Windows 7 vs Windows 10 - Which OS Should You Choose?
Windows 7 vs Windows 10 - Which OS Should You Choose?
Windows 7 and 10 are probably two of the most relevant operating systems of recent times, boasting more than a billion users. Both bring many relevant features and share a big percentage of similarities. Of course, neither is perfect, and each has its pros and cons. But which is better? In this Windows 7 vs Windows 10 guide, we’re going to respond to this question.
What is Windows 7 Operating System?
Windows 7 is, very likely, the most popular major release of the Windows operating system. It was released on July 22, 2009, and since then, it has had millions of followers. At its best, Windows 7 had 630 million users. Today, thousands of people continue using this OS, mainly in countries such as China and Venezuela.
What is Windows 10 Operating System?
Windows 10 is a major Windows NT operating system released on July 15, 2015, and the direct successor to Windows 8.1. Today, it is the most popular operating system in the world, with more than 1 billion users around the globe.
Style and Design: Start Menu and Familiarity
Regarding interface and visual style, Windows 7 continues the tradition of previous versions, such as Windows XP and Windows 98. It features a basic and easy-to-understand interface.
To easily find the programs you seek, you only need to click on the right side of the start button. While navigating by the interface, you won’t have any distractions, so you’ll find all the applications easily accessible. Additionally, the colors of Windows 7 are neutral and minimalist, something that is appreciated.
Windows 10, on the other hand, changes the interface's color and customizes the Start Menu elements, making navigating a bit harder. Besides, Windows reintroduces a Windows 8 feature known as Live Titles.
Live Tiles show you quick information about sports, weather, and all the main apps on your PC or laptop. Besides, Tiles and the Windows 10 interface are optimized for touchscreen devices. Windows 10 also allows you to download apps directly from the Microsoft Store platform, which will appear on the right side of the Start Menu.
Software Compatibility and Applications
Both Windows 7 and 10 feature thousands of third-party applications that perform a specific function. But many Windows users are not upgrading their version because most of these third-party apps are not part of the newest OS.
For instance, you can install Windows Movie Maker in Windows 10, but the truth is this program is practically dead. Other apps, such as Windows Media Center or Windows Photo Viewer, have been killed by Microsoft.
Regarding Legacy Apps like Internet Explorer or the Control Panel, Windows 10 continues using these apps due to their utility.
Gaming
Windows 10 incorporates many new features that improve the Windows general functionality. And, of course, gaming could not miss on the improvements. The newer operating system brings an Xbox App, which lets you enjoy the company's best games directly on your computer.
You can also find popular games such as Candy Crush or Roblox in the Windows Store and download them directly to your computer. Besides, you can install the Xbox app and access the PC Game Pass, which includes the best games on the console.
This app also allows you to stream content across your local network from your Xbox One to your computer. Besides, Windows 10 supports DirectX 12. This feature allows your computer to render better audio and video in Windows 10. This is necessary to download and play the most recent games.
Furthermore, Windows 10 introduces the Game Mode. It was developed to improve the gaming performance in this latest version of Windows. The Game Mode helps computers and Windows stabilize the frame rate in games that demand more resources.
Windows 10 Game Mode generally performs better in games that your computer can’t handle. This new OS feature allows your games to run smoothly with more defined graphics. No doubt that, in this topic, Windows 10 is better than Windows 7.
Windows 7 and 10 Features
In a few words, the new operating system offers more features, better settings, a concise environment, an improved user interface, and enhanced security when compared to its predecessor, which may be a bit counterproductive for Windows 7 users.
One of the most relevant features that Windows 10 brings is the Action Center. This feature marks a big difference in comparison with its predecessor. In Windows 7, the notifications are frequently displayed in the taskbar. However, the Action Center in Windows 10 is a clean environment that shows notifications about relevant emails and information.
Microsoft Edge is a significant victory in upgrading to Windows 10. This new Internet browser came to compete directly with Google Chrome. Today, this web browser is also available for Windows 7, but it was initially released for Windows 10. Thanks to this, you can navigate web pages in a safe and informed environment. It comes with continuing web pages from your phone, support for ad-blocking extensions, and more.
Another key reason that can tip the scales is Cortana. This voice assistant will help through voice commands, assisting you with specific tasks. It also keeps you up with the weather and important emails.
Multitasking also has been improved in Windows 10. Now, you can split the screen and create multiple virtual desktops, to switch between them using keyboard shortcuts or the Taskbar. Aero Snap is the feature that allows up to four windows on-screen at any given time.
Finally, Factory Reset allows you to restore the OS to a factory state, remaining without major changes.
Support, Security, and Privacy
If you’re a Windows 7 user, you should know that Microsoft officially ended support for Windows 7. In other words, there are no more security updates or extended Windows 7 support. This means that the best way to stay safe from most new threats and malware is to upgrade your OS to Windows 10.
Microsoft is working on multiple Windows software updates to Windows 10. This popular operating system receives major updates twice a year. Besides, Windows 10 gets extra features, such as Windows Timeline, which allows you to synchronize activities across devices.
What’s more, unlike previous versions, Windows 10 is not a stand-alone product. It’s more like a product in which all the big companies can try their applications. With the latest updates, you can pin websites to the taskbar, modify text and cursors, create events easily, and much more!
Windows 10 also features some work-from-home improvements, like the following:
- Group Policy Service (GPSVC);
- Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI);
- Optimized document-opening scenario times for Windows Defender Application Guard;
- Multi-camera support for Windows Hello users.
Despite Windows 7 mainstream support ending in January 2015, many home users of this operating system refuse to upgrade it. Why is this? We assume because an in-house software proprietary may want to keep their old configuration and that adapting to a new version may be somewhat annoying.
Besides, most of them believe that Windows 7 is more secure than Windows 10 due to the latter having a huge ongoing collection of telemetry data. And, despite this being true, the use of programs such as BitLocker and Device Guard makes the newer OS more robust.
Finally, for Windows 10, Microsoft offers a minimum of 10 years of support – at least five years of Mainstream support and five years of Extended support.
Hardware Restrictions and Updates
In short, Windows 7 and Windows 10 work easily with the same hardware requirements. These requirements involve the following:
- Processor: 1 GHz or faster.
- RAM: 1 GB (32-bit) or 2 GB (64-bit).
- Free hard disk space: 16 GB.
- Graphics card: Microsoft DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM driver.
But, you have to keep in mind that performing a very specific function in Windows 10 on a computer below these requirements may bring considerable difficulties.
Why People Don’t Want to Upgrade Their OS?
Very likely, there are dozens of reasons why people do not want to upgrade their OS. Many of them want to continue using the old programs. Others do not want to modify their network settings. Anyway, they prefer to handle something old and familiar, to the detriment of better performance. Next, we describe two main reasons why users are not upgrading their OS.
Forced Updates
One of the aspects that users complained about the most in Windows 10 is the automatic updates. Nowadays, these issues are mostly fixed, but some annoying aspects remain. In short, when it comes to forced updates in Windows 10, you don’t have 100% control over the dynamic aspects of your Windows update.
For many users, the more control they have, the better for them, so the lack of it is a line they are not willing to cross. Imagine that the universal apps you use regularly are interrupted by forced updates. That will be incredibly annoying! Besides, many of these updates do not include bug fixes or issue resolutions, but still, they can be useful for some aspects.
Regarding the older OS, you have better control of feature updates. Anytime you open applications in Windows 7, the system will automatically ask you if you want to perform the updates. In other words, the advanced options of Windows 7 allow you to set the following:
Update Options
- Give me updates for other Microsoft products when I update Windows.
- Automatically download updates, even over metered data connections (changes may apply).
- We’ll show a reminder when we're going to start. If you want to see more notifications about restarting, turn this on.
Pause Updates
- Temporarily pause updates from being installed on this device for up to 35 days. When updates resume, this device will need to get the latest updates before it can be paused again.
Prices
Most users believe that the options they find on the web to upgrade their OS are some kind of expensive. The prices go from USD$70 to USD$120, and more. Of course, they can find some offers, but these rarely go below USD$50. For this reason, they postpone it.
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Should I Upgrade to Windows 10?
The differences between Windows 7 and Windows 10 are significant. In many aspects, the older OS has stayed in the past, although still, it’s a good operating system that works for most users. However, Windows 10 means important upgrades for home users and many businesses in terms of features, applications, and performance.
We believe it’s necessary to make the switch and open up to new technologies and functionalities. The newest version of Windows (we’re not considering Windows 11) offers improvements in many edges, more services, and a better interconnection with third-party developers, including better hardware support. Each new feature in Windows 10 promotes better use of resources.
If you decide on upgrading to Windows 10, we also recommend you perform a clean install. Follow the instructions provided by the media creation tool to complete the installation. And do not forget to create backups of all your personal files and data collection before you do so. To do this, just select “Create installation media (USB flash drive, DVD, or ISO file) for another PC.”
Now it’s time to update your OS, get your Windows 10 Home FPP/Full Retail KEY Global or Microsoft Windows 10 Pro N Retail Key Global at our platform. At RoyalCDKeys, you’ll find a good reason to upgrade Windows: the best price on the market. Purchase your Microsoft’s OS and start to enjoy this complete software!