Windows 10: Windows 10 from the ground up

Folks, I understand what Bunny is trying to say. 4 gigs is the STANDARD amount of RAM for a brand new Win 10 computer.Most users need no more than that. However, in light of future upgrades (plus some people are big gamers, like me) 8 gigs is recommended.

Incidentally, they are arguing about 16 gigs of RAM. It generally only costs $50 more, but I wonder if that $50 wouldn't be better spent on getting a better video card.

 

On a typical premade system spending on trying to get the best "Gaming" card is a little fruitless and waste of money in contrast to an all out high end gaming machine you can put together yourself. As for 8gb of memory I paid about $70 for a pair of 4gb dimms recently showing how prices have fallen since the Mushkin Enhanced 8gb of memory originally ordered for the main build but split up was four separate 2gb dimms equalling $140! $70 per pair of 2gb back in 2010! The micro atx max is 8gb there and will be seeing Hyper-V in use while the main still sees VMware which can see multiple VMs running together each taking 2gb a piece and still having other things running on the host OS itself.

When previously on the previous build running into "Out of Resources" I simply invested in the expansion for the present build. The 32bit preinstalled Windows generally now sees 4gb while the 64bit Pro edition for each version 8.1 or 10 will tend to see 6gb. The Toshiba that came with the 64bit 10 Home on it ran for $447- with shipping and sales tax added in is now fetching about $100 more! Amazon.com: Toshiba Satellite C75D-B7297 17.3-Inch Laptop (Brushed Black): Computers Accessories

Couldn't have picked a better time for the purchase being mid January after all the shopping days for 2015 were done and over with where I caught a price break. Likewise be on the watch for summer clearances but don't wait too long to start shopping around since by then the selections are usually quite limited! Spring sales have a tendency to take their tolls as well for seeing the older models cleared out before the new arrivals that come in the fall.

 

Buying a Cheap Windows 10 Laptop Part 1

As of today, May 16, 2016, there are no laptops or desktops built from the ground up for Windows 10. Even the new ones are designed for 8.1.

I need to explain the background. When Vista first came out, it ran poorly on most machines, because most machines had been designed for XP. Then an off-brand company put out a dual-core laptop with half a gig of RAM and it ran Vista great. How? XP machines often met the specs, but they had different types of hardware. This cheap laptop had all the right types of everything, including a dual-core processor (which was unusual at the time).

When 8 first came out, it ran well on machines designed for 7. But when people bought Windows 8 machines and downgraded to 7, they had major problems. 8 machines had a superior internal architecture than 7 machines, and 7 had a hard time operating those machines.

So if you buy a cheap laptop (or any other computer) with 10 installed at the factory, remember that you are buying a Windows 8.1 machine.

 

There's no such thing as "built from the ground up" for Windows 10. Any new computer for sale will run 8.1 or Windows 10 just fine. We've already purchased 5 Dell latitude laptops at once from Dell, and some come with 8.1 pre-installed and others come with 10 pre-installed. Considering the upgrade is free until July 29th, it doesn't matter what the computer ships with, as long as you will get it in time to do the upgrade for free, if needed. A computer is a computer. It isn't built for a specific OS. Find the best deal you can that fits your needs from a hardware perspective, and then load the OS on it that also fits your need. Of all the computers I've built and purchased personally, not one of them has been purchased specifically for an operating system. They have been purchased around budget and with respect to the software/games they will need to run.

 

Very much agree, DeconFrost!

 

10 being the latest MS offering not quite out for the first full year as of yet certainly does lack the "From Ground Up" thinking since hardly "Anyone" ever has drivers ready to go when any new version first arrives and often you have to use the previous version's(8.1 in this case) updates for half the things going for that first year or so!

Back when 7 was new I was still running the 2007 custom case since Vista first saw use on an even older XP Build which did have 2gb of memory not 512mb below the actual Minimum amount for Vista, 7, 8, 8.1, and now 10 when 7 first brought in the MinWin kernel to prevent the OS from bloating up even further!





Since that with Windows still growing in size due to the entry of 8 bringing the now Dual Platform type OS Windows has become work on the MinWin had to be speeded up a bit to debloat the OS in order to maintain what had been previous acheived with 7 but still needed much work on the Mobile/Desktop mesh in order to work as 8 didn't! "Flopping around we go...." *Eek "MS CEO declares we tried out best but we need an immediate 8.1 intervention!" as MS realizes a major Flop flop flippidy flop flop?!

Can't quite build totally new as of yet and yet can't run on hardware too old either since only those that see the immediate previous version's support will work! Catch 22 for new every time! That wait took place for the main build here seen back in 2010 before all of the UEFI integrations came about to trash the works even further?! Maybe 2017 or 2018 will see a nice newer build that still sees 7 support? Not likely by then! Once 10 has been out long enough you can write 7 off fast and easy!

 

Are there actually computers built from the ground up for specific operating systems? The answer is a definite "Yes."

I have given the example of the budget laptop built specifically for Windows Vista that ran the OS great when most computers couldn't.

Several months before Windows 95 came out, Consumer Reports did a rating on personal computers (which were using some version of Windows 3). CR pointed out that you needed to check that the CPU in any new computer would be capable of accepting an upgrade to 95.

I was writing on the Acer forums when Windows 8 came out. A few people insisted on buying a brand new 8 laptop and then downgrading it to 7. But 8 used a better architecture than 7 did, and when computers built from the ground up for 8 were downgraded to 7, there were all kinds of problems. Yes, you could buy a 7 laptop upgraded to 8 at the factory and then downgrade it, but not a rig designed for 8.

 

"Built for Windows 10" is a marketing trick to get you to pay more for it. Nothing more.

 

As of today, May 16, 2016, you are correct. There are no computers built from the ground up for Windows 10. Even the very best new computers are designed for Windows 8.1.

 

Let's see I have a custom case here build for 7 I could have easily run XP on since XP updates were available for not only the main board but the expansion cards which include an MSI Radeon 5750 video card, Creative X-Fi XtremeAudio PCIe model sound card, and nic card along with the discontinued tv tuner/video capture card that originally saw XP drivers and software. The same are now running 10 with the tv card using an original Vista x64 driver apparently while the app goes to another newer model that saw 8.1 updates available. Both video and sound cards have seen the latest Radeon update for video and the Creative software's web updater tool grab 10 drivers while those are not listed separately on the regular product support page likely in beta form? Or just happen to be the update for a totally different newer model that now does see 10 updates listed.

Nothing at this point or back when 7 was first out was built specifically for 7. 8 saw a new variation on the boot loader as well as bringing in the RT form of GUI once MS decided to strip out the 7 Start menu rather then revising an updated style of menu in favor of the tablet/mobile form. Yet if you look at a newer 8.1 board closely you may find there is support for 7. Unlike OEM hardwares specific to model series the hardwares sold individually will generally take into account 2-3 versions while the board in the last XP build that saw Vista support had lost 98, ME support. The previous build had to see one of the two 512s removed however in order to set up a working dual boot between 98 and XP due to 98's 500mb maximum.

Since Vista as I was mentioning earlier MS having seen the MinWin kernel introduced with 7 to cut the "Bloated OS" in half as far as just how much memory would be needed for system processes unlike the thinking each new build had to see even more memory used since capacities increased like 16gb and 32gb boards 10 is now still seeing the 1gb minimum for the 32bit. 2gb for the 64bit Windows. Tablets only see 1-2gb on average.

So for building any new custom build the first essential ingredient would be looking at not only specifications but support pages to see which versions are being supported. If MS was still following the progression as far as the 2-3yrs. for each newer version the present board and other hardwares would be defunct simply due to Windows 11 or what not being two versions newer then 8.1 where 8.1 updates would then be pointless! I would then need at least an 8.1 not 8 board and hardwares to see that get updates for 10 and next to come. Since it generally has taken at least a full year for OEMs to play catch up on support a completely all 10 would still be rather non existant since components sold separately are generally cross version supported in order to sell to custom builders unlike OEMs looking to turn one model series over quickly in order to be able to introduce the next series to come. Each newer versions means dropping support for the older in favor of pushing newer profit makers out.

 

So what is the difference between these "Windows 10 PCs" and something that, according to you, would be built from the ground up for Windows 10?
Windows 10 PCs do more. Just like you. See offers - Microsoft

 

How long do you plan on keeping the new box?
Personally, I have always built my own, and I tend to do it to the high side
and keep the box for a long time, so I build ahead to the max.

My current box has run XP, Vista, windows 7 and now windows 10. No performance issues
at all. I plan on keeping it for a good long while.

Two main things really count, RAM and SSD right now.
For RAM I'd go with 8 gigs. Almost any SSD drive will speed thing up quite
a bit, I have used both Samsung and Intel drives.

If you go retail, then I'd say try for these two things minimum.

 

I think you are still getting hung up on marketing terms as NavyLCDR suggested. A computer isn't built for one specific version of Windows. It's built to fill a product segment...high-end gamer, business professional, cheap for students, etc. Then, the marketing materials will be created to say it was meant for whatever version of Windows is the current. Linux is such a small percentage, and you can't legally install OSX on a PC, so that only leaves Windows.

In short, there's no such thing as built for Windows *insert revision here*. A computer is built to perform a certain role or be sold at a certain price point, with either home or business users in mind.

 

Buying a Cheap Windows 10 Laptop Part 2

Since all new laptops are built for Windows 8.1, there is no such thing as a computer designed specifically for Windows 10. So let's see what we've got.

I have three laptops that we let kids from the church and orphanage use. Unfortunately, two were ruined last week when a terrific thunderstorm blew in enough rain to drench them.

1) The Acer Aspire E1 has two gigs of RAM. It ran great, playing games from the Windows Store and streaming cartoons and videos, and allowing the kids to get onto Facebook. Built for 8, I upgraded it to 8.1 and then to 10 with no problems at all. Incidentally, the fact that a rig is built from the ground up for a specific OS does not mean that it can't run other OSes. Its dual-core CPU is 1.4 gigahertz.

2) The pawnshop had a used Gateway laptop on sale for $60 US. Two gigs of RAM and a Celeron chip, but with a strong video card and a large screen. Same as above, it ran great on 8.1 and 10.

3) Laptops in Mexico cost about double what they do on the US. When Walmart reduced a $1200 laptop (that would have cost $600 in the US) to $400, I couldn't resist. 4 gigs of RAM with an i3 chip, it was designed for 8.1 and runs 10 easily. It's the only one that survived the thunderstorm.

How many gigs of RAM do you need for 10? If you don't do anything more complicated than Windows Store games, 2 gigs is sufficient.

Can a cheap laptop designed for one operating system successfully run another operating system? Yes

 

You don't get it do you?? No you don't. There's never been hardware specify build for a specific version of Windows.. ever. I have no idea where you're getting the idea that a PC/Lappy is designed for say.. Win8/8.1 only. Also you need a good surge proctor to prevent lighting from killing the lappy. There is no other way that could have been prevented.

I would like to see some proof to back up your claim that a PC is designed for a specific OS. I doubt you can find any


Jeff
PS,.. where is the neg rep button.. we can use it for this.