Quote - For comparison, here's the same scene rendered with P7 render settings: just over 4 minutes to render.

wrong. poser was in version 7 able to do AO. you dont use AO.
so saying that this is how it looks in 7 is wrong IMO.

plus it may sound mean but just showing simple clicks is not good enough IMO. GI is obvious 100% realistic and physical correct. but lets not act like GI is the only way to go. poser renders look fake because people dont take time to make them better. ILM,WETA and pixar were using AO and simple lights for years. 

dont be mad but it pisses me off that you posted a poser 7 render for comparison and you didnt use AO. AO