Testing Methods
With the exception of
ATTO, which we used to measure SATA performance, all of our benchmarks use real applications that give you a clearer idea of how each operating system performs in the tasks for which you're likely to use it.
We ran our own
Media Benchmarks suite, which can be downloaded so that you can test your own systems. It uses a combination of Gimp image editing, H.264 encoding with Handbrake and multi-tasking with 7-Zip file compression combined with HD video playback. We also tested for graphics performance using one high end and one mid range, using benchmarks from our standard graphics testing and recording average and minimum frame rates. Finally, as well as testing for SATA performance, we also recorded and compared boot times for each OS.
More detailed descriptions for each benchmark and test can be found on their respective pages.
Test System
- Intel Core i5-2500K (operating at 4.2GHz – 42 x 100MHz and 1.275V vcore; speedstep disabled)
- Asus Maximus 5 Formula (Intel Z77)
- 2 x 4GB Corsair 1,600MHz DDR3 memory
- Samsung SSD 830 256GB SSD
- Antec CP-850 850W PSU
For high end graphics testing, we used an
Nvidia GeForce GTX 670 2GB with the GeForce 306.97 drivers, and an
AMD Radeon HD 7850 2GB with Catalyst 12.8 drivers for mid-range graphics results. For SATA performance, we used an
OCZ Vertex 3 240GB SSD.
Operating Systems
- Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
- Microsoft Windows 8 Release Preview 64-bit
Want to comment? Please log in.
Posted by Dave Lister - Fri Oct 26 2012 08:24
Posted by Stelph - Fri Oct 26 2012 08:36
Posted by Griffter - Fri Oct 26 2012 08:41
Posted by barrkel - Fri Oct 26 2012 08:45
The people most sanguine about the new start menu replacement are those who type to find what they want to launch. I'm not one of them; I work by spatial memory, I often can't remember names of apps, and rely on categorization and position to find them. I have a terminal for apps I start by name. A huge 2D dump like Metro isn't what I need; I replaced Windows 7's menu with a Windows XP-like version using ClassicShell, but I don't use the Programs menu, instead I have folders like Games, Development, etc. where applications would get pinned if that feature was enabled. All in all, it's like early 2000s Linux start menus, and it's what works for me. But I expect ClassicShell will still work with Windows 8.