Windows 8.1 vs Windows 10—How they Compare in Different Features

In an earlier post we compared the feature differences of Windows 8 vs. Windows 8.1. Most of them updated to Windows 8.1 due to the learning curve and problematic features of 8.

Then came Windows 10 in 2015. Microsoft was too vociferous and aggressive in their marketing strategy to upgrade the older systems to One-OS for all devices, which led to significant backlash from users who felt pressured to adapt to the new system without adequate support or information. It put a mark of 1 billion devices in 3 years, which is still to be achieved.

Now in 2019, comes the dreaded public announcement of ending support for Windows 7, which occupied a large user base. So whether you like it or not, you have to decide whether you want to shift to Windows 8.1 or 10. You could see the Windows 7 vs. Windows 10 feature comparison.

In this context, let’s see some of my personal feelings and features of the Windows 8.1 vs. Windows 10 battle. The best OS for you will depend on your needs, just like any other OS.

Boot Speed Comparison

In the latest YouTube video by Antony Woolmer, he compared the boot speeds of Windows 10 and 8.1. This image displays the system configuration.

As expected, the results were not far from dismay. Windows 10 boot speed was comparably faster than 8.1 by 2 secs. The latest OS clocked 14:23 secs, while 8.1 clocked 16:12 secs. We were expecting that boot speed differences would be large. But both were almost equal.

Waking up from hibernation required almost the same time. But the duration was considerably longer compared to direct boot. It took more than 20 seconds in both Windows 8.1 and 10.

My Experience: I feel that if you are using a 32-bit OS, you are more likely to get a faster boot time. You can use a tool like Bootracer to test your boot times. Once tested, you can remove the software. Also, SSD plays a major role in the boot startup process by significantly reducing the time it takes for the operating system to load compared to traditional hard drives.

Game Performance

You can use Game Mode, Game Bar, Game DVR options, and Xbox Networking in Windows 10, which are unavailable in 8.1. PC gaming is popular with Microsoft account users. DirectX 12 was introduced in Windows 10. This feature gives the graphics cards the ability to use more than one core of the computer CPU at the same time. In Windows 8.1, DirectX 11 is only supported. This limitation reduces the gaming performance, as the OS can talk only to one core.

The difference between DirectX 11 and 12 was about 85% to 300%. Windows 10 gives better frame rates. Windowed gaming is another feature supported in Win 10. You can easily switch back to desktop while playing the game.

Source:

[https://] appuals.com/windows-10-good-choice-gaming/
[https://] windowsreport.com/windows-8-vs-windows-10-upgrade/

Start button and menu

Pressing the Start button in Windows 8.1 takes you to the Metro desktop. This feature is new for Windows 7 users. But in Windows 10, the Start Menu pops up, just like in the earlier versions.

It is a little bit difficult adjusting to the new way of using the Start button and Metro Interface in Windows 8.1. If you are having multiple OS, like mine, you are going to have vertigo. Though the new Windows 10 Start Menu is different, with both apps and programs listed, it is more conventional and easy to use, making the transition smoother for users who struggled with the previous interface in Windows 8.1.

Connecting to new Devices

With the advent of Windows XP, it had provision for a lot of hardware. You can add Bluetooth and wireless adapters to your PC. However, due to its closed nature, Windows 8.1 or 10 is your most likely option.

Windows 10 especially is moving towards cloning your Android screen onto your PC in the 1903 version. This is a new path Microsoft is taking to accommodate mobile phones in their computer system. Satya Nadella has agreed to the failure of Windows 10 phones and is adamant about the interoperability of technologies.

You can connect your Windows 8.1 or 10 laptop to your Smart TV without much fuss. In Windows 10, you have wireless display technology, which is missing in Windows 8.1. With more high-end devices using wireless technology, Windows 10 is more likely to stay relevant in the market due to its enhanced features and compatibility with modern devices.

Dark Mode

You can make your File Explorer and other default programs switch to a dark background in Windows 10. So when your eyes strain looking at plain white, the dark mode can be helpful.

But such a feature is not possible in Windows 8.1. You can change to the light theme when required in Windows 10 with a click. This option gives a more aesthetic appearance and gives freedom to choose between the two.

I definitely like this feature, as it helped me look at the screen for a longer length of time. Especially at night, this can be productive.

Security

In Windows 10 and 8.1, you have default antivirus in the form of Windows Defender. But unlike its predecessor, Windows 10’s Defender is far superior to 8.1. Ransomware and cloud protection, which were absent in 8.1, are now available.

Also, it is not easy to turn off “Real-time protection” very easily in Win 10. You have to dig deep to find this setting. I have been using Windows Defender in 8.1 and 10 for a long time. Without any arguments, the Windows 10 version is clearer with the interface and could be opened from the system tray without problems.

Windows 8.1 somewhat hides it. You have to use Search or a shortcut to open it. The interface is more like the Windows Security Essentials that we have seen in Windows 7. You have MAPS (Microsoft Active Protection Service) to report malware and other forms of potentially unwanted software.

In the History tab, you have to click “View details” to know the quarantined and allowed items. But this is easy to look at in Windows 10.

But users of Windows 7 will find it simple to go through the settings.

Charms Bar vs Windows Settings

The Charms Bar is a new feature in Windows 8.1, not available in 10. You have to move the mouse to the bottom right-hand side corner to display it. From there you can open “Change PC Settings” to find the other Windows settings.

The same kind of functionality is present using Windows Settings in Win 10. It is more like the Control Panel we see. Though the traditional one is present in both of them, these are two different ways of accessing Windows settings, which can lead to varying user experiences and preferences when managing system configurations.

Windows Updates

I find that using the same hardware, updates are a lot quicker in 10 compared to 8.1. Also, many a time, I had problems with this feature in 8.1. When you “Check for Updates” in 8.1, it sometimes seems to process for an unlimited time without warning or error message.

But Windows 10 got a bad name in recent upgrades. These include the 1803 and 1809 version updates. There have been different issues while updating, like restarting, BSOD errors, file deletion, compatibility issues, and many others.

Compared to this, Windows 8.1 updates are more stable. They also have fewer problems, and you can rely on them. These are like typical Windows 7 updates. You don’t have any particular version number, but they are mostly KB updates.

Cortana for the Desktop

The Windows 10 OS invented a voice-recognition program, similar to “Siri” on Apple, to provide answers to your questions. This was already existing in the Windows 8 phones called “Cortana.” But the thing that’s new to 10 is that it’s available to PC users also. So if you have a mic and headphones, you can get solutions to your queries within minutes, instead of searching Google for a long time.

[Image Source: winbeta.org]

This voice personal assistant from Microsoft did not have many takers. Though it works only in Windows 10, it is a feature shunned by normal users. It works OK with small commands and searches, but as a full-blown speech-to-text converter, it has a long way to go.

It is not available in Windows 8.1. But its interface makes it simple to use. Though you cannot completely delete it in Windows 10, its processes keep running, taking valuable CPU cycles. Windows 10 phones may use it for better voice recognition, but their manufacturing is to be stopped sooner or later.

In the 1903 update, the search and Cortana features are likely to be separated. This gives more freedom and choice to the users to keep Cortana or not.

Continuum Mode

In Windows 8.1, you either had the option of the Start Screen or the Desktop mode. You couldn’t convert to tablet mode. But this situation changed in Windows 10.

Now in the newest technical preview, you can switch back between desktop and tablet mode. This is called the “Continuum Mode.” This toggling feature is available from the Action Center. Also, this feature is activated when you add or remove a keyboard or mouse.

Microsoft Edge

This new browser exists only in Windows 10 and not in Windows 8.1. Initially Microsoft advertised that it is faster than Chrome and Firefox. But it had its set of problems. For example, when you import Chrome bookmarks into it, the browser could not save any further favorites.

Also, the “Reading Mode” is compatible with only some websites.

In the 1903 updates, Microsoft is collaborating with Google to bring the Chromium browser features to Edge. This combination can be seen as the best of the two worlds.

But, in Windows 8.1, you still need to use IE11 and its old features. Otherwise, you have to resort to Chrome or Firefox for better performance, which may offer faster browsing speeds and more modern features compared to IE11.

OneDrive

This cloud app from Microsoft gives away 15 GB of free space. In both Windows 8.1 and 10, they come pre-installed. But in Windows 10, you see different colors and indicators to show whether the folders are uploaded to the cloud or not. You can make them online or offline as per your requirement.

But in Windows 8.1, a text column displays the status. The process takes some time to go through your files. You need to read visually to understand whether the file is stored locally on your computer or in the cloud.

But in Windows 10, a green tick mark indicator is sufficient to understand that it has been updated to the cloud.

This shows the Windows 8.1 screen of OneDrive folders and files in 2019

Apps

Microsoft Store is not as popular as the Android Play Store or Apple Store. There are a lot of apps being developed using the Windows 10 development framework. Some of these apps run in the background to give notifications, such as updates from social media or alerts from productivity tools.

In Windows 8.1, all the desktop apps and store apps are shown on the same screen. But not too many unnecessary apps are installed without your permission. In Windows 10, some apps are installed automatically. Network bandwidth is one of the leakages that take place during this phase, as automatic installations of apps can consume significant data without the user’s consent.

Game apps take a lot of RAM and disk space. If you are not a gamer like me, you have to uninstall them manually in Windows 10. But such is not the case in Windows 8.1.

Office 2013 apps like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint work without much fuss in both Windows 10 and 8.1. In my honest opinion, neither caused problems related to Office version 2013.

Universal Apps

Using Visual Studio and Windows 8.1, you can build an app for Windows desktop and phone at the same time. Development of Store apps became much easier with 8 and 8.1. If one had a Store app, one could easily supplement it with a Windows Phone app with the same feature.

But with Windows 10, Microsoft’s vision of universal apps is becoming more clear and simple. With this new One OS, one can build apps that can be written once and run on a wide variety of devices.

The heads of Microsoft’s operating system, Terry Myerson and Joe Belfiore, declared “loud” on January 21st that Universal apps will work with Windows.

This is more like a passage period for Microsoft developers. The development stacks for making Windows 8, phone apps, and desktop applications were quite different for a while. But with Windows 10, Microsoft is trying to converge Windows Phone with Windows Store apps into a single platform—the Windows Runtime.

Control Panel Differences

In Windows 8.1, we saw a typical Control Panel, which is the same as in 7, Vista, and XP. The only difference was that you could directly type the items of the Control Panel, and they were available in the Charms search bar. But in Windows 10, we see new Settings apps. The new interface is looking like a replacement for the Control Panel of 8.1.

You had small and large icons in the customary Control Panel view. However, the layout was expanded in 2010. You can reach more system options with the latest build, including advanced settings for system performance and security features that were not available in previous versions. To lessen the learning curve, the normal Control Panel is available, but you have to use Search or right-click the Start Menu to get it.

New Action Center

The Charms bar was an invention in Windows 8.1. This got removed in 10. In place of it, there is an updated Action Center that groups all notifications in a single window. It slides from the left side of the screen when you click the Action Center icon.

Storage Sense

You needed a third-party application to see the storage space left over in Windows 7, 8, and 8.1. But this is not very relevant to the PC. But if you wanted to know which files were occupying the chunk of your storage, you needed a program like TreeSize Professional. Windows Phone already had an app called “Storage Sense,” which indicated the amount of free space left.

But in Windows 10 Technical Preview Build 9879, this app is also available in the desktop version. This is handier in the case of tablets and mobile phones, where space is much more relevant. With the advent of terabyte storage hard disks, it becomes much more necessary to know what category the space is occupying.

To accomplish this, simply open File Explorer > This PC and choose the Ribbon interface’s Open Settings icon. Choose the Storage Sense tab from the list at the bottom of the PC Settings page. In this you can see the Storage Sense page, which will display the overview of storage.

Conclusion

People who are looking to change from Windows 7 to any of these OSs should definitely benefit from the new interface. Both Windows 8.1 and 10 use a Microsoft account to log in to your system. This is different from the earlier OS, where you could just log in using a local account with a password. The way you can log in has also changed.

Undoubtedly, Windows 10 has added new security features and has a longer support cycle. Since the tech support for Windows 7 is being ended, there is no choice but to choose between Windows 8.1 and 10. In contrast to popular belief, Windows 8.1 is as quick as Windows 10 in many aspects.

But if you want to use an OS for connecting different devices and gaming, then Windows 10 is your best bet. You can definitely speed up your PC with little tweaks. Though updates are the main issue, the new method of installing them in 1903 is going to improve its stability, making it less prone to crashes and performance issues compared to previous versions.

Though only 6% of Windows users are on 8.1, it is a more stable version of the OS, with fewer problems and issues. Using a 32-bit version keeps it more agile and quick. Since Windows 10 is going to stay for a long time, users tend to shift to this OS. As a lay user, it is beneficial to use it with a longer support cycle.