Speed test comparing six generations of Windows from XP to 11: Which Windows performed best?
YouTube channel TrigrZolt, which covers various reviews and benchmarks on Windows, has released a video comparing six generations of Windows, from Windows XP to Windows 11, installed on a PC with the same specifications and performing various speed and benchmark tests.
Windows XP vs Vista vs 7 vs 8.1 vs 10 vs 11 | Speed Test - YouTube
The operating systems being compared are, from left to right, XP (64-bit), Vista, 7, 8.1, 10, and 11.
The PC used was a Lenovo ThinkPad X220, with a second-generation (Sandy Bridge) Intel Core processor, 8GB of RAM, and a 256GB HDD.
According to TrigrZolt, second-generation Intel CPUs are a valuable generation, allowing them to run all operating systems, from Windows XP to Windows 11 (including unofficial workarounds), on the actual machine and apply drivers. All operating systems are Pro editions, and for XP, the 64-bit version is used to recognize 4GB or more of RAM. The latest service packs and updates were applied to each operating system at the time of testing.
・Startup speed
Windows 8.1 came in first for its 'fast startup' and light resource usage. Windows 11, despite being the latest version, came in last due to the slow loading time of the taskbar.
・Storage usage
Windows XP was the most space-efficient, Windows 7 was the most space-consuming, and Vista, 10, and 11 were about the same.
-Memory (RAM) usage when idle
Windows XP was the slowest, consuming 3.3-3.7GB of RAM when idle, about 1GB more than Windows 10, making Windows 11 the heaviest.
・Browser tab durability test
In this test, users open web browser tabs until memory usage reaches 5GB. Windows 7 and 8.1 came in first with over 200 tabs. Windows 11 came in last with less than 50 tabs due to its high initial usage.
- Battery life
Surprisingly, Windows XP lasted the longest, while Windows 11 was the first to run out of battery.
・Audio editing (Audacity output)
There was no significant difference between the operating systems, but a mysterious delay occurred only in Windows Vista.
・Video editing (OpenShot rendering)
This test exports video and audio at 1080p at 30fps. XP and Vista are not supported, and Windows 10 was the fastest among the supported operating systems, with Windows 11 coming in last.
・Starting the calculator
Windows 8.1 and earlier, which use the traditional Win32 version, were fast, while Windows 10 and 11, which are modern apps, were slow.
・Start Adobe Acrobat Reader
Windows 11 came in last, but the results were generally spread out and there was no decisive difference.
・USB file transfer
Windows 10 came in first place, with Windows 11 a close second. The older the OS, the slower the transfer speed, with Windows XP coming in last.
- Malware scanning speed
Windows 7 was the fastest, with Windows 11 taking about a minute longer than Windows 10. The 64-bit version of XP was not compatible with the malware scanning software we used, so no results were available.
・CPU-Z
Windows XP recorded the highest single-threaded score.
Windows 7 came out on top in multi-threading.
・Geekbench
Among older OSes, Vista was the best. Among the newest OSes, Windows 10 was superior in multi-core and Windows 11 in single-core.
CrystalDiskMark
Windows XP came in first in both read and write speed, with Windows 7 and Vista receiving the lowest scores.
・Cinebench R10
Windows 8.1 is the best on a single core.
In general, older OSes performed better on multiple cores.
'Windows 11 has a serious memory consumption problem, requiring approximately 1 GB of additional resources just at idle compared to Windows 10. This difference was a major factor in causing significant system-wide slowdowns in the limited memory environment of 8 GB used in this test,' TrigrZolt argues.
On the other hand, Windows 8.1 showed the most refined performance of all generations in terms of boot speed and lightness of operation. Although the OS was often criticized at the time of its release, it has been reaffirmed that it maintains a high level of speed and stability, agility that has been lost in modern versions of Windows 10 and 11.
TrigrZolt concluded that while Windows 8.1 and Windows XP undoubtedly offer very high performance on older PCs from a pure speed and resource efficiency perspective, Windows 11, with its ongoing security updates, is the only realistic option for modern internet use.
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