Benchmark Results: Page Load Times
Page load times were once again taken using a customized version of WebMonkey's Browser Load Time StopWatch JavaScript. It was modified to gauge the speed of pages loaded locally from the hard drive. We used the same saved Web site files from Web Browser Grand Prix 2.
Chrome comes in first here. Firefox places second, taking nearly twice as long as Chrome. And Opera nearly doubles that number, landing it in third place.
All three browsers finish this test more quickly in Windows 7 than in Ubuntu. Chrome holds the closest scores between operating systems, taking only twelve milliseconds longer in Linux than Windows 7.
Chrome again places first, with Firefox just twenty milliseconds behind. Opera takes third place by a slim eleven milliseconds behind Mozilla's browser. Both Chrome and Firefox load Facebook slower in Ubuntu, though Chrome's two OS scores are again very close. Opera populates third place in both OSes, but manages to finish a good twenty milliseconds ahead of its Windows score in Ubuntu.
Yahoo!
Here again Chrome takes first place, with Opera in second and Firefox finishing last. Chrome's Ubuntu score is yet again slightly slower than its Windows 7 score, while Opera's Linux result comes in just ahead of its showing in Windows. Mozilla Firefox, on the other hand, is over 300 ms slower in Ubuntu 10.04.
YouTube
For all intents and purposes, Google Chrome displays the same winning result in both operating systems when loading YouTube. Firefox comes in second place, with just twenty milliseconds extra in Ubuntu. Opera places last, taking 50 ms longer to load YouTube than it did in Windows 7.
MSN
In this final page load test, Chrome takes another top spot with a worse score in Ubuntu than in Windows. Opera places second, taking only 50 ms longer to load in Ubuntu. Though Firefox brings up the rear, its MSN score in Linux is a steep improvement over Windows. Mozilla's browser loads MSN over 600 ms faster in Ubuntu than in Microsoft's latest OS.
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The article that I was waiting for.How the tables have turned!
Conclusion:Firefox is quite capable in both Linux and Windows.
I'm using Firefox 4 beta and I find it pretty quick.
yes i would have loved to have seen the firefox 4 beta with the results. although great article.
Interesting how FireFox chose to sacrifice speed for memory.
Why not put firefox 4 into the equation?
yes i would have loved to have seen the firefox 4 beta with the results. although great article.
When it's final, I'll test it.
I'll get berated for this I'm sure but will we see an OSX article on browsers as well?
You are kidding,right?
Opera Turbo feature, is not mentioned here, it can boost speed in real surf. And also when we open a closed tab in Opera it opens them instantly, that's why Opera holds memory for closed, tab.
Opera still can't render pages properly, still can't print content properly, and we waste our time with senseless tests of imperceptible speed.
I dont think anyone using firefox will change to another browser even if it is Faster. I love my firefox
Wow, Chrome uses more memory than Crysis on my computer.
Opera Turbo feature, is not mentioned here, it can boost speed in real surf. And also when we open a closed tab in Opera it opens them instantly, that's why Opera holds memory for closed, tab.
Opera Turbo increases page load times on slow connections.On my 2Mbps connection the time in which Opera Turbo connects to its servers is the time in which Google loads in Firefox.
I still don't see a point of this test especially as hardware gets better and better. Computer which runs on SSD or Raid SSD with 20Mb/s Internet Connection don't matter what browser you're on cause you can't see a damn difference.
Then all browsers lie except Opera hehehe, don't blame me, or whatever, that don't change the result: The fast browser in the knowing universe.
I guess the tab recycle bin is responsible for high opera mem usage even after the tabs are closed. however I have not yet found a way to disable it so it gets to normal memory management. however I love the feature, to the mem issue is not that big a deal for me...
also this is a nitpick, but please do name the article the ubuntu circuit. I do not think the results will be 100% identical on other linux distros.
Gratuliere is probably what you meant...
No. "Gratulerer" is norwegian, so is Opera ;-)
Does Linux even matter? Outside of hippies, does anyone use it?
Looks like if you have a system with less ram FF is your choice browser. But overall it is stomped by Chrome.
I too am using FF4 beta. It is noticeably faster with page load times than FF3. But I agree about only testing final releases.
Thanks Adam Overa for including Linux in the Grand Prix.
haplo602 +1
Correct depends on GCC version installed + lots of other factors and source compile or bin and who / what did the bin on what config.
With Mozilla now using gcc 4.5.* the 3.6.6 firefox is slower than ie6 in xp.
Upgraded to 3.5.11 and 3.0.18 on 2 xp boxes I have from 3.6.6 , about to do the same in my linux boxes.
The gcc 4.5.* optimization issues is bitting hard on Mozilla.
Firefox 4 beta has same gcc 4.5.* issues = slow.
Someone at Mozilla will have to source build a complete gcc 4.5.* distro and build it about 3 times over on same code to make sure all is included / properly optimized + pray it is working correctly.
Arch linux had GCC 4.5.* integrated already so should be a good place for mozilla to start from.
Can not stand Opera appearance and layout too much vista / win7 feel. Used to love opera way back just after we lost netscape.
Nice to see Opera coming back in win + lin.
Does Linux even matter? Outside of hippies, does anyone use it?
LOL good question.
With Win vista annoying so many a lot of people jumped to linux dual boot or just linux. Win7 has caused another major wave of new linux users + recession made allot of people think about $500 for Microsoft office that messes up their old word documents ect and free openoffice / koffice etc. in linux.
So free properly working office pc operating system + office apps so might as well go linux instead of $1300 to win7 replace 90% of your software and pray it works + then still loose half your data with win7 issues / bugs.
And you can do this from a live cd or dvd no need to install makes it very attractive. Can also read / write to ntfs hfs+ and other partitions even with vista / win7 locks enabled, makes getting to your data and formating your win7 much easier when vista /win7 constantly fails to works / boot.
Linux is good not great not excellent but for office use 100 times better than Vista /win7.
Gaming in linux is still bad or about the same as Vista / win7 so have to dual boot and play game in XP.