A comment on why to include Win 7 support for the latest graphics cards: Competitive overclocking. For the latest cards - GTX 1080, 1080 ti, 1070, 1070 ti, RTX 2080, RTX 2080ti etc - to be competitive in contests that include older legacy benchmarks, there has to be support for the operating system in which those benchmarks run best.
In a few cases, that even means Windows XP. I'm at a disadvantage since I don't use XP.
In many important cases, that means Windows 7. Examples are 3dMARK Ice Storm, Cloud Gate and Sky Diver benchmarks. There are a handful of others. I get the "full power" of a RTX 2080 ti with z390 mobo with i9 9900K CPU for those benchmarks in Win7.
Certainly in any benchmark using DX12 or RTX features, Windows 10 is required. Firestrike benchmarks are found in the same 3dMARK software package as the above. The Firestrikes don't use any Win10 specific features, but the run best in Win10. There are DX12 and RTX benchmarks in that package, too.
In a few cases, that even means Windows XP. I'm at a disadvantage since I don't use XP.
In many important cases, that means Windows 7. Examples are 3dMARK Ice Storm, Cloud Gate and Sky Diver benchmarks. There are a handful of others. I get the "full power" of a RTX 2080 ti with z390 mobo with i9 9900K CPU for those benchmarks in Win7.
Certainly in any benchmark using DX12 or RTX features, Windows 10 is required. Firestrike benchmarks are found in the same 3dMARK software package as the above. The Firestrikes don't use any Win10 specific features, but the run best in Win10. There are DX12 and RTX benchmarks in that package, too.
DX12 and RTX features don't and won't happen in Win7, neither does AVX-512 even when the CPU does it. Drivers for Intel embedded graphics have been Win10-only since Kabylake. These are enough that a 24/7 gaming/productivity rig really needs Win10 if it is using the later CPU or graphics generations. If you're trying to hold back to Win7 for 24/7 use, yes older generation hardware will work better: Skylake or older CPU, z270 or older chipset and GTX graphics. See my PC specs. Ebay is your friend.
A few other things don't work on the latest chipsets. For example: z390, and i think z490, chipsets include a USB hub for which the only existing driver is embedded in Win10. There is no driver for the Intel USB ports that can be slipstreamed into Win7. We get Win7 USB support only when the MOBO maker includes a third party USB hub, eg Asmedia. ASUS' APEX models include two PS-2 sockets to cover keyboard and mouse. That way we don't need USB for a mouse in Win7 or XP.
When I say I'm using Win7, it's only for benchmark apps that were written for CPUs and graphics of the Win7 era. Even with the latest hardware, those apps use only older features. That's a narrow application range. At least with ASUS motherboard drivers and some utilities, amazingly many of them do good things in Win7 even if ASUS has to label them Win10. Some work, some don't. The more a given utility does for you, the less likely it is to work with older operating systems.
A few other things don't work on the latest chipsets. For example: z390, and i think z490, chipsets include a USB hub for which the only existing driver is embedded in Win10. There is no driver for the Intel USB ports that can be slipstreamed into Win7. We get Win7 USB support only when the MOBO maker includes a third party USB hub, eg Asmedia. ASUS' APEX models include two PS-2 sockets to cover keyboard and mouse. That way we don't need USB for a mouse in Win7 or XP.
When I say I'm using Win7, it's only for benchmark apps that were written for CPUs and graphics of the Win7 era. Even with the latest hardware, those apps use only older features. That's a narrow application range. At least with ASUS motherboard drivers and some utilities, amazingly many of them do good things in Win7 even if ASUS has to label them Win10. Some work, some don't. The more a given utility does for you, the less likely it is to work with older operating systems.
