So I'm looking to get a new computer, and the one I'm currently looking at (http://www.microcenter.com/product/428327/Satellite_S75T-A7160_173_Laptop_Computer_-_Ice_Silver_in_Brushed_Aluminum) only comes with Windows 8.1. I've been using Windows 7 for about 4 years, and I find that I really like it. Based on what I've read about Windows 8.1, it's going to be slow to learn (and a lot of stuff doesn't support it yet).

So, my question is, would it be better for me to spend $100 on Windows 7 Home Premium and go through the hassle of installing it, or just learn Windows 8? (If the time factor is relevant, assume $8/hour and 20 hours/week).

While we're on the topic, is an NVIDIA GeForce GT 740M with 2GB video memory good enough to run stuff like Skyrim with acceptable performance? (Acceptable being around ~10 FPS--I seem to do fine with that on my current crappy computer).

I bought a laptop with Windows 8.1 about a month ago and it's working rather well for me. In the past 10 days I've only visited the Metro UI Start screen maybe once or twice.

When I returned to my Windows 7 desktop after using the Windows 8.1 laptop, I started to miss the Windows 8 task manager. Oh well