Your computer is getting older and you want to replace it but… You’ve heard a lot of negative thing about Windows 8 so you aren’t sure you want to upgrade.
Should you get a new computer with windows 8? There are several things to consider when you ae deciding to upgrade to any new version of windows. Microsoft generally tries to make it as easy as possible to change operating systems with out having to have all new versiosn of every thing else to go with it. But there are advancements that would never happen if you just kept compatibility the same as it was. So the first thing you should do is find out if the software you want to use runs on the new version of windows and if it doesn’t is there a newer version and how much does it cost. Then add that expense to the cost of upgrading.
Next you have to decide is the machine yo have fast enough to run windows 8 or do you need a new machine. I have upgraded several machine from windows XP to Windows 8 and from my experience then need more memory but you get to go to 64 bit so you can go above 3 gb of ram and then it will probably run faster than windwos xp with 2 GB of ran on the same machine. Otherwise you need a new computer so you can add that to the cost of upgrading.
You can see the trend here. It will cost you more than the approximately $200 that microsoft wants for windows 8. But eventually you will have to replace that old computer so it might as well be now.
Here is what I recommend: Get an intel core i7 or i5 computer with 6 – 8 gb of ram and a 2tb hard drive. Add an Nvidia video card. This might sound like overkill – if all you do is quickbooks, word processing and a spreadsheet now and then. But it will make your experience with Windows 8 more enjoyable – Internet and media will work better and you will wait less for the small things.
I have been using Windows 8, 8.1 and 8.1 update for almost as long as they have been available. There are still a few minor annoyances when you wonder why microsoft had to move where a setting gets set. But overall it is a well designed system and will only take a short time to get used to.