In the spring of last year we publish an article in which, according to some data (benchmarks), it was ensured that Windows 10 performed better than Linux when performing certain tasks on a computer with an i9 processor. We took that information with a grain of salt, since "Linux" is a kernel and performance can vary from one distribution to another, not to mention the different graphical environments that exist. Today we bring you similar news, but in reverse, and to be fair, we don't want to take anything for granted either.
The processor used in this test has been the 9th Gen Intel i12900 12K, and initially, in November 2021, it performed better on Windows 11 than on "Linux" (in quotes for the aforementioned). Now, three months after the release of that version of the i9, the tables would have turned, and it would be Linux that would perform better.
Linux performs better in its latest versions
El operating system based on the kernel developed by Linus Torvalds that has been used for testing has been Ubuntu, and the kernels used were Linux 5.16 (the latest stable) and Linux 5.17-rc3. The full list of systems tested were:
- Windows 11 Pro x64 with all updates installed.
- Ubuntu 22.04, currently under development, with the i915.force_probe option enabled to use graphics acceleration, 22.04 with Linux 5.16 and 22.04 with Linux 5.17-rc3
- Clear Linux 35810, from Intel, with Linux 5.16.
Michael Larabel, who has made tests, wants to make it clear from the start that Ubuntu 22.04 will use 5.15. With the kernel you'll be using by default, there's no improvement; you have to upload it, at least, until 5.16.
Laurabel says that the biggest difference is noticeable in the benchmarks of the Firefox and Chrome browsers, where they offer much better performance than Windows 11. Zstd compression worked much better when using 5.16/5.17 with Ubuntu or Clear Linux compared to Ubuntu 22.04 (5.15).
Even with all the improvement, Windows 11 still performs better than some Linux configurations, but always falls behind Intel's distribution. yes it remains ahead in multi-threaded workloads, but by little difference. Overall, Windows 11 fares poorly when running on this version of the Intel i9 compared to the latest kernel versions.
We repeat: we are talking about a kernel, not an operating system
In April 2021 we wanted to make it clear that although we always talk about “Linux” as an operating system, it is actually a kernel. The operating system is completed by the rest of the layers, and in the last ones we find the graphical environment or the desk. Nine months ago, or even 3 months ago, when the 12th generation Intel i9 was released, we were behind, and now we are ahead, but all according to these sometimes capricious benchmarks.
Benchmarks aside, and as a personal opinion, I have always, always, always felt that Windows takes longer to do anything, and that is what really matters, at least to me. And, well, according to Larabel, the new kernel versions of our operating systems would confirm what we feel on paper.