Tom's Hardware > All Reviews > Solutions > Software > Web Browser Grand Prix 4: Firefox 4 Goes Final

Performanc Benchmarks: HTML5

12:00 AM - April 4, 2011 by Adam Overa

GUIMark 2 HTML5 Vector Charting (1-Pixel Version)

We decided to drop the original 2-pixel variant of the GUIMark 2 HTML5 vector charting test and just stick to the updated single-pixel version.

Opera excels at the HTML5 vector charting test, earning almost 35 FPS. Safari comes in second with over 28 FPS . Achieving 24 FPS, Firefox 4 beats IE9 by a single frame per second, while Chrome finishes last at 19 FPS.

GUIMark 2 HTML5 Bitmap Gaming

For all intents and purposes, IE9 and FF4 tie in HTML5 bitmap gaming, but technically Microsoft beats Mozilla by 0.02 FPS. Google Chrome takes third with 35 FPS, Opera is in fourth place with 20 FPS, and Safari finishes last with just 10 FPS.

GUIMark 2 HTML5 Text Columns

In the HTML5 text column tests, Firefox 4 takes the lead with 57 frames per second. Arch-rival IE9 is only four frames behind, in second place. Opera, Safari, and Chrome round out the placing (respectively), all earning around 30 FPS.

Asteroids HTML5 Canvas 2D And JavaScript

This test mixes JavaScript and the 2D Canvas capabilities of HTML5 in a Web browser game setting.

Internet Explorer takes the lead, just ahead of Chrome. Opera is more than one thousand points behind. Safari trails 600 points behind Opera in fourth, and Firefox 4 takes last place, earning 300 points less than Safari. Obviously, the JavaScript in this test allowed JS-proficient Chrome and Opera to shoot ahead in the standings.

IE9 is still the HTML5 champ, though Firefox 4 is just a minor performance update away from the crown. Chrome, Opera, and Safari all yield spotty performance, excelling in some areas and falling flat in others.

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reprotected 04/04/2011 6:13 AM

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Because people can't wait for half a second. I never had a single rendering problem with any of my browsers.

LuckyDucky7 04/04/2011 6:18 AM

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Adblock Plus, Adblock Plus, Adblock Plus.

That pretty much sums it up. No amount of optimization will help you when it comes to loading web pages if you have a large amount of adframes and such to slow you down.

So have your super-fast IE9: I bet the ads will appreciate loading quick too.

Anonymous 04/04/2011 6:34 AM

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Anonymous 04/04/2011 6:43 AM

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@ StableBrowser,

You must enjoy being an ignorant Fx fanboy. IE9 comes with adblocking features without needing any extensions.

nd22 04/04/2011 6:44 AM

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IE9 is indeed fast, but my question relates to Safari, a browser created specifically for Mac, not for Windows. On Mac Safari is incredible fast, why Tom’s did not tested Safari on the platform which it was designed for?

Anonymous 04/04/2011 6:44 AM

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@luckyducky7

"Adblock Plus, Adblock Plus, Adblock Plus.

That pretty much sums it up. No amount of optimization will help you when it comes to loading web pages if you have a large amount of adframes and such to slow you down.

So have your super-fast IE9: I bet the ads will appreciate loading quick too."

Not if you use tracking protection.

adamovera 04/04/2011 6:49 AM

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nd22 :
IE9 is indeed fast, but my question relates to Safari, a browser created specifically for Mac, not for Windows. On Mac Safari is incredible fast, why Tom’s did not tested Safari on the platform which it was designed for?

It is my hope that we'll be able to do that. Hopefully for the next major Safari release. If that's at the same time as Lion, then we might have to use the latest updated Snow Leopard for time reasons.

jsowoc 04/04/2011 7:03 AM

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Re: Acid3
This is why Firefox doesn't get 100:
http://limi.net/articles/firefox-acid3/

stm1185 04/04/2011 7:07 AM

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I loaded up IE today because the Chase website gives me problems with Chrome, and I was surprised by how fast IE9 is now. Loading pages seemingly as fast or faster then chrome. I even thought of switching it to my primary browser, but the lack of Ad-block support killed it. It is a necessary feature and every browser should have it or something like it these days.

andy5174 04/04/2011 7:10 AM

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The latest Chrome is indeed pretty fast, but I just can't live without Tab Mix Plus which is only available to Firefox. Someone please write a similar add-on for Chrome!!!

dragonsqrrl 04/04/2011 7:11 AM

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-1

jsowoc :
Re: Acid3This is why Firefox doesn't get 100:http://limi.net/articles/firefox-acid3/

Good to know, thanks.

PreferLinux 04/04/2011 7:45 AM

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You didn't mention "App Tabs" in Firefox!!!

lancelot123 04/04/2011 8:15 AM

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Are Firefox fanboys and others really too stupid to realize that IE9 (as well as other versions) have adblocking "addons" you can get? Too bad ie7pro will never work with IE9, I loved that addon.

epileptic 04/04/2011 8:15 AM

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@stm1185 IE9 does support ad blocking. It's called tracking protection. You can write a tracking protection list that will block the ads you usually see or get a more thorough one from the web. Either way, that feature is there. I personally just converted my Opera list and rolled with it.

@adamovera There's a mistake in your last chart. IE9 should be weak in HTML5 conformance and you're listing it as a winner.

Anonymous 04/04/2011 8:17 AM

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There's something terribly wrong in your test results regarding chrome.
My 10.0.648.151 do much better, especially since I forced native OpenGL ES support rather than ANGLE.
Psychedelic - 1709rpm (hd4670@cat11.2 &A64 X2 4400+ 2.3@2.8GHz)
Aquarium - 58-60fps
particles 58fps
HWACCEL - 60+
html5 vector 40+
html5 bitmap 50+
Please try to use
--enable-webgl --ignore-gpu-blacklist --use-gl=desktop flags (and make sure you have canvas accel enabled by page about:flags too). Retake some of those test with that and see yourselves what it changes.

Tamz_msc 04/04/2011 8:55 AM

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-2

I've been a Firefox user since version 2, and Firefox is undoubtedly the best version yet.I use Firefox 4 because its fast, highly customizable, responsive, supports the latest web standards and technologies, has thousands of extensions and on my computer it(along with Opera) is the most stable browser, and as you yourself have stated:

Quote :With that said, Firefox hasn't been a speed demon in a very long time. It's the rock-solid browser. During the 40-tab memory testing, we get see how reliably pages load. Firefox is the only Web browser that consistently loads every single element on every single page all at once, correctly. Each of the other browsers require at least one reload to fix a broken ad or or some other element. Also notice how few times Mozilla's browser is listed in the weak column. With version 4, Firefox is still the rock-solid browser. Which is what it needs to be with that kind of market share - the name of the game is stability over speed when you've got that many users.

Here are my reasons why I don't use the other browsers:

1. Chrome - Its true that its very fast, but speed isn't the only thing.It crashes on my computer when you have multiple pages open containing flash.It has the second best addon gallery(the Web store is also very nice), but many of its addons are poor copies of Firefox addons, and it has limited options for customizing.

2. IE 9 - Its also very fast, but it also has crashed on me a few times and there are virtually no addons at present.

3. Opera - Its a very good browser, but I find it a bit awkward to use.Its slowly catching up in terms of number of addons, but it cannot render some pages correctly.On my computer, it has problems with Tom's Hardware:

https://ptjp4w.bay.livefilestore.co [...] PNG?psid=1

4. Safari - As a Windows user, I really don't care.

memadmax 04/04/2011 8:56 AM

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-2

FF4+NoScript addon and be happy...

aznshinobi 04/04/2011 9:25 AM

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Why are all you guys hating on FF? Like Tamz, I've used FF for a long time, w/o any addons and it works beautifully. I though FF4 was a huge improvement over 3, though 3 was pretty solid. I have yet to use IE9, but I was never a fan of the IE browsers to be honest. I always felt... Like it lacked something. But FF4 has kept me on the FF train and I think I'll stay with it until otherwise.

yyk71200 04/04/2011 9:39 AM

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-1

For the most part, speed differences are negligible. FF is a very well rounded browser. It is responsive and has lots of extensions: ad block, no script, this: http://www.downloadhelper.net/ , etc.

rainwilds 04/04/2011 10:06 AM

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-1

Exactly! There is just no comparison to the lovely FireFox addons. This test may test 'millisecond' speeds but misses the all important functionality features.