Final Placing Tables
This article is the fifth time we've done comprehensive Web browser testing here at Tom's Hardware. When we started out, the name of the game was speed, hence Web Browser Grand Prix. But each of the top five Web browsers have surpassed the speeds seen just one generation ago. Today, there is much more to these applications than how quickly they perform in speed testing. The WBGP benchmarking suite is starting to really take a balanced look at all aspects of these applications. The placing tables below divide our benchmarking suite into the four currently-tested categories: performance, efficiency, reliability, and standards conformance.
Raw Placing
| Performance Placing(23 Tests) | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chrome | 9 | 4 | 7 | 2 | 1 |
| Firefox | 5 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Internet Explorer | 6 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Opera | 3 | 2 | 6 | 9 | 1 |
| Safari | 0 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 10 |
Google manages to grab the top spot away from Microsoft in performance-oriented testing with Chrome 12. Internet Explorer 9 is right behind though, grabbing second place with Firefox 5 hot on its heels in third. Opera solidly lands in fourth place, and Safari again brings up the rear.
| Efficiency Placing(5 Tests) | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chrome | Row 0 - Cell 1 | 3 | Row 0 - Cell 3 | 2 | Row 0 - Cell 5 |
| Firefox | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | Row 1 - Cell 5 |
| Internet Explorer | 3 | Row 2 - Cell 2 | 1 | Row 2 - Cell 4 | 1 |
| Opera | Row 3 - Cell 1 | 1 | 1 | Row 3 - Cell 4 | 3 |
| Safari | 1 | Row 4 - Cell 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
In raw efficiency placing, IE9 still takes the top spot. Chrome 12 and Firefox 5 come in second and third (respectively), with Safari in fourth and Opera in last place.
| Reliability Testing (1 Test) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| First Place | Second Place | Third Place | Fourth Place |
| Firefox, Opera | Chrome | Internet Explorer | Safari |
In the reliability testing, only Firefox 5 and Opera 11.50 earn perfect scores to tie for first place. Google Chrome falls into second place, while Microsoft IE9 is a miserable third. Apple's Safari just cannot hold up to the stress.
| Conformance Testing(4 Tests) | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chrome | 2 | 1 | 1 | Row 0 - Cell 4 | Row 0 - Cell 5 |
| Firefox | 1 | 1 | 1 | Row 1 - Cell 4 | 1 |
| Internet Explorer | 2 | Row 2 - Cell 2 | 1 | Row 2 - Cell 4 | 1 |
| Opera | 2 | 2 | Row 3 - Cell 3 | Row 3 - Cell 4 | Row 3 - Cell 5 |
| Safari | 2 | Row 4 - Cell 2 | Row 4 - Cell 3 | 2 | Row 4 - Cell 5 |
When it comes to the table above, the order appears to be Opera, Chrome, IE9, Safari, Firefox. However, we have a better way to grade each browser in terms of standards conformance. Unlike performance or efficiency testing, conformance tests have defined minimum and maximum scores. We can standardize each test's maximum score to 100 (denominator), add the adjusted scores together (numerator), divide the numerator by 400, and then multiply the result by 100 to come up with a grade.
By standardizing the scoring of each test and combining the results, we take scale into account. As you can see from the chart above, it's Chrome 12 that comes out on top for standards conformance, with Opera 11.50 following closely in second place. The third place victory goes to Firefox 5, with Safari in fourth and IE9 scoring the lowest.
| Total Placing(33 Tests) | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chrome | 11 | 9 | 8 | 4 | 1 |
| Firefox | 8 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 6 |
| Internet Explorer | 11 | 8 | 5 | 2 | 5 |
| Opera | 6 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 4 |
| Safari | 3 | 3 | 4 | 10 | 11 |
The finishing order for total raw placing is pretty clear: Chrome, IE9, Firefox 5, Opera, Safari.