Tagclouds:Windows 7 , Windows 8,Battery Life,
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Since the release of Windows 8 Consumer Preview last week, a nagging
question has been hounding speed-hogs everywhere: just how much faster
is Windows 8 than Windows 7? We decided to find out for ourselves, and
tested both OSes on the Samsung Series 7 Slate PC, the bargain-basement Dell Inspiron 15 M5030 and the ultimate Ultrabook, the ASUS Zenbook UX31.
The results: though our performance scores were flat on most synthetic
benchmarks, our test systems provided faster file copies, quicker
spreadsheet processing and longer battery life under Windows 7.
Boot Time: Windows 8 Trounces Windows 7
After we installed Windows 8 on
our Dell Inspiron 15 M5030 and ASUS Zenbook UX31, the first thing we
noticed was the incredibly fast boot time. Whereas the Inspiron 15 M5030
took an agonizing 92 seconds to boot into Windows 7, it launched
Windows 8 in a much-speedier 38 seconds. The Samsung Series 7 Slate PC
and ASUS Zenbook UX31, which already boasted snappy 29-second boot times
using Windows 7, launched Windows 8 in just 13 seconds and 10 seconds,
respectively.
File Transfer Tests: Windows 7 Copies Faster
Unfortunately, the Windows 8 file transfer speeds on our test
systems weren’t as good as the boot times. When we performed the LAPTOP
file transfer test, which involves copying 4.97GB of mixed media files,
on the Dell Inspiron 15 M5030, the results were about on-par in both
operating systems, with Windows 7 producing a rate of 24 MBps to Windows 8′s slight-slower 23 MBps.
The difference between Windows 7 and Windows 8 transfer speeds was
truly significant on the Samsung Series 7 and ASUS Zenbook UX31. Where,
on Windows 7, the tablet and notebook copied the files at rates of 68
and 98 MBps respectively, on Windows 8, the transfer rates dropped to
just 27 MBps on the Samsung Series 7 and 34 MBps on the Zenbook.
PCMark07: Negligible Differences
Synthetic test results were basically flat. On PCMark07, a benchmark
that measures overall performance, the Dell Inspiron 15 M5030 and ASUS
Zenbook UX31 saw very marginal increases in score, with the M5030
jumping from a low 1,278 to a slightly better 1,442 and the UX31
increasing its scored from 3,606 to 3,964. However, a difference of 100
points or 200 points on PCMark07 can occur between one run of the
software and another so these increases were well within the margin of error. The Samsung Series 7 Slate could not run PCMark07.
OpenOffice Spreadsheet Test
When we ran the OpenOffice Spreadsheet Test — which matches 20,000
names to addresses — the Samsung Series 7 took 14 minutes and 8 seconds
to complete the test in Windows 8, but just 12 minutes and 45 seconds
in Windows 7. On the same test, the ASUS Zenbook UX31 also saw a
decrease in performance as it went from 5 minutes and 50 seconds in
Windows 7 to 8 minutes and 55 seconds in Windows 8. Unfortunately, we
could not perform the OpenOffice Spreadsheet test on the Dell Inspiron
15 M5030.
Graphics Performance: Results Basically Flat
Running the same applications, graphics performance on our test
systems was about the same on both OSes. On 3DMark06, the Inspiron 15
M5030 scored 1,689 in Windows 8, nearly the same as the 1,725 it
achieved using Windows 7. The M5030 also achieved comparable frame rates
when playing games in Windows 8. When we ran “World of Warcraft” on
Good settings, the M5030 averaged 17 frames per second, on par with the
game’s performance on Windows 7.
Graphics performance on the Samsung Series 7 was also fairly similar
on both with OSes. On 3DMark06, the tablet notched a Windows 8 score of
1,650 nearly identical to the 1,642 scored on Windows 7. In “World of
Warcraft,” the Samsung Series 7 achieved an unplayable 11 fps using
Windows 8, compared to a slightly better (but also unplayable) 13 fps on
Windows 7.
The ASUS Zenbook, by contrast, achieved slightly better graphics
performance using Windows 8 than it had with Windows 7. Using Windows 8,
the notebook notched a score of 4,360 on 3DMark06, up noticeably from
3,761 on Windows 7. Playing “World of Warcraft” with Good settings, the
Zenbook UX31 turned in a frame rate of 28 fps that was imperceptibly
better than the 26 fps it achieved with Windows 7. After turning the
settings up to Ultra, “World of Warcraft” ran at just 13 fps, on par
with its frame rate on Windows 7.
LAPTOP Battery Test: Windows 7 Lasts Longer
Though it’s supposed to be more power efficient, in our tests,
Windows 8 provided noticeably less endurance than its predecessor on
the Dell Inspiron 15 M5030, Samsung Series 7 Slate PC and ASUS Zenbook
UX31. On the LAPTOP Battery Test (continuous surfing on the Web using
Wi-Fi and Firefox), the Inspiron 15 lasted 3 hours and 7 minutes on
Windows 7, but only 2 hours and 45 minutes on Windows 8.
The Zenbook UX31 experienced an hour decrease in battery life,
dropping from 5 hours and 58 minutes on Windows 7 to 4 hours and 55
minutes on Windows 8. The decrease in battery life was most dramatic on
the Samsung Series 7, which lasted a reasonable 5 hours and 49 minutes
while using Windows 7, but just 3 hours and 36 minutes on Windows 8.
Final Thoughts
It’s way too early to say that Windows 8 will offer lower battery
life or slower file copies when it launches sometime later this year.
It’s also too soon to say spreadsheet performance will suffer under
Windows 8. Most likely the differences we saw were due to driver or
hardware support issues that should improve over time.
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