Choose your operating system: Windows 7 or Windows 8.
Choose your operating system: Windows 7 or Windows 8.
Currently I'm using Xubuntu on my netbook. It runs smoothly, but I often wish for the ease of Windows. I'm weighing Windows 7 Home Premium against Windows 8.1. The only thing that works is drivers for Windows 7, which isn't ideal. Here are its details: Intel Atom N270 (32-bit only), Intel GMA 945GME iGPU, 1GB RAM, 120GB Samsung 840 EVO storage.
Windows 8.1 performs more efficiently with system resources and memory compared to Windows 7. RAM upgrades still offer benefits, even a small increase would help. System drivers may function unless you obtain a Windows Starter edition or a very minimalized XP/7 version, and removing unnecessary components can improve stability. I used an older Asus Eee model and it ran smoothly with a significantly reduced XP setup.
Because it's on the budget side, you should look for the modest improvement Win 8 provides.
It involves some back-and-forth adjustments. Improved resource handling comes with version 8.1, which is clearly beneficial, though the drivers could slow it down. On the other hand, version 7 works differently—though I’d suggest trying both and seeing what works best for you. tmcclelland455 You can be sure 8.1 will consume fewer resources, but you can't confirm the driver impact without testing.
Occasionally I favored Windows 8.1 for performance on budget machines like your 'little beast,' but generally I’d recommend sticking with Windows 7. It’s still better than Windows 8.1, and another benefit is keeping all the original drivers compatible. I’m leaning toward Windows 7.