Posts by Steven Fowler12

Just wanted to drop the results from my testing. After running both systems, Windows 8.1 actually came out on top. My hardware handles both OS versions flawlessly—they’re incredibly similar, almost identical really—but I felt like Windows 8.1 was just a tiny bit more optimized and snappy. The only thing I changed was adding more RAM; I’ve got 8GB in there now instead of the old 4GB, which I'll list on Craigslist. Maybe it's just me, but it feels much better seeing only 16% memory usage at idle instead of 30%.
Guys, thanks a ton for the help.

Taylor Morales31 said:Just add another 4GB stick so you can get that dual channel going. By the way, you didn't mention what graphics card you're running...

I actually bought that RAM as a single kit so I could just add an identical stick later if I ever needed the extra boost. Why wait around?😉
I don't have a dedicated GPU. Initially, I was planning on just using the integrated Intel graphics since the motherboard supports it. My main goal was to build a quiet PC anyway—besides, I'm not exactly a gamer.

So, how long would a low-level format take on a 2TB hard drive? I remember once needing to reformat a USB stick and ended up having to use some deep low-level formatting software. That 32GB drive took practically all day—about 23 hours, if I recall correctly...

Alex Barnes93 said:Just test them both. Take notes on what glitches out, then decide for yourself.

Man, that would be the dream. But honestly? I’ve had nothing but headaches since back when I was jumping from Windows 95 to 98. Even with those classic dual-boot setups or doing a clean "format C" and reinstalling everything, I always ended up with these lingering digital ghosts that eventually cause issues down the road.
I want to avoid that mess and make my choice before I even start the installation.
The UI isn't my main concern—that's mostly just muscle memory anyway, and you can fix that with a few extra tools. What I actually care about is how the OS performs. Is it stable? How's the driver support? How fast does it run multimedia apps? I need reliability and fewer bugs.
For example, when looking at CPU and RAM usage—both during idle time and while running heavy applications—which one is more reliable and uses fewer resources?

Alright, I'm doing a clean install on a new Western Digital Blue, an ASUS Prime motherboard, an i5-3330, and 4GB of 1600MHz RAM (single G.Skill stick). I’m planning to go with the 64-bit version.

It’ll mostly be for browsing, some light multimedia work—music, photos, movies, that kind of thing—and maybe the occasional low-spec game.

Quick question: what CPU cooler should I get? I really value silent operation without sacrificing performance. Or should I just stick with the stock one that comes in the box?

Also, could someone give me a brief explanation of why I might choose Windows 10 over something else? Thanks.

buža (Vančo Kljaković):

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0343509/
The TV movie "buža" (Vančo Kljaković) is available on YouTube in five parts:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-36DFt2hcg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRGA7moCd3w

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cq0_GmQ1vJc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQaDSL0E9CY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMTZaVMgCDY

A quick tip for anyone watching the late Fadil Hadžić's documentaries: pay close attention to the subtle details and the timing. Hadžić was a true master of the small stuff. While satire demands that level of precision, he never let his characters feel judged. Instead, he used those brilliantly captured moments to catch the "play of the moment"—all those sociological and satirical layers that define our social and political injustices.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqfVCkr9Fy4