My browsers benchmark comparison

[Max_Payne]

What's the best browser with minor impact?

I have done an intensive test using:

1) As reference the Initial Startup Time parameter performed this test: Internet Browser Software Review 2009 - TopTenREVIEWS
2) This timer to measure the average time it takes the web browser to initialize and display the TopTenREVIEWS homepage.
3) An AMD Athlon 64 Processor 3200+ with 2.00 GHz and 1,50 GB of RAM. Normal requirements for a medium user.

Here there are all collected data:









The Winner of test is Firefox 3.5.5 (minor value, best score), and the worst browser is IE8.

However, comparing "Initial Startup Time" values of my test with Initial Startup Time values by TopTenReviews, the only browsers that are in the same position in both tests is Chrome, still in second place in the rank and Safari, which remains in fourth place.

Coincidence? I really think not. Considering all factors that may participate in the course of tests, the webkit browsers are the only ones with constant performances.

So, Chrome and Safari seem to be the real winners if we look globally both comparisons.


Two additional performance/javascript tests to verify my conclusions.

I can prove my conclusions reporting some results provided by PeaceKeeper (a performance test without system scan option) and SunSpider tests (Sunspider is a pure javascript scanner):

[seti]

Very interesting results and thanks for sharing them. You took a lot of time to do these and checked them out before posting which makes them even more valid to everyone here. I am surprised at the results for IE8 because on my system it does seem to load quickly, but obviously it does not.

[johnny.rotton]

Thank Max, Now would I be right in saying these tests are preformed with no or limited add-ons?

[HappyAndyK]

Nice share, though broadly speaking I find Chrome & IE8 startup faster than FF or Safari. Thanks for sharing your effort-taking results.

[leofelix]

very good test,
thank you

Unfortunately I cannot reach Internet Browser Software Review 2009 - TopTenREVIEWS

[Max_Payne]

Thank Max, Now would I be right in saying these tests are preformed with no or limited add-ons?

In my first test, IE 8 is performed with no addons and with an opened tab pointing to TopTenREVIEWS homepage, as other browsers.

In final two tests I forgot to disable "adobe pdf link helper" BHO in IE. But it's irrelevant because IE8 has always a huge difference than others.

[Cithel]

What's the best browser with minor impact

Thanks for sharing this Max, I can see that you put a lot of effort into it.

It would be interesting to see the 2nd test performed using a web server on the local area network to eliminate any variation of internet bottlenecks or web server load, just to see if the results are different.

The other thing that would be interesting to see is what the load times of the various browsers are when they are all running the same feature set (or as close to it as possible). e.g. I've noticed that IE is loading a larger feature set by default than Firefox. I would expect it to load slower in a vanilla install. By the time that I get my basic Firefox addons installed it starts much slower than IE, but it is still the browser I use daily.

For me, the best browser it not necessarily the fastest one. It's the one that has all of the features I want and best overall feel which are almost impossible to quantify.