[Leon]

So I just went to MemExpress and swapped out a 750gig HD for a lightning fast crucial 128gig SSD on the laptop.

I threw on Windows 8 in favor of 7 and have really enjoyed it so far.

I've gone in with low expectations given the poor feedback the OS has received so far. Initial impressions are that while some elements are not intuitive. It's not nearly close to the train wreck I was expecting. The lack of a start button is not an issue whatsoever. It's extremely easy to pin essential elements to the task bar such as control panel, as well as any programs used frequently.. Using the windows key to toggle back on forth works just great. I don't see any use in the apps yet and certainly don't feel the need to make use of this area of the OS.

The system is fast and the boot time is great. As a personal use laptop, everything is great and I can do everything I want to do extremely quickly. I can see the OS learning curve potentially being problematic in a work setting, with certain nuances contributing to some productivity issues. Overall, thus far, I'd rate it about an 8/10. There's just nothing wrong with the new GUI and you can truly do everything you need to do.

edit: I recall seeing someone bring up the shut down issue. Alt-F4 seems to work just fine, and this shortcut must be universally known (and extremely useful). Seems like people are quick to nit pick things in this version.