PC is not my main platform, but i had absolutely no trouble (okay, aside from my antivirus getting a bit broken so i had to reinstall) upgrading both from a Win7 PC and a Win8 Tablet.

Look up if there are known problems with the games you play in relation to Win10, and if not, do upgrade. While i did not hate Win8, 10 is like the OS 8 should've been, like Win7 was to Vista.

You should be fine updating to windows 10. This would also be a good opportunity to update to a larger sshd

Definitely upgrade, 10 is the better OS. Not to mention it's free for however long so make sure you do it while it still is

Two arguments against 10:

1. It sends every fucking breath you take over to Microsoft servers.
2. There is literally a single thing Win 10 offers for gamers, and that is DirectX 12

Personally, I going to ride my Win7 until the security patches stop (2020).

They patched this into 7 and 8 too.

I keep seeing people recommend that others upgrade to Windows 10 right away without any specific reasons as to why.

I use Classic Shell so UI isn't a concern for me with Windows 8.1. There are no DirectX 12 games out yet, at least none that I am interested in playing. I don't use my gaming PCs for anything other than playing games. Why exactly should I upgrade? "It's better" isn't really an answer.

For me it was the fact that I had trouble discerning some UI elements in a semi-legacy CAD program I use when under Win 8.1. Aero in Win 7 was much better in my case and as soon as I could try Win10, I did and never looked back to either 7 or 8.1. It's nice and flat like 8, but also clear and distinctive like 7. Also, the best thing when going from 7 to 8 was boot-up time (45+s vs. 8s. on my laptop) and that didn't increase when moving to 10. Unless you love the 8.1 touch interface, there's really no reason you should postpone updating.

I've had better overall performance under 10 than 7. The shift from 7 to 8 or 10 isn't the undertaking that we saw back in the day in going from xp to 7.

You can stay on 8.1 and you'll be fine for the foreseeable future but I feel like the overall UI experience of 10 is better than 8.1. If you're a Class Shell user that's less of a concern.

I'm not saying people shouldn't be concerned about privacy but I think some of the windows 10 concerns are a bit overblown. Their defaults are less than ideal but a good deal of it can be shut off.

I'm on win 7 and disabled updating in advance of the 10 roll out. But I am wondering if I let it update will I get the chance to just wipe out my whole computer and start fresh if I decide to let it update?

@the_atomic_dumpling: All of that anti-privacy stuff from Windows 10 is/has been back-updated to earlier versions of Windows, specifically Windows 7. They're doing it no matter what and there's no way to turn it off. Your only choices now is to deal with it or switch to Linux.

On to the topic, Windows 10 is fine. There a still some weird problems if you use a dualshock 4 and some minor OS bugs, but nothing that really matters in day-to-day use. It's much faster than Windows 7 and has more modern features. Microsoft basically took the good parts of Windows 8.1 and Windows 7 and mashed them together to make Windows 10. There's no reason not to upgrade at this point.

@mike: Its slightly faster than Windows 8.1. You don't really "need" to use Classic Shell anymore since Windows 10 has a fair amount of that built in, but you can still use it if you'd like. There's really no reason not to update at this point. You should probably do it while Windows 10 is still "free" to Win7 and Win8 users for the next 8 months or so.

@stonyman65: How much "slightly faster" are we talking here? My 8.1 machine already boots to desktop in under 11 seconds, and the benchmarks I've seen show something like less than a 1% difference which is well within the margin of error for benchmarks. I'm already running everything at well above my monitor's refresh rate, so a 1% or even a 5% difference isn't going to do much for me.

All I see right now with upgrading to Windows 10 are potential problems and no real benefits.

Go here and download Reflect. Make an image of your existing OS drive and then perform your update to Windows 10. This reserves it for you if you ever decide to go back to it, even after that free period is up.

Everyone I've talked to, regardless of their level of experience, has agreed that Windows 10 is a better experience. It's slicker, provides better support for things that are generally under the hood and you'll never see (but do make a difference in efficiency). If you don't use Internet Explorer then Microsoft Edge will be of no consequence to you. If you're concerned about Microsoft mining data (which is anonymous) there are scripts and guides to remove that - but hey, heads up. Apple and Google have as much and more on you anyway. Not saying it isn't cool, but you've been living in this world for a while now unless you're judicious about ad blockers, Ghostery, etc.

If it turns out you don't like Windows 10, you can go to Start > Settings > Update/Recovery > Recovery and roll back to Windows 8.1. If you're beyond 30 days (the limit for that method of roll back) you can reinstall using the Reflect program after making a recovery USB. The first method would leave changes to documents in tact. Reflect however would return you to the exact state you were in previously.

Hot tip: I highly recommend doing a clean install of an OS, getting all your drivers and programs installed and keeping a Reflect image. That way if you need to wipe your hard drive you can restore rather than reformat.

@mike : You shouldn't. If you use the PC only for gaming it means nothing to you until there are games out with DX12 or you want the Xbox One streaming. Windows 10 is an improvement (in my opinion) on Windows 8 in almost every way (save for the privacy concern), but I stand to see those changes because I use my PC for everything from gaming to productivity an even home monitoring.

If you want. There aren't many DX12 games out now and it might be awhile before there are, so you probably won't see much of a performance difference. I've been using 10 for about a month now and I've had no issues whatsoever with games though. Of all my games the only one to apparently not like Windows 10 is Postal 2's multiplayer and... I don't think I'm going to play that ever so...

To me it's basically a snazzier version of Windows 7. I'd certainly recommend it, especially while it's free, but it's up to you.

As I understand it, they've added some additional telemetry updates to Windows 7 and 8.1, but it's not exactly the same situation as Windows 10. (And a far cry from Windows 10 at default settings.)

To get a handle on Windows 10 privacy settings, and removing/blocking the new telemetry updates in Windows 7/8.1, see the following link: https://fix10.isleaked.com/

Myself, I'm sticking with Windows 7 and 8.1 until Microsoft gives Windows 10 users more control over data privacy and Windows/driver updates. That and I don't really have any compelling reason to upgrade to Win10.

I think the only reason why you might upgrade is its free. Im not sure what the deadline is but im sure Microsoft will try to make money.

As toxeia mentioned you can make an image if you're concerned.

All home users should upgrade to 10.

Corporations are another matter, but 10 is far superior to 7/8.

My two cents is that if you're getting 11 second boot times you're not going to see a significant increase in performance from switching to 10.

@mike: I boot in 3 seconds. Everything is accessible instantaneously on a standard Samsung SSD. But I also have BIOS optimizations that make that boot time. I can get it to boot faster but risk having to clear the CMOS which is a physical activity I had to do and wasn't a fan of even in the 90s. The difference between that and 8.1 is about a second. If I am restarting it is about the time it takes for my monitor to realize a video signal is coming in. So, instantaneous. In terms of game performance, I don't see much of a difference if any. I think StarCraft gets a few more frames on ultra 1080p. If anything a few frames doesn't really mean much.

I also love the Usability/UI/UX changes. The keyboard shortcuts and mouse based shortcuts are really nice. But, I don't think much has changed from 8 to 10 on that front. Basically, the difference between 3 clicks and 2 and one keyboard combo rather than a few mouse clicks or search. This is all mute if you customize your own windows keyboard shortcuts.

I don't see any problems. I do a lot of music stuff which seems to have the most obscure and weird driver compatibility issues. I don't have enough obscure hardware to really verify driver issues. Your point on the 1% single digit differences is about right. I run on 144hz for CSGO so talking even 3-4 frames of extra performance means nothing.

There is a semi-detailed reason since all you are getting is it is great. I am probably wasting my time though.

@devil240z:I am pretty sure it is mandatory from Windows 7.

I use 10, and my hubby uses 8. He switched back to 8 after having issues while playing MGS V. I've yet to have much issue with it (other than it randomly disconnecting my net).

@rickyyo: Your PC cold boots from off to Windows desktop in 3 seconds? That's what I'm talking about for my 11 second boot time.

10 is just better. I am no wizard of computers or anything, so I can't define what is better, but from a user-standpoint... it just feels better. Looks better, feels better, and just overall works better. At least with my setup.

I plan to eventually, but it's going to have to be when I'm on a break from University and not close to an exam; I just cannot risk anything screwing with my work flow.

You might as well do it while the upgrade is free.
I was using 8.1 previously and have no regrets about upgrading.
The start menu is better.
I've had zero compatibility issues.
Whether or not DX12 games are here now, they are coming, and I'd rather not spend an extra $100+ for an OS upgrade when they do arrive.
Having the Xbox app is an added bonus if you have an Xbox One as well.
When Microsoft ends support for 7/8.1 you'll have to upgrade anyway, for a price.

@rickyyo: yeah but I disabled updating entirely. So the update won't come until I manually check for updates.

@mike: My bad. 6 seconds. If I turn off some bios features I can probably shave 2-3. I just recorded it. There are some startup tasks (low level not windows) and bios splash screen stuff that can be disable to make it quicker.

"Windows 8 is much better than windows 10" said nobody ever.

99% of Windows users won't care about the tracking and update systems, so for they should just upgrade to 10.

The remaining 1% that are tired of Microsoft collecting their data or whatnot will have to find something else.

I should also point out that Heroes of the Storm is currently unplayable with Windows 10 and certain graphics cards. The map glitches out and blocks your view. That's probably Blizzard's fault though, not Microsoft's.

@mike@agentboolen: The basis of this conversation is simply are you someone who wants the new and shiny thing? or are you the type to just stick with what works for you?

If your the latter than that's great! do whats in your heart.

If your hesitant about any issues don't be, everything works mostly as it should and I have had nothing but a pleasant experience using Windows 10. If your fine with 8 there is no real reason to upgrade but there isn't really a reason not to either.

I think 10 does a lot of things right and I like it more than I did 8 but that's more of an aesthetic and UI preference.

Do what you feel!

No, question go to 10.

After running 10 for a month I reformatted and returned to 7, and it was like a breath of fresh air. (When updating, I specifically avoided the telemetry "offerings.")

That said, when a co-worker asked me last Tuesday if he should upgrade from 8 to 10, I advised him to do it. While I didn't use 10 for more than a few weeks, it booted faster on my SSD than both 7 and 8, it was much better laid out than 8.1, and it ran like Microsoft had figured out what 8 should have been.

10's not the perfect marriage of tower and tablet Microsoft wants it to be, but it's a really nice OS, leaving out the nasty telemetry and pay-for-solitaire garbage.

Yeah, that's kind of where I am right now. Currently, on 8.1, everything is set up and running just the way I want it to. If there were some more compelling reasons for me to switch to Windows 10, I definitely would, but right now there just isn't. I'm most likely going to wait until there is a DX 12 game I want to play, or the free upgrade period is about to expire before I go ahead and move to Win 10.

However, I do have an extra laptop that I could probably upgrade and then play around with 10 that way.

Thanks everyone that voted, sounds like it might be a good time to update. Seen a few complaints, but ultimately it sounded like it'd be good in the end.

Now I just have to wait for Microsoft to decide when there going to validate my upgrade!

@fatalbanana: honestly I'm the guy that just wants to fill his Windows gaming pc with games and not have to worry about deleting stuff just to make room to update later. For Windows metro interface I never hated it and the normal Windows start bar I usually don't bother with either much (other than getting into control panel and other system areas). Short cut wise I usually just pin my favorites to the bar on the bottom.

I'm most afraid of compatibility problems with games though. If everything I play keeps working the update will have been a success.

For shiny, it's been decades since Windows felt shiny to me lol. Usually the changes never make it feel that different imo. Now Mac os 9 to X on the Mac side (graphic designer here most jobs use that over Windows in that field) was the last os that gave me that shiny feeling, huge changes there... But even that os is starting to feel old these days. Thinking about it I kinda wish more os updates would give me that feeling.

@agentboolen: I know it's different for everyone but I haven't had any compatibility problems with games since updating. IF anything, some games seem to work ever so slightly better.

Windows 8.1 to Windows 10 was an incredibly smooth upgrade for me, and I really like a lot of aspects of the new OS. Ultimately there are still a few kinks to work out, but 8.1 wasn't perfect either.

I say go for it, as long as you don't mind the issues with constant updates its a winner in my book.