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Windows 8 is definitely faster than Windows 7

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I get this question a lot I always get asked if Windows 8 is faster than Windows 7. The answer is definitely "Yes."
Windows 8 performed better on virtually every single test.

TechSpot https://www.techspot.com/review/561-windows8-vs-windows7/page2.html
PC Magazine https://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2406668,00.asp
Performance benchmark Windows 7 Windows 8
From the Windows logo to the startup screen (lower is better) 27 seconds 18 seconds
Shutdown times are also dramatically faster: (lower is better) 12 seconds 8 seconds
Waking up from a sleep is also faster: (lower is better) 13 seconds 10 seconds.
3-D graphics performance. PCMark 7 Test (higher better) 3467 3786
Browser performance(lower is better) Chrome version 21 - 2325 Chrome version 21 - 2505
Browser performance using Google V8 (higher is better) 10873 11847
Video performance (rendering and encoding) X264 HD benchmark 5.0 (frames per second, higher is better) 81.5
86.1 handbrake ( frames per second being encoded, higher is better) 170.5
172.9    

Starting with Windows 7 Microsoft got serious about isolating the kernel of the operating system and optimizing its performance independently. The small kernel is known as MinWin. It includes just basic system services, such as the TCP/IP stack and not much more. Here is some follow-up video and reading.

Inside the Windows Kernel (video) https://channel9.msdn.com/shows/Going+Deep/Mark-Russinovich-Inside-Windows-7/
Arun Kishan: Inside Windows 7 - Farewell to the Windows Kernel Dispatcher Lock. this was a huge breakthrough for Microsoft. it boosted parallelism by minimizing the wait times between running threads. The traditional dispatcher lock was replaced with several finer grained synchronization techniques, allowing Microsoft to leverage today's multicore architectures. (video) https://channel9.msdn.com/shows/Going+Deep/Arun-Kishan-Farewell-to-the-Windows-Kernel-Dispatcher-Lock/
Inside Windows Server 2008 Kernel Changes. this article describes the major changes Microsoft made to improve the performance of the kernel by separating it out of the operating system and optimizing it separately.(blog) https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/subscriptions/2008.03.kernel.aspx
A more recent series of test that reflect Windows 8 RTM https://www.zdnet.com/windows-8-vs-windows-7-benchmarked_p2-7000002671/

Comments

  • Anonymous
    January 14, 2013
    The comment has been removed

  • Anonymous
    January 14, 2013
    It's curious how you only link to posts who evaluate the performance of Windows 8 versions prior to the RTM. You'd expect comparisons made with the RTM. Aren't such comparisons available?   [ Hi Rui, See last link in post for a more recent speed test.
    BRUNO]

  • Anonymous
    January 15, 2013
    Thanks for that one, Bruno.   Anytime, Rui. I appreciate readers leaving comments. It makes the post better.

  • Anonymous
    March 09, 2013
    wow I am very happy to read great news about windows 8 thanks :)

  • Anonymous
    March 15, 2013
    hi, it amazes me as to how people focus on speed rather than reliability and functionality of an operating system, i mean windows 8 might be fast but whats the point if it is difficult to use ( and it is )it really does nothing that windows 7 already does, why pay the cashcow ( microsoft )money for something that offers no real advantage over windows 7.     With all due respect, performance always matters, with all software, whether you are talking about operating systems, compilers, developer tooling, and user applications.

    Being able to add functionality to an operating system while still getting great performance is always a challenge. Of course, this is helped with the advances in hardware. Regardless, users expect faster performance.

    I think Windows 8 is definitely a better operating system than Windows 7. Explaining that is way beyond the scope of this response. With that said, everyone I  know who has tried it, loves Windows 8 and the Windows Store - the ability to choose from thousands of free applications that instantly install. Windows 8 can do everything Windows 7 can and far more, including the ability to run on tablets and supporting touch. If you are happy with Windows 7, Microsoft is more than happy to support you. ~Bruno

  • Anonymous
    May 22, 2013
    The comment has been removed

  • Anonymous
    March 25, 2014
    I agree.  I've been using Windows 8 for about 6 months. I've noticed a huge speed increase. I don't need a start menu - let it go already.

  • Anonymous
    March 29, 2014
    In terms of gaming, have u noti ed speed increase?

  • Anonymous
    May 09, 2014
    It's called classic shell, or IObit windows 7 start menu.  Now you have win 8 with win 7 start menu

  • Anonymous
    February 23, 2015
    My 2 cents - I think Windows 8 is much faster and better than Windows 7. My story - about 2 years ago I ended up with Windows 8 on a new (personal) Surface Pro and initially was put off by the change in the UI from Windows XP, which I had happily been using for years. About 6 months ago, I got a new laptop for work with Windows 7. It has a beefier CPU and RAM than my Windows 8 machine, but is slower for just about everything. Starting the Windows 7 machine (including from sleep) takes much longer than my Windows 8 (now 8.1) machine. Today I had to use my Windows 8.1 Surface Pro for work because I left the Windows 7 laptop at home. Everything I am doing today is smoother and faster than it had been on my Windows 7 laptop.