Web Browser Performance Roundup for Q3 2012

Regeneration

Regeneration

Regeneration

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Despite all the rumors of Apple discontinuing Safari for Windows, the web browser market is still on fire. New versions and updates are being released almost on a weekly basis. In fact, with so many options available - it would be nice to know which one is the fastest. Unfortunately, it's been a while since someone came up with a performance roundup. So we spent the last couple of days benchmarking the most popular web browsers and even some of less popular ones (a total of 13 in number). Is Google Chrome still on top? Read on to find out.

Read more: http://www.ngohq.com/news/22169-web-browser-performance-roundup-for-q3-2012-a.html
 
Slightly OT but is it confirmed that Chrome has overtaken IE as the most widely used browser now? Seems to vary depending on where you look.
 
Firefox is faster for me (especially when loading image/GIF/Flash intensive pages, chrome really sucks in that area), pages are loaded first and then rendered instantly where as with chrome it loads the pages whilst rendering at the same time so it doesn't have that same instant feel as firefox, just appears that it loads faster. However, overall chrome is faster and smoother throughout the UI.

Now that I have a SSD, chrome is much quicker at starting up still (pretty much instantly even with a hard drive), firefox still takes like a second or 2 (but then I do have more apps installed and tabs pinned).

Really do want to use chrome as my main browser as I much prefer the UI overall (in terms of the settings, addons pane, bookmarks and history pane etc.) to firefox but still put of it due to the first point and certain other things i.e.

- having the gmail tab pinned and if you receive an email it doesn't change colour, you need to install an addon and have a icon in the nav bar, so more clutter

- pages aren't remembered where you left off after you close chrome, just reloads them and brings you back to the top of the page again, so means you have to scroll all the way through again looking for the last post you read

- userstyles look no where as good on chrome

- no where as smooth when scrolling as firefox even with smooth scroll installed especially for image/flash/GIF intensive pages

- font looks much better, more smooth for firefox

EDIT:

Chrome is much faster/smoother than firefox overall for slower PC/laptops
 
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Where are the rumours that Apple are discontinuing Safari for Windows?

Although I wouldn't be surprised as it is a waste of Apple's resources. I don't know anyone who has it installed.
 
Apple software is dog turd on Windows. Consider it a blessing. Itunes is one of the worst applications you can install on a pc. It's buggy, can trash your dvd drive readability and installs a ton of services that hound your machine.

Quicktime is horrendous too.
 
On another note, come January 1st Firefox is getting a shot up the backside. Version 18 will bring with it IonMonkey apparently, which is their new JS JIT compiler. Some of the graphs I've seen floating around say it is about 20% quicker than 15.0.1 and trading blows with chrome.
 
Chrome you see the page while it loads, where as for Firefox it loads everything first before it shows you the page. Because of this, it feels "snappier" even if it may be slower, hence why I prefer using Firefox, as well as the ability to customise it.

I managed to find all the Chrome versions of my add-ons, but Chrome still doesn't feel as smooth as Firefox for me.
 
From my short usage of IE10 it is very quick indeed, I think noticably quicker than IE9. Not sure how it stacks up to Chrome mind.

Microsoft need to hurry up with the Windows 7 IE10 release mind, i'm running out of patience and will move across to Chrome if it doesn't appear soon.
 
I switched to chrome the other day and after 2 days went back to firefox, what I posted above still applies.

Just awful in those areas, the scrolling is terrible on high res. image/flash intensive threads etc. And the font kills my eyes, just isn't smooth looking at all and adblock blocks ads but leaves a blank space there instead........

UI is nicer and the smoothness throughout the UI is great but not being able to customize at all apart from changing the theme is annoying.

IE 10 is fast and very smooth too, but overall it is just pants, not much else can be said :p
 
to be honest i haven't found chrome a good experience i used it for 3 weeks and it drove me mad with it not letting me do what i want and having to do what google want.
i went back to IE9 and im happy again, it just does what i want
 
bledd. said:
Apple software is dog turd on Windows. Consider it a blessing. Itunes is one of the worst applications you can install on a pc. It's buggy, can trash your dvd drive readability and installs a ton of services that hound your machine.

Quicktime is horrendous too.
Click to expand...
Absolutely 100% agree.

Attempted to install QuickTime a few months ago. Biggest mistake since I installed Windows 7. I felt so dirty I ended up reinstalling Windows. :p
 
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