Spectacle Shootout:
Windows 8.1 Versus Windows Ten
by Sandro Villinger on August 26, two thousand fifteen
One of the very first things you see when reserving your free copy of Windows ten is that it’s “designed for speed”, promising you swifter boot times, resume times, and more. But is Windows ten truly that much quicker than its direct predecessor? We put it to the test and display you how the fresh OS fares in numerous screenplays such as boot time, spectacle while working, smoothness of gaming, and battery life.
In our lab, we embarked our tests with a rather high-end multimedia notebook – the Asus UX-501.
It’s tooled with a Core i7 (which clocks up to Three.6 GHz), sixteen GB of RAM, a rather powerful GeForce 960M GTX and a blazing-fast one hundred twenty eight GB SSD. It’s one of the sexier devices of 2015, and should certainly showcase if and how much Windows ten is able to speed things up compared to the pre-installed Windows 8.1.
To get reproduceable and comparable results for Windows 8.1 versus Windows Ten, we clean-installed both versions and installed only the latest drivers as well as our speed testing software, PCMark 8. Then we ready both installs as goes after:
- Put devices in a managed room with 23° celcius and two hundred fifty (+/- 50) lux
- Set the power plan to “Balanced”
- Ran all scheduled tasks and automated tasks using the “Rundll32.exe advapi32.dll,ProcessIdleTasks” instruction
- Installed all updates
- Left all Windows optimization features enabled
- Repeated all benchmark tests three times and then averaged the results
So let’s have a look at the tests we performed before and after the upgrade to Windows ten Build ten thousand two hundred forty (final, including the latest updates as of July 27th, 2015):
1. PC startup time
For “boot time” tests, we used Microsoft’s “Windows ® Spectacle Toolkit”: These instruments are used by software and hardware makers to test the influence of battery life and spectacle of their products on typical machines.
The difference isn’t giant. But it suggessts Microsoft is working hard to trim off boot time: nine versus 8.Trio seconds isn’t something you feel on such a powerful device. On a slower PC or laptop, it could translate into a far higher benefit.
Two. Internet Explorer startup time
During a typical work day, applications get launched and closed all the time. Long blast times aren’t just an annoyance to the user, they could even hinder the capability to work or browse the web decently. This is why we used Windows Assessment Toolkit to measure how long it takes to launch an application, in this case Internet Explorer.
Again, a reduction from 0.9 to 0.45 2nd is something only a few people would notice. Yet it’s more evidence how Microsoft is improving spectacle.
Trio. Writing, web browsing and movie talk spectacle
The next test involved the benchmarking instrument PCMark 8, which uses real-life screenplays such as browsing the web, Office 2013, Adobe Creative Suite, and other implements to recreate typical home and business scripts. It measures the exact time it takes to finish tasks down to the millisecond:
The numbers you see in the graphs represent the time it took to accomplish the browsing benchmarks. Unluckily, in this example, the results truly weren’t that different. A 0.11s difference is entirely within margin of error and doesn’t have any real-life effect.
Four. Word, Powerpoint and Excel Spectacle
The next test involved PCMark running automated deeds in Word, PowerPoint, and Excel to measure spectacle, such as converting and calculating a ample Excel file.
We were amazed: In all test iterations, Windows ten was able to run 8% swifter when working with the Office suite.
Five. Grand Theft Auto V spectacle
Thanks to the ubiquity of services like Steam and the enlargened sales of capable PCs and laptops, gaming applications are not just some of the most popular applications on PCs, but also the most resource-intensive. This is why we used the top game of 2015, Grand Theft Auto V, and its built-in benchmark instrument to measure the average FPS (Frames per seconds) for different scenes and screenplays of the game.
Windows ten actually performed slightly slower, but also within testing tolerance. However, one of the main benefits of Windows ten is the special implementation of Microsofts graphics platform DirectX 12, which is supposed to speed up games by to 50% – unluckily, we’re still waiting for compatible titles, so there’s no way to truly put this to test at the moment.
6. Adobe Creative Suite spectacle
While the last duo of tests focused more on consumer activities, such as browsing the web or working with Office, professionals often need higher levels of spectacle. So we put the systems to the test with Adobe’s Creative Suite.
Again, Windows ten showcased better results, likely due to the improved resource utilization and improved driver support.
7. Battery life while working
Microsoft promised better power management in Windows ten to save battery life when on the go. We tested this using PCMark 8’s work tests (in loop) until the battery ran dry. The result:
In all three test iterations, Windows ten managed to run nine minutes longer. Not a massive improvement, but certainly noticeable.
8. Battery life while gaming
Gaming is the number one battery drainer, so it doesn’t come as a surprise that our tests were ended rather quickly. Unluckily, even with NVIDIAs latest drivers (as of July 28th, 2015), battery life on the 960M while playing GTA V went down rather than up:
That’s right. Windows ten showcased a reduction of 13% in our tests. We’re hoping that NVIDIA and Microsoft are working closely on a fresh driver to fix this issue.
9. Battery life while watching a movie
Given the gaming test, it came as a surprise that our movie tests displayed some significant improvements for Windows Ten. When watching a 1080p movie clip in a loop using Windows Media Player on Windows 8.1, the laptop died after two hours and twenty five minutes. When using Windows Ten, it lasted a whopping three hours. Windows ten most likely does something in the background to reduce resource usage during movie playback.
Verdict
Windows ten – even in its very first release – is a tad quicker than Windows 8.1. But it isn’t magic. Some areas improved only marginally, however battery life did hop up noticeably for movies.
Also, we tested a clean install of Windows 8.1 versus a clean install of Windows Ten. The areas in which operating systems indeed suffer from spectacle is the gradual slowdown that occurs over time and with more and more programs or drivers installed. That’s why, in our next blog, we will install 150+ programs on fresh Windows ten devices to see how much the fresh OS treats explosion – and what we, as AVG, can do about it!
Spectacle Shootout: Windows eight
Spectacle Shootout:
Windows 8.1 Versus Windows Ten
by Sandro Villinger on August 26, two thousand fifteen
One of the very first things you see when reserving your free copy of Windows ten is that it’s “designed for speed”, promising you swifter boot times, resume times, and more. But is Windows ten truly that much quicker than its direct predecessor? We put it to the test and showcase you how the fresh OS fares in numerous scripts such as boot time, spectacle while working, smoothness of gaming, and battery life.
In our lab, we began our tests with a rather high-end multimedia notebook – the Asus UX-501.
It’s tooled with a Core i7 (which clocks up to Trio.6 GHz), sixteen GB of RAM, a rather powerful GeForce 960M GTX and a blazing-fast one hundred twenty eight GB SSD. It’s one of the sexier devices of 2015, and should certainly showcase if and how much Windows ten is able to speed things up compared to the pre-installed Windows 8.1.
To get reproduceable and comparable results for Windows 8.1 versus Windows Ten, we clean-installed both versions and installed only the latest drivers as well as our speed testing software, PCMark 8. Then we ready both installs as goes after:
- Put devices in a managed room with 23° celcius and two hundred fifty (+/- 50) lux
- Set the power plan to “Balanced”
- Ran all scheduled tasks and automated tasks using the “Rundll32.exe advapi32.dll,ProcessIdleTasks” guideline
- Installed all updates
- Left all Windows optimization features enabled
- Repeated all benchmark tests three times and then averaged the results
So let’s have a look at the tests we performed before and after the upgrade to Windows ten Build ten thousand two hundred forty (final, including the latest updates as of July 27th, 2015):
1. PC startup time
For “boot time” tests, we used Microsoft’s “Windows ® Spectacle Toolkit”: These contraptions are used by software and hardware makers to test the influence of battery life and spectacle of their products on typical machines.
The difference isn’t enormous. But it suggessts Microsoft is working hard to trim off boot time: nine versus 8.Trio seconds isn’t something you feel on such a powerful device. On a slower PC or laptop, it could translate into a far higher benefit.
Two. Internet Explorer startup time
During a typical work day, applications get launched and closed all the time. Long blast times aren’t just an annoyance to the user, they could even hinder the capability to work or browse the web decently. This is why we used Windows Assessment Toolkit to measure how long it takes to launch an application, in this case Internet Explorer.
Again, a reduction from 0.9 to 0.45 2nd is something only a few people would notice. Yet it’s more evidence how Microsoft is improving spectacle.
Three. Writing, web browsing and movie talk spectacle
The next test involved the benchmarking contraption PCMark 8, which uses real-life scripts such as browsing the web, Office 2013, Adobe Creative Suite, and other contraptions to recreate typical home and business scripts. It measures the exact time it takes to finish tasks down to the millisecond:
The numbers you see in the graphs represent the time it took to accomplish the browsing benchmarks. Unluckily, in this example, the results truly weren’t that different. A 0.11s difference is downright within margin of error and doesn’t have any real-life effect.
Four. Word, Powerpoint and Excel Spectacle
The next test involved PCMark running automated deeds in Word, PowerPoint, and Excel to measure spectacle, such as converting and calculating a phat Excel file.
We were affected: In all test iterations, Windows ten was able to run 8% swifter when working with the Office suite.
Five. Grand Theft Auto V spectacle
Thanks to the ubiquity of services like Steam and the enhanced sales of capable PCs and laptops, gaming applications are not just some of the most popular applications on PCs, but also the most resource-intensive. This is why we used the top game of 2015, Grand Theft Auto V, and its built-in benchmark contraption to measure the average FPS (Frames per seconds) for different scenes and screenplays of the game.
Windows ten actually performed slightly slower, but also within testing tolerance. However, one of the main benefits of Windows ten is the off the hook implementation of Microsofts graphics platform DirectX 12, which is supposed to speed up games by to 50% – unluckily, we’re still waiting for compatible titles, so there’s no way to indeed put this to test at the moment.
6. Adobe Creative Suite spectacle
While the last duo of tests focused more on consumer activities, such as browsing the web or working with Office, professionals often need higher levels of spectacle. So we put the systems to the test with Adobe’s Creative Suite.
Again, Windows ten demonstrated better results, likely due to the improved resource utilization and improved driver support.
7. Battery life while working
Microsoft promised better power management in Windows ten to save battery life when on the go. We tested this using PCMark 8’s work tests (in loop) until the battery ran dry. The result:
In all three test iterations, Windows ten managed to run nine minutes longer. Not a massive improvement, but certainly noticeable.
8. Battery life while gaming
Gaming is the number one battery drainer, so it doesn’t come as a surprise that our tests were finished rather quickly. Unluckily, even with NVIDIAs latest drivers (as of July 28th, 2015), battery life on the 960M while playing GTA V went down rather than up:
That’s right. Windows ten displayed a reduction of 13% in our tests. We’re hoping that NVIDIA and Microsoft are working closely on a fresh driver to fix this issue.
9. Battery life while watching a movie
Given the gaming test, it came as a surprise that our movie tests showcased some significant improvements for Windows Ten. When watching a 1080p movie clip in a loop using Windows Media Player on Windows 8.1, the laptop died after two hours and twenty five minutes. When using Windows Ten, it lasted a whopping three hours. Windows ten most likely does something in the background to reduce resource usage during movie playback.
Verdict
Windows ten – even in its very first release – is a tad swifter than Windows 8.1. But it isn’t magic. Some areas improved only marginally, tho’ battery life did leap up noticeably for movies.
Also, we tested a clean install of Windows 8.1 versus a clean install of Windows Ten. The areas in which operating systems truly suffer from spectacle is the gradual slowdown that occurs over time and with more and more programs or drivers installed. That’s why, in our next blog, we will install 150+ programs on fresh Windows ten devices to see how much the fresh OS treats fountain – and what we, as AVG, can do about it!