Test Setup And Benchmark Suite
Our test hardware underwent some significant changes since Web Browser Grand Prix: Chrome 25, Firefox 19, And IE10. We're now on an Ivy Bridge-based Core i5 rig, upgraded from the equivalent Sandy Bridge parts. Our cable modem and ISP speeds are also better than last time. For now, the Web server and router remain the same, though both should be new by the next time we do one of these stories.
Our benchmark suite is also changing. First, that 40-tab workload in our memory tests is now timed using a stopwatch, and contributing to our overall wait time score (start-up and page load times).
Moving on to JavaScript, after we retired SunSpider from the test suite, WebKit updated the long-believed-abandoned JS performance test. We'll be running the newly-released SunSpider v1.0 to see if this benchmark's issues with Internet Explorer have been resolved.
KaizouMark makes a return now that IE9 is no longer in the mix, finally providing us with a long-overdue CSS3 performance test.
The final massive change to the benchmark line-up is in Hardware Acceleration. Both native HTML5 HWA and WebGL swapped out an old test for a newer one. First, we say goodbye to Psychedelic Browsing, and hello to CanvasMark 2013. Next, Airtight Interactive's WebGL Demo gets benched in favor of LUIC Cubes, a more intense metric that should be useful longer.
Test Setup And Benchmark Suite
Test System Specs | |
---|---|
Operating System |
Microsoft Windows 8 Enterprise (64-bit)
ProcessorIntel Core i5-3570K @ 4.2 GHz (quad-core)MotherboardGigabyte GA-Z77X-UD5H (rev 1.0, F14 BIOS)Memory16 GB Crucial DDR3 @ 1600 MT/s (4 x 4 GB)GraphicsGigabyte GeForce GTX 660 Ti 1 GB GDDR5 (PCIe 2.0 x16)StorageSeagate Barracuda 7200.12 500 GB SATA II 3Gb/s, 7200 RPM, 16 MB CacheOpticalAsus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/ASPower SupplyCorsair TX750W (750 W max)CaseZalman MS-800 PlusCPU CoolerNZXT Kraken X60 (closed-loop liquid cooler)MonitorAOC E2752Vh 27-inch LED (1920x1080)KeyboardLogitech Wireless Keyboard K320MouseLogitech Wireless Trackball M570Local Web Server SpecsOperating SystemUbuntu 12.04 LTS Server Edition "Precise Pangolin" (32-bit)ProcessorIntel Pentium 4 @ 2.41 GHzMotherboardBiostar P4M80-M4Memory768 MB DDR @ 333 MT/sStorageWestern Digital Caviar SE WD1600AAJD, 160 GB EIDE, 7200 RPMExtra PackagesApache2, MySQL Client, MySQL Server, PHP5, PHP-GD, PHP5-MySQL, PHPMyAdmin, SSH, Node.js, NPMNetwork SpecsISP ServiceCox Preferred (18 Mb/s down, 2 Mb/s up)ModemCisco Telephony Modem DPQ3212 (DOCSIS 3)RouterLinksys WRT54G2 V1Benchmark SuiteStartup TimeCold Start Time (Google SERP, Cached)Hot Start Time (Google SERP, Cached)Cold Start Time (Eight Tabs, Cached)Hot Start Time (Eight Tabs, Cached)Page Load TimeEEMBC BrowsingBench40-Tab Load Time (Top 40 Websites)JavaScriptRIABench JavaScript (Eight Tests)Futuremark Peacekeeper v2.0Rightware Browsermark v2.0JSBenchWebKit SunSpider v1.0DOMMozilla Dromaeo DOM (Core)HTML5Principled Technologies WebXPRT CP1Impact HTML5 BenchmarkHardware AccelerationFacebook JSGameBench v0.4.1HTML5 HWAWebVizBenchCanvasMark 2013WebGLLUIC CubesScirra WebGL Performance TestMemory EfficiencyMemory Usage (Single Tab)Memory Usage (40 Tabs)Memory Management (-39 Tabs)ReliabilityProper Page LoadsSecurityBrowserscope SecurityStandards ConformanceHTML5Test.comThe CSS3 TestEcmascript Language test262
While applicable links are included in the table above, we also have a public delicious account dedicated to Web Browser Grand Prix benchmark links. Detailed methodologies are explained on the individual benchmark pages.
We've highlighted Opera Next in the charts to emphasize that it's still in development and not part of the usual WBGP line-up.