Windows 8 Beta Main OS?

So here is the deal, I am possibly planning on building myself a Desktop PC soon. And I figure it might not be worth it to buy a copy of Windows 7 when windows 8 is just around the corner.

I was wondering if it would be better to just use Windows 8 beta for now as a main os then when it comes out buy an window 8. Is Windows 8 beta stable enough to do this? Play skyrim, photoshop...etc. Or is it better to still get a copy of Windows 7?

 

Beta's are for testing bugs, sending reports, etc. I have used some over the years on a secondary computer, but would never use one as my primary OS on a primary computer. On a desktop, using 7 will be great for a long time. Once win8 is stable, and your ready, then you can upgrade. You could build the DT and use a Linux distro until you know if you want to try win8 or use 7.

 

Even though I had OEM Vista on my last laptop, I ran the Windows 7 RC as the sole OS on it for several months at least. You might run into some problems, but if you're willing to deal with them and accept that some things might not work properly for the next few months, you can save the cost of a W7 license that way.

It looks like you've got a G73 as well - you could use it for anything that doesn't work properly on the desktop in the meantime. Of course, you could also forgo building the desktop until Windows 8 is out, at which point current-gen hardware will be cheaper and next-gen hardware will be out. If you're considering running a beta OS for the next few months, maybe you're best off waiting on the whole thing.

 

It should be fine though, as stated above just be ready in case there are issues, gonna be hard to test out a beta application if you rarely use it so it's better it get used (and what better way than to make it as your main OS).

at this stage drivers and basic functionalities should be stable enough anyway.

 

I am using windows 8 CP as a main OS right now, installed on my Crucial M4.

Gaming (skyrim, FIFA 11/12), browsing, performance is great so far.

 

You will have to reinstall Windows 8 when final product is released, so you won't avoid that hassle. But if it's for cost sake, and you're not running any mission critical applications, then I'd say it's a smart move.

Personally I hate Windows 8 so far. The Metro UI is just horrible. At least horrible for productivity purposes, and anything with a keyboard / mouse combo.

 

QFT.

Win8 for a beta is very stable. I liked it. The Metro applications lack some functionality, but they're still in development.
I suggest, start with Win8, then if you like it, keep using it. If you don't like it, buy Win7.

 

Well, in my personal experience Here is how it works:
Do Run the Beta, it's not worth paying $100 now, you will be able to save documents in reinstall.

Here is where it gets fuzzy:
The Developer preview, in my experience, is more stable than the CP, in fact it's faster as well. The CP is better, just be forewarned, I have had issues with the CP. (As a no-frills Os, I find the Dev to be the Best version of Windows I have ever used.)

 

Funny, I have the same impression and the DP gave me some more battery life compared to windows 7, but now using the CP and battery life is somewhat worse than 7

 

Thanks for the quick reply you guys. A lot of you bring up good points. I may end up waiting for Ivy Bridge to decide what I am going to do, but as of now it looks like I am not going to bother purchasing a new copy of windows 7

 

The only real problem I've had with Win8CP was Skype crashing. Normally, I wouldn't care, but I use Skype to study with people during the week and am way too lazy to set up a VM just to use Skype. Anyway, once I figured out the issue, Windows 8 went back on my ProBook.

 

That's strange. Skype worked for me like a charm. Both chats and video calls.

 

Skype works great for me now. I just had to install Skype before installing the 64-bit Flash plugin for IE.