Benchmark Analysis
12:00 AM - September 30, 2011
by
Adam Overa
We dropped the placing tables for performance, reliability, efficiency, conformance, and total placing. The Web Browser
Grand Prix is now at a point where each category of performance testing
is summed up properly in the analysis table, mostly thanks to composite
scoring. Reliability is a single test, and therefore pretty easy to
follow. Efficiency has its own conclusion on the corresponding page, and
the conformance composite grade is the best way to track that outcome.
Total placing is now totally irrelevant due to the addition of multiple
composite scores, and tallying total placing at this point would be a
step backwards.
The analysis table is now the only way to score each contender. In the event of an analysis table tie, going back to the individual benchmarks and looking at the scale of victory between browsers breaks the even finish.
Analysis Table
Without further adieu, let's crown the Web Browser Grand Prix 7 champion.
In the closest conclusion this series has ever seen, Mozilla is finally able to take the crown, earning its first Web Browser Grand Prix championship with Firefox 7. Although Firefox has two fewer wins than Chrome
14, Mozilla's browser manages to earn three more strong finishes than
Chrome, which we consider sealing the deal, if by only a hair.
Enjoy it while you can Firefox fans; Google doesn't like to play second fiddle for very long. In fact, we wouldn't be one bit surprised if a "minor" update that happens to contain a performance game-changer is pushed to Chrome within days (or hours) of this publication.
Chrome 14 obviously places second; no surprise there. The big surprise is our third-place finisher. It's not Internet Explorer 9! Rather, Opera finally breaks out of fourth place and grabs the bronze medal. IE9 simply lost too many times, allowing Opera and its "minor" .01 update to swoop in for the kill.
Alas, Safari places last yet again. Safari for Windows, that is. If Web Browser Grand Prix VI: Firefox 6, Chrome 13, Mac OS X Lion taught us anything, it's that the rules of physics, common sense, and everything else you hold dear don't apply on Apple's own OS X platform. Over there, Safari is still king.
There you have it folks, another Web Browser Grand Prix in the bag. Stay tuned to Tom's Hardware for more. We have a few special twists up our sleeves for Web Browser Grand Prix 8 and beyond.
Source: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/firefox-7-web-browser,3037.html
The analysis table is now the only way to score each contender. In the event of an analysis table tie, going back to the individual benchmarks and looking at the scale of victory between browsers breaks the even finish.
Analysis Table
| Winner | Strong | Acceptable | Weak | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Performance Benchmarks | ||||
| Startup Time | Chrome | Opera | Firefox, Internet Explorer | Safari |
| Page Load Time | Chrome | Safari | Internet Explorer | Firefox, Opera |
| JavaScript | Chrome | Firefox | Internet Explorer, Opera | Safari |
| DOM | Opera | Firefox | Chrome, Safari | Internet Explorer |
| CSS | Chrome, Safari | Internet Explorer, Opera | Firefox | |
| Flash | Internet Explorer, Opera, Safari | Chrome, Firefox | ||
| Java | Firefox | Chrome | Internet Explorer, Opera, Safari | |
| Silverlight | Opera | Chrome | Firefox, Internet Explorer | Safari |
| HTML5 | Internet Explorer | Firefox | Chrome, Opera, Safari | |
| HTML5 Hardware Acceleration | Internet Explorer | Firefox | Chrome, Opera, Safari | |
| WebGL | Chrome | Firefox | Internet Explorer, Opera, Safari | |
| Efficiency Benchmarks | ||||
| Memory Usage: Light | Internet Explorer | Firefox, Safari | Chrome, Opera | |
| Memory Usage: Heavy | Firefox | Safari | Opera | Chrome, Internet Explorer |
| Memory Management | Firefox | Chrome, Internet Explorer | Opera, Safari | |
| Reliability Benchmarks | ||||
| Proper Page Loads | Opera | Safari | Chrome, Firefox | Internet Explorer |
| Conformance Benchmarks | ||||
| HTML5 | Chrome | Firefox, Opera | Safari | Internet Explorer |
| JavaScript | Firefox | Internet Explorer, Chrome | Safari | Opera |
| DOM | All 5 | |||
Without further adieu, let's crown the Web Browser Grand Prix 7 champion.
The Crowning Of A Champion
12:00 AM - September 30, 2011
by
Adam Overa
Enjoy it while you can Firefox fans; Google doesn't like to play second fiddle for very long. In fact, we wouldn't be one bit surprised if a "minor" update that happens to contain a performance game-changer is pushed to Chrome within days (or hours) of this publication.
Chrome 14 obviously places second; no surprise there. The big surprise is our third-place finisher. It's not Internet Explorer 9! Rather, Opera finally breaks out of fourth place and grabs the bronze medal. IE9 simply lost too many times, allowing Opera and its "minor" .01 update to swoop in for the kill.
Alas, Safari places last yet again. Safari for Windows, that is. If Web Browser Grand Prix VI: Firefox 6, Chrome 13, Mac OS X Lion taught us anything, it's that the rules of physics, common sense, and everything else you hold dear don't apply on Apple's own OS X platform. Over there, Safari is still king.
There you have it folks, another Web Browser Grand Prix in the bag. Stay tuned to Tom's Hardware for more. We have a few special twists up our sleeves for Web Browser Grand Prix 8 and beyond.
Source: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/firefox-7-web-browser,3037.html
