Older version for New Hardware
Older version for New Hardware
Likely to succeed with Windows 7, 8, and 8.1. Uncertain about XP and Vista.
Using the available equipment makes it unlikely to succeed without a virtual machine
I share the same thoughts, which is why I regularly use Linux and have a Windows gaming setup for Steam and Epic Games only. It includes Chrome, but I’m not logged into anything else. I used dual boot before, though it wasn’t ideal. I’m not sure Win 7/8/8.1 are collecting your data either. Eventually, you’ll hit a point where older Windows versions won’t support what you need and you’ll have to upgrade. What I mean by this is that my advice matches the issue you’re facing, and it works for me. Still, Linux gaming has improved a lot lately—Steam play, in-home streaming, Project Stream. I’d say it’s worth trying for 2 years; maybe we won’t need a dedicated rig at all.
You can run Vista, 7, 8, 8.1 and 10 on Coffee Lake or Ryzen systems. This involves some investigation and understanding, sometimes needing old hardware like a PS2 keyboard or mouse, yet it's definitely achievable. I set up my previous Win7 on an i7-8700K without issues, and recently moved from an older CoreQuad to a Ryzen 1600X B350 motherboard. Everything functions properly. Windows 10 might offer better power management (as reported), but performance is generally comparable in most situations. Drivers aren’t available directly on the motherboard sites; however, most required drivers—such as those for the chipset, LAN or USB, sound, and GPU—are third-party solutions provided by companies like Intel, Realtek, and NVIDIA, which still support Win7 (though not officially listed).