Question New Build...Win 10 or 11. Mostly gaming.

[shredz]

This hasn't been asked recently but for my main home PC, mostly for gaming and with a new build AMD 7900x, B650E combo......... should I go windows 10 or 11?

 

[Tech Junky]

Considering you can't get a W10 license anymore it's not really a question at this point.

W11 does provide better performance though in general for newer HW / CPU. On my laptop it made a noticeable difference in how snappy it is going with 22H2 compared to 21H2 even.

 

[shredz]

I thought I could still use a windows 10 install usb and that the keys activated on both 10 and 11?

 

[Tech Junky]

I didn't say you couldn't but, legitimately you can't buy a W10 license any longer.. It's not to say you can't install it by other means but, I would bypass W10 and just go W11 fresh install so you don't have any remnants of W10 floating around.

There are some GUI differences between the 2 but, there's better performance with W11 deeper under the hood. There are ways to bend it to your will though once it's installed if there's something you don't like. e.g. the taskbar on the bottom vs in another position or the menu style they changed.

W11 has made progress since being initially released and there's more refinement for newer HW to perform better. If you want raw performance though then you skip Windows all together and use Linux to unleash the beast. Either way though it would be a shame to hobble your shiny new AMD CPU with W10.

 

[shredz]

Thanks alot for the responses. It helps me alot! I hope to pick up my new parts tomorrow!

 

[WilliamM2]

I didn't say you couldn't but, legitimately you can't buy a W10 license any longer.. It's not to say you can't install it by other means but, I would bypass W10 and just go W11 fresh install so you don't have any remnants of W10 floating around.

Microsoft no longer sells it, but you will still be able to buy Windows 10 untils retailers run out or stock:

Are you a human?

www.newegg.com

Then the upgrade to Win 11 is free if he changes his mind later. And there are no remnants of Win 10 left when you upgrade. Upgrades don't work that way anymore.

Of course if he has a retail copy of Win7, Win8, or Win10, he can legally use that key to install Win 10 or 11.

 

[Shmee]

For a 7900X system with similar cores (non hybrid cores, like in Intel 12th and 13th gen) I would go with Windows 10. Obviously you could "upgrade" later to Windows 11, when there is a reason too, such as you upgraded to a 7950X3D CPU or similar, or Windows 10 is no longer supported.

Also, don't buy Windows from MS. Better to get a good deal on a key site, where you can get them as cheap as $10 sometimes. People tend to be making a big deal out of MS not selling Win 10 keys anymore, but I do believe there are a lot more out there still. And as mentioned, you can often use a Windows 7 key to activate Windows 10 or 11.

Oh, and I will echo that Linux is also an option, if you desire. Certainly has some advantages, but not all software will work on it. Particularly, many games won't, they often prefer Windows.

 

[GrumpyMan]

I was about to ask, just because Microsoft doesn't sell keys anymore aren't many to be had via 3rd party?