Windows 8 is actually less resource intensive than Windows 7. Here's an example if you want to read (installing on a 1GB machine) -
http://www.tomshardw...win8,13423.html
I think the problem is with the video driver itself. I still haven't had a chance to mess around with it more - but if you check the manufacturer's site, see if there is anything specific to Windows 8 you can update it to.