TMCnet News

Windows 8 CPU Slow Benchmarks!
[December 20, 2011]

Windows 8 CPU Slow Benchmarks!


Originally posted on VoIP & Gadgets Blog, here: http://blog.tmcnet.com/blog/tom-keating/microsoft/windows-8-cpu-slow-benchmarks.asp.

I tried out Windows 8 developer preview (32-bit) on a Dell E6500 dual core 2.26Ghz laptop and while the new UI is slick, the CPU processor is much SLOWER that the prior Vista 32-bit operating system it was running. Using PerformanceTest v7.0 (popular PassMark benchmark), the CPU benchmark went down from 2000 to 800!  Similarly Windows Experience Index score for the CPU category went from 5.2 to 2.4. That's a 1/2 performance drop! Now, I did have to install a Windows 7 nVidia Quadro NVS 160M video driver and a few other Windows 7 drivers (memory card reader), but nothing CPU-related. I understand this is a "preview" version of Windows 8, but it certainly isn't installing confidence. While I love the amazing ~12s boot time on the Dell E6500, there is a noticeable performance drop compared to the prior Vista Business operating system.

Since I already upgraded (downgraded?) the laptop to Windows 8 (fresh install) and didn't capture benchmark screenshots at the time, I ran PerformanceTest v7.0 on an identical laptop running Vista Business for comparison. Though there is a different hard drive on this Dell E6500 Vista laptop, which did score slower in the hard drive benchmark testing than the Windows 8 Dell E6500. You would think a slower hard drive, a major factor in system performance would cause the Vista Business laptop to be slower than the Windows 8 laptop. Yeah, well we'd both be wrong. The overall PassMark score for the Vista laptop was 611.6 while the Windows 8 PassMark score was 411.7. Mind you, the Vista laptop would have scored even higher, had not the slower hard drive affected its score.

Let's go to the video tape and compare each laptop's benchmarks by category:

Vista System:
windows-vista-benchmark-test-system.png

Windows 8 System:
windows-8-benchmark-test-system.png

Look at the red arrow above and compare with the prior image. You'll see that Windows Vista is using a 9X multiplier with a measured speed of 2261.1Mhz while Windows 8 is using a 6X multiplier with a measured speed of 1596.0Mhz. Well, there's the problem right there. For whatever reason, Windows 8 is underclocking the CPU - though I may be misusing that term. Interestingly, the Windows 8 laptop has a slightly faster Bus Speed and Front Side Bus, but not enough to make up for the fact that the CPU multiplier is only 6X.

Let's look at how this affects the other scores, including the 2D& 3D graphics score, memory score, etc.



Continue reading Windows 8 CPU Slow Benchmarks!...

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , Related tags: , , , , ,


Related Entries
  • Daring Fireball Gets It - Windows 8 Will Rival the iPad - Sep 15, 2011
    microsoft-windows-8-start-screen.jpg
  • Windows 8 Explorer Sports Ribbon Interface - Aug 29, 2011
    explorer-command-use-stats.jpg
  • Windows 8 Preview Video - I hate it already! - Jun 02, 2011
    microsoft-windows-8-start-screen.jpg
  • ProtoSphere 3D Virtual World Combines Microsoft Lync, VoIP, Collaboration, & Social Media - Dec 20, 2010
    protosphere-3d-demo.jpg
  • Watch Two TV Programs at Once on Same TV! - Oct 31, 2008
    hdtv_new_3-d_tv.jpg
  • Wow! A Quick Boot PC -- About Time! - Oct 27, 2008
  • Microsoft plays nice with Apple iPod - no more corruption - May 09, 2007
  • Gates on Gates (I Mean Vista) - Feb 02, 2007
  • Why Can't Vista See Clearly Now? - Feb 01, 2007
  • A Dell by Any Other Name? - Jan 31, 2007
  • TrackBacks | Comments | Tag with del.icio.us | VoIP & Gadgets Blog Home | Permalink: Windows 8 CPU Slow Benchmarks!



    [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]