Duel: Windows 7 / Windows 8, Which Is Fastest?

Translator: Jack Sims
Published:

On the left, Microsoft's flagship operating system: Windows 7. Released on 22nd October 2009, it succeeded the much-maligned Windows Vista.	\| \| \| \|	On the right, Windows 8, which will succeed Windows 7 in 2012. The precise release date is still unknown but should be somewhere between September and Christmas.
	\| \| \| \| \| \|
Version: Full Version 64-bit	\|	Version: Developer Preview 64-bit
AMD processor used: AMD FX-8150	\|	AMD Processor AMD used: AMD FX-8150
Intel processor used: Intel Core i7 2600K	\|	Intel processor used: Intel Core i7 2600K
RAM used: 16 GB Corsair Vengeance CMZ16GX3M4X1600C9	\|	RAM used: 16 GB Corsair Vengeance CMZ16GX3M4X1600C9
SSD used: Corsair Force 3 180 GB	\|	SSD used: Corsair Force 3 180 GB
Graphics card used: Nvidia GeForce GTX 570	\|	Graphics card used: Nvidia GeForce GTX 570	\|

THE BACKGROUND

We used two CPUs in this duel: the AMD FX-8150 and the Intel Core i7 2600K.

We weren't trying to compare the processors with each other but rather to see what gain we could obtain with Windows 8.

|
|
|
|
|
|

On release of the FX-8150, AMD told us that its performance would improve with Windows 8. Let's see!

Of course the results given below are only representative of the current state of affairs and have been carried out with an unfinalised version of Windows 8.

This article therefore aims to reply to the following question: will Windows 8 improve the performance of a computer? We reply by running processing tests (encoding, 3D rendering, photo retouching and so on) but also video games tests.

3D RENDERING AND PHOTO RETOUCHING: WINDOWS 7 FOR AMD, WINDOWS 8 FOR INTEL

Processing time in seconds. Lower is better.

The first area of divergence between the AMD and Intel platforms is that AMD is more at ease with Windows 7 than Windows 8. Whether with the export of RAW files in Lightroom or 3D rendering in Cinema 4D, execution times are lower and therefore better using Windows 7.

The Intel platform is however better with Windows 8, with Cinema 4D benefiting greatly from the new OS. In Lightroom, results are pretty much the same.

AUDIO PROCESSING: WINDOWS 7 WINS, FOR INTEL ONLY

Number of effects activated in real time in Cubase. Higher is better.

When we simulate usage of effects in real time in a studio session with Cubase, Windows 7 carries the day when using the Intel processor. With the AMD chip however, Windows 7 and Windows 8 are pretty much on a par with just a very slight advantage for Windows 8.

AUDIO AND VIDEO ENCODING: WINDOWS 7 WINS BY K.O.

Processing time in seconds. Lower is better.

AMD platform: encoding an audio album as mp3s in iTunes is a good deal faster in Windows 8. This is quite interesting in as much as this is a monothreaded task, namely one that doesn't work several cores at the same time. HD video encoding in x264 with Handbrake, a task that is highly optimised for processors with multiple cores, is not any more at ease on one of the operating systems than the other.

Intel platform: a draw here, whether with iTunes or Handbrake.

Windows Live Movie Maker: here things are disastrous! We carried out a small edit with several HD videos from a Panasonic Lumix TZ7 camera. The MTS files used weren't unfortunately recognised straight up by Windows 8, though they were in Windows 7. We therefore installed separate codes so it could recognise the files, which resulted in awful encoding times with both Intel and AMD processors.

FILE COMPRESSION: WINDOWS 7 FOR AMD, WINDOWS 8 FOR INTEL

Processing time in seconds. Lower is better.

Once again, Windows 8 only benefits the Intel processor when compressing files with WinRAR. With the AMD chip, Windows 7 offers better performance. The differences are however very slight on both sides and neither system can claim a crushing victory.

VIDEO GAMES: DRAW

Average number of frames per second. Higher is better.

In the domain of video gaming, the two systems are on a par. First of all, Just Cause 2 wouldn't launch in Windows 8 with our AMD processor although it worked perfectly well with the Intel Core i7. On the Intel however, Windows 7 still wins with a higher framerate.

In Crysis, there's no notable difference between the two systems and only Metro 2033 shows a gain of a couple of frames per second on average when used with Windows 8. That said, for an operating system under development, these are pretty good signs with respect to gaming.

VERDICT: A DRAW

For the time being, we can't say that Windows 8 drastically improves performance on computers. Things vary slightly depending on the software and the processor used.

It is therefore interesting to see that the AMD FX-8150 is slightly better in Windows 7 although AMD is counting a great deal on Microsoft's new OS to help it sell its Bulldozers.

Nevertheless, although Windows 8 doesn't improve performance greatly, the new Microsoft OS doesn't slow things down either.

We have drawn up a couple of graphs to summarise performance. The first gives a view of application performance though Windows Live Movie Maker has not been included in the results as its scores were anomalous.

The second graph summarises the results obtained for video games. Of course we didn't take Just Cause into account for the AMD FX-8150 result as it scored 0 (wouldn't launch).

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

Applications average