posted
Posted

For my hardware, it feels like stuff does load a tad faster, could be placebo, never actually timed it. FPS wise, it's pretty much the same, plus or minus a couple depending on the program. Haven't run into anything that doesn't work. Pretty much the only noticeable difference is how stuff is launched, after that, nada.

Grand Master

Yusuf M. Veteran

Posted
  • Veteran
Posted

The only difference for gaming is full support for DirectX11.1. Some features will be made available for Windows 7 with a platform update (see here). At the moment, no games support it so it isn't worth upgrading to Windows 8 only for DX11.1.

Veteran

Mystic Mungis

Posted
Posted

I've had 8 installed on my desktop since the Dev Preview, as expected it was a little bit buggy then but ever since the Consumer Preview I've noticed no difference at all. Was playing Guild Wars 2 on my friends desktop running 7 and thought it looked a little less smooth but to be honest that could just have been in my head so I'd just go with whatever OS you preferred.

Grand Master

PGHammer

Posted
Posted

The only difference for gaming is full support for DirectX11.1. Some features will be made available for Windows 7 with a platform update (see here). At the moment, no games support it so it isn't worth upgrading to Windows 8 only for DX11.1.

I have one MAJOR reason that I prefer Windows 8 over any other Windows for non-browser-based gaming - and it's not DirectX versions or frame rates.

It's called (amazingly) stability.

Games simply crash less (far less) on Windows 8 than on earlier versions of Windows - even games that predate Windows 8 by several years.

Okay - why is browser-based gaming the exception? Easily explained; for some reason, Adobe Flash has issues with desktop flavors of Windows (regardless of browser) when it comes to stability. For browser-based gaming, the best Windows IMHO is (egads) *Windows Server 2012*.

Grand Master

spaceelf

Posted
Posted

http://techreport.co...le-in-windows-8

On the off chance all you want is a quote

Trouble is, that doesn't really matter. A moral victory in the borderline-meaningless FPS sweeps doesn't overcome the fact that the Radeon HD 7950 has a persistent problem with high-latency frames across a range of test scenarios based on the latest games. The 99th-percentile frame times reflect that reality. Our latest round of tests shows that Windows 8 is not the problem. On the contrary, Windows 8 generally improves the latency picture somewhat.

Except in AC3, 8 offers smoother gameplay for the 7950 in pretty much everything they tested.

Grand Master

n_K

Posted
Posted

Games simply crash less (far less) on Windows 8 than on earlier versions of Windows - even games that predate Windows 8 by several years.

Eh? Been a long time since I used windows but back when I did (xp/7) I never really remember many game crashes at all.

This topic is now closed to further replies.
 Share
Go to topic listing

  • Posts

    • Samsung, Amazon extend 990 PRO 2TB NVMe SSD deal beyond Prime Day 2026

      By seeprime · Posted

      I like to reminisce about the good old days, way back in autumn 2025 when building a gaming machine was fun and the drives were about $150 when you caught a deal. Yes duh, back in the day we had it gone. Then baby Skynet came along, hiding in AI datacenters demanding more processing power until it reached singularity. End of a not totally fictional story.
    • Bypassed Windows 11 shows surprising stability on ancient, completely unsupported hardware

      By +Spark99 · Posted

      My experience in the past with older Windows 11 builds was not great on unsupported machines but I recently used Rufus to put the latest build on a older 5th Gen Core Thinkpad T that we upgraded with a SATA SSD and 8GB of RAM four years ago when hardware was reasonable and it seemed pretty fast and solid. Customer is very happy with the performance and will probably get four more years out of that venerable laptop that he loves so much. Another customer just retired his Dell Studio laptop from 2009 running Windows 10. It got an SSD over 10 years ago and did everything he needed it to for 17 years but he also retired last year and is happy doing everything on his iPad now.
    • Apple's newest AirTag 2 gets first big discount

      By TarasBuria · Posted

      Apple's newest AirTag 2 gets first big discount by Taras Buria In late January 2026, Apple introduced its second-generation AirTag trackers, bringing a refresh to the old model that has been on the market for half a decade. Now, you can get these new trackers at an all-time low price, thanks to the first big discount that brought the price down by 17% on Amazon. While the second-generation AirTag looks identical to its predecessor, it packs meaningful upgrades inside. The second-gen ultrawideband chip works 50% farther than the original AirTag, allowing you to detect lost items in a wider range. In addition, the second-generation AirTag features an upgraded Bluetooth chip for extended range and a significantly louder speaker (up to 50%) so that you can hear it better when locating a lost item. Note that the second-gen AirTag only works with iPhones and iPads that run iOS/iPadOS 26 and newer, so you need a compatible device to use the tracker. Like the original AirTag, the AirTag 2 is available in two packs: one and four pieces. Both are now available at a notable discount on Amazon, and you can purchase them using the links below. Apple AirTag 2 tracker - $24 | 17% off on Amazon Apple AirTag 2 tracker (four-pack) - $89 | 10% off on Amazon Good to know This Amazon deal is U.S.- specific and not available in other regions unless specified. We only use first-party seller links (at the time of article publishing); ensure that you purchase from a first-party seller link only. Check out Today's Deals on Amazon | or our recent tech deals. Become a Prime member (for Students or SNAP) via Neowin Get Prime Access - Prime for half price (for qualifying Medicaid, EBT, SNAP) Subscribe to Prime Video, Audible Plus, Music Unlimited or Kindle Unlimited via Neowin As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
    • Tidal won't monetize AI slop music, company says

      By monterxz · Posted

      I've been on Deezer for over a decade, but glad that Tidal joined them in fighting AI slop. Can't stand such takes as Spotify's: "Spotify's CEO recently pushed back against listeners who call AI music "slop," urging people to stop using the term and instead embrace the creative potential of AI music."
    • Why it's almost impossible to produce a smartphone in the United States

      By Cosmocronos · Posted

      “Could” … in the IS the healthcare is run by insurance companies that make indecent profits denying basic treatments to people that are paying money for nothing. Besides, where are all the Trump epigones who were stating that the tariffs were going to paid by foreign companies and not the US citizens? …

  • Recent Achievements

    • Reacting Well
      NovaEdgeX earned a badge
      Reacting Well
    • Week One Done
      NovaEdgeX earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • One Year In
      BA the Curmudgeon earned a badge
      One Year In
    • Conversation Starter
      rosiecharles earned a badge
      Conversation Starter
    • First Post
      KMilenkoski1202 earned a badge
      First Post

  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      538
    2. 2
      +Edouard
      266
    3. 3
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      151
    4. 4
      Steven P.
      98
    5. 5
      macoman
      66
    Show More

  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!