Web Browser Grand Prix 2: Running The Linux Circuit

Features
By Adam Overa
published

Last week we showed Opera 10.60 to be the world's fastest Web browser. That was in the Windows world. But where do Chrome, Firefox, and Opera stand in Linux? Today we find out. Adding the Win 7 results, we'll also learn which OS has the speediest browser.

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.

Google

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.

Facebook

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.

Adam Overa
70 Comments Comment from the forums
  • Tamz_msc
    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.
    Reply
  • micr0be
    yes i would have loved to have seen the firefox 4 beta with the results. although great article.
    Reply
  • opmopadop
    Interesting how FireFox chose to sacrifice speed for memory.
    Reply
  • adamovera
    weirdguy99Why not put firefox 4 into the equation?micr0beyes 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.
    Reply
  • Tamz_msc
    DamdamanI'll get berated for this I'm sure but will we see an OSX article on browsers as well?You are kidding,right?
    Reply
  • arnweb
    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.
    Reply
  • Sihastru
    Opera still can't render pages properly, still can't print content properly, and we waste our time with senseless tests of imperceptible speed.
    Reply
  • The_King
    I dont think anyone using firefox will change to another browser even if it is Faster. I love my firefox :)
    Reply
  • Tamz_msc
    Wow, Chrome uses more memory than Crysis on my computer. :lol:
    Reply
  • Tamz_msc
    arnwebOpera 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.
    Reply