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April 28th, 2008

XP SP3 vs. Vista SP1 - Which is fastest?

Posted by Adrian Kingsley-Hughes @ 4:22 am

Categories: On the test bench, Software

Tags: Microsoft Windows Vista, Microsoft Windows Vista SP1, Microsoft Windows Vista (Longhorn), Microsoft Windows XP, Operating Systems, Microsoft Windows, Software, Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

In the TalkBack section on my post looking at SP3 benchmarks, _deitrich asked a really good question:

Adrian, how about a comparison of XP SP3 vs Vista SP1? Oui? C’est possible?

Good question! Fortunately I’ve already done a fair bit of the groundwork in that I used the Phenom 9700 system I have for benchmarking both XP SP3 and Vista SP1.

I benchmarked both operating systems using PassMark PerformanceTest 6.1 and bringing together the results from both tests allows me to answer _deitrich’s question.

Note: The hardware configuration of the Phenom 9700 remained unchanged between the two tests and similar optimizations steps were carried out for each OS.

XP Professional:

  • XP RTM
    PassMark rating: 1001.4
  • XP SP2
    PassMark rating: 891
  • XP SP3
    PassMark rating: 990.8

Vista 32-bit:

  • Vista RTM
    PassMark rating: 1002.4
  • Vista SP1
    PassMark rating: 972.3

Vista 64-bit:

  • Vista RTM
    PassMark rating: 1183.1
  • Vista SP1
    PassMark rating: 1128.8

Throughout the testing the hardware platform has remained unchanged. 

Graphs

The data speaks for itself. At the top of the list is Windows Vista 64-bit, while at the bottom is XP SP2. In the middle we have XP RTM, XP SP3, Vista 32-bit RTM and Vista 32-bit SP1 fighting it out. However, benchmarks scores such as Passmark don’t translate well into real world performance indicators. Later on today I’ll publish my gaming benchmark results which will pick up on a post I made in February. Stay tuned!

One system, one set of data points. Thoughts?

Adrian Kingsley-HughesAdrian is a technology journalist and author who has devoted over a decade to helping users get the most from technology. He also runs a popular blog called The PC Doctor. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations

Want to get in touch? Got a tip? Feel free to drop me a note! I ALWAYS respect anonymity. I'm also on Twitter (@the_pc_doc)

Right to Reply: Should any industry representatives wish to comment on any posts on Hardware 2.0, I will be happy to publish their reply verbatim on this blog.

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  • Talkback
  • Most Recent of 181 Talkback(s)
one benchmark
which is not extensive or reliable - there is no agreed upon measure of OS speed - think about it - even getting to the bottom of how many FPS a video game gets on a video card is fraught with difficu... (Read the rest)
Posted by: eggmanbubbagee@... Posted on: 12/30/08 You are currently: a Guest | | Terms of Use
Most Excellent. Thanks Adrian!  D. T. Schmitz | 04/28/08
Gentoo  fr0thy2 | 04/28/08
Troll  binaryspiral | 04/29/08
yes.. thanks for all the work you put into this...  pcguy777 | 04/29/08
RE: XP SP3 vs. Vista SP1 - Which is fastest?  davidfrye@... | 04/28/08
look again  bmeacham98@... | 04/28/08
Both can be used  alaniane@... | 04/29/08
OS's and Versions are NOT the SAME  mustang_z | 04/29/08
Message has been deleted.  Chad_z | 04/28/08
it's quite a bit about speed  coffeeshark | 04/28/08
Business re-image  voska1 | 04/28/08
It's amazing how many people...  jasonp@... | 04/28/08
Not everywhere  itpro_z | 04/28/08
Custom Apps, and control... we tried it with OEM and  socialism=nowhere | 04/29/08
Pay now or pay more later  voska1 | 04/29/08
I think wires are crossed  Wallsy | 04/29/08
To each his own...  mustang_z | 04/29/08
That's exactly right...~2500 machines here - nt  socialism=nowhere | 04/29/08
Poor Chad  itpro_z | 04/28/08
Ultimate is only $20 more than XP Professional  ye | 04/28/08
No Need To Answer This  itanalyst2@... | 04/28/08
No, the consumers do not all agree Vista is crap.  ye | 04/28/08
That's Why XP Is Still Around  itanalyst2@... | 04/28/08
I don't deny there are still people who want XP  ye | 04/28/08
Why are the older versions of Linux and Mac OS???  socialism=nowhere | 04/29/08
Why are there older versions of Linux and Mac OS???  socialism=nowhere | 04/29/08
@Basedonreality  alaniane@... | 04/29/08
@alaniane: The discussion is about acquisition cost.  ye | 04/29/08
@Ye true it would apply to other OSes  alaniane@... | 04/29/08
re:it "anal"yst2... what a bogus response  socialism=nowhere | 04/29/08
What Nonsense  Cayble | 04/29/08
You're Right  ssalemi@... | 05/08/08
Unless  starcannon99022@... | 04/29/08
No it isn't  ajole | 04/29/08
Poor Chad ... what about ... poor Wayne?  wayne@... | 04/29/08
RE : Lipstick  marks055@... | 04/28/08
Operating Systems have hit a brick wall...  ye | 04/28/08
Yup, monopolies stagnate  fr0thy2 | 04/28/08
When did Linux and OS X obtain a monopoly?  ye | 04/29/08
yup, apple has  JamesDoyle | 04/29/08
What I find amusing is the ABMers continue to state...  ye | 04/29/08
yup  JamesDoyle | 04/29/08
Yes... and No  Wallsy | 04/29/08
I can speak for two of my clients...  Wolfie2K3 | 04/29/08
I agree to a certain extent  starcannon99022@... | 04/29/08
RE: Vista performance enhancements.  ye | 04/29/08
Referring to Brickwall post  starcannon99022@... | 04/29/08
I guess I'm just not seeing it (nt)  ye | 04/29/08
Makes the most sense...  joe@... | 04/29/08
Killer apps  DOSlover | 05/08/08
Cool. I'll upgrade to XP SP3  bmeacham98@... | 04/28/08
Stop it with XP already...  Mike Cox | 04/28/08
Drum roll...  D. T. Schmitz | 04/28/08
Perhaps a mistake has been made  professordnm | 04/28/08
Mike? From a fellow Mike!  mikeholli | 04/28/08
So your suggestion is...  djchandler | 04/28/08
Well put  starcannon99022@... | 04/29/08
uhm... do we have a winner yet?  Four-Eyes | 04/28/08
Uh huh, sure.  MrCobra | 04/29/08
8gb ram?  tubr0 | 04/29/08
where did you get 8GB....  DCMann | 04/29/08
I was replying to MrCobra  tubr0 | 04/29/08
Has to be 64 bit  CobraA1 | 04/29/08
Meh...  DCMann | 04/29/08
Hmmmmmmmmmm  russsnow1@... | 04/29/08
A 9.9 on the Cox benchmark....  mike.motes@... | 04/29/08
Nah.... That's a solid 10.0...  Wolfie2K3 | 04/29/08
wrong!!!  rtk | 04/29/08
I will happily wait  DOSlover | 05/08/08
unless I'm a high end gamer would this matter  marks055@... | 04/28/08
Vista wins!  qmlscycrajg | 04/28/08
One percent...  jasonp@... | 04/28/08
Hmmm, that's not what I see in my computing  Kid Icarus-21097050858087920245213802267493 | 04/28/08
Mine doesn't have Vista slower  Paul Fletcher | 04/28/08
Adobe CS is...  DCMann | 04/29/08
Yeah its been an issue  starcannon99022@... | 04/29/08
and just what are you running it on??  bill.howey@... | 04/29/08
RE: XP SP3 vs. Vista SP1 - Which is fastest?  consoleclassix | 04/28/08
Diablo II LOD  soonerproud | 04/28/08
Ok  consoleclassix | 04/28/08
No RaA here  Shayd | 04/29/08
eh?  JamesDoyle | 04/29/08
what crack are you smoking?  JamesDoyle | 04/29/08
Games on Vista  jmorgus@... | 04/30/08
Man destroy Vista disc  consoleclassix | 04/28/08
I think is the most annoying Windows and still has limited support  lorygirl_ro@... | 04/29/08
hes an idiot  JamesDoyle | 04/29/08
Which is fastest? Who CARES?  mikeholli | 04/28/08
Hmm. Connecting Vista to XP netwwork works for me.  ye | 04/28/08
Not QUITE ye  mikeholli | 04/28/08
Sharing a folder is no different than sharing...  ye | 04/28/08
Once again Ye  mikeholli | 04/28/08
Once again Mike: It's the same method of connecting.  ye | 04/28/08
Lovely  mikeholli | 04/28/08
Also of note  mikeholli | 04/28/08
@mikeholli: Your issue has nothing to do with...  ye | 04/28/08
I'm shocked  voska1 | 04/29/08
@voska1: Just another example of ignorance.  ye | 04/29/08
Please tell us  rtk | 04/29/08
Vista and XP Connecting  pweegar@... | 04/29/08
Well actually, I care  jorjitop | 04/28/08
Vista and laptops  pweegar@... | 04/29/08
I care a great deal as well  kc4rzw | 06/24/08
Wow...  DCMann | 04/29/08
Thats pretty odd  Crestview | 04/29/08
Vista Lame Duck!!!!!!!!!!!!  chaz15 | 04/28/08
No more Windows XP for me.  cnfrisch | 04/28/08
A hot rod or a hybrid - Which is fastest?  tonymcs@... | 04/28/08
Vista x64 should have been the ONLY Vista released...  pixolut | 04/28/08
Do you seriously think....  DCMann | 04/29/08
Why only Vista x64?  pweegar@... | 04/29/08
actually  JamesDoyle | 04/29/08
I agree with James Doyle  maxtheitpro | 04/30/08
Agreed  starcannon99022@... | 04/29/08
This test is flawed.  kraterz | 04/28/08
Not only flawed, but bug makes test meaningless  Drakaran | 05/01/08
Oh no it's not  Adrian Kingsley-HughesZDNet Moderator | 05/01/08
Comparing Apples to Oranges...  weasler7 | 04/28/08
the true hurts: Vista rocks!  qmlscycrajg | 04/29/08
Not necessarily the truth...  weasler7 | 04/29/08
RE: XP SP3 vs. Vista SP1 - Which is fastest?  kwacka | 04/29/08
Be interested to see ...  johnfenjackson@... | 04/29/08
RE: XP SP3 vs. Vista SP1 - Which is fastest?  Dennis.Keeling@... | 04/29/08
Vista faster by far - in converting users to Macs  walton@... | 04/29/08
wha huh?  rtk | 04/29/08
RE: XP SP3 vs. Vista SP1 - Which is fastest?  johnblaisdell@... | 04/29/08
RE: XP SP3 vs. Vista SP1 - Which is fastest?  orchard17@... | 04/29/08
RE: XP SP3 vs. Vista SP1 - Which is fastest?  seannj427 | 04/29/08
not necessarily  macaw68@... | 04/29/08
Agree...  weasler7 | 04/29/08
RE: XP SP3 vs. Vista SP1 - Which is fastest?  Joedogood | 04/29/08
Cost of 2 GB  ILoveMicrosoft | 04/29/08
The price of RAM could be dirt  alaniane@... | 04/29/08
XP SP2  rtk | 04/29/08
Great, Mike! You've hooked more than your last post!  mike.motes@... | 04/29/08
RE: XP SP3 vs. Vista SP1 - Which is fastest?  sefairken@... | 04/29/08
Polemic  magallanes | 04/29/08
32 64 bit  realcestmoi@... | 04/29/08
The system specs are known...  weasler7 | 04/29/08
RE: XP SP3 vs. Vista SP1 - Which is fastest?  Gyorgy Kenez | 04/29/08
RE: XP SP3 vs. Vista SP1 - Which is fastest?  pweegar@... | 04/29/08
I bet Windows 3.11 is even faster (nt)  CobraA1 | 04/29/08
How about a real test?  karihouse | 04/29/08
it's amazing how many people generalize  coffeeshark | 04/29/08
There are 2 XPs, as well - How About XP64?  prfesser | 04/29/08
RE: XP SP3 vs. Vista SP1 - Which is fastest?  jonpolliard | 04/29/08
Longer is better?  dfreeman@... | 04/29/08
RE: XP SP3 vs. Vista SP1 - Which is fastest?  slickjesus | 04/29/08
Speed is a false parameter!  archetuthus | 04/29/08
I agree  starcannon99022@... | 04/29/08
Stability - Security - Speed  ejhonda | 04/29/08
Who crashes any more?  ejhonda | 04/29/08
So sad!  judgesinel@... | 04/29/08
Passmark 6.1: XP SP3 698.4 / Vista SP1 645.4  Uber Dweeb | 04/29/08
YES, tha's more realistic test results  ChazzMatt | 04/29/08
Superfetch in stead of ready boost  Multivac | 05/07/08
No more!  CreepinJesus | 04/29/08
RE: XP SP3 vs. Vista SP1 - Which is fastest?  bearlyworking | 04/29/08
RE: XP SP3 vs. Vista SP1 - Which is fastest?  Artymonn | 04/29/08
RE: XP SP3 vs. Vista SP1 - Which is fastest?  elliottxp | 04/29/08
RE: XP SP3 vs. Vista SP1 - Which is fastest?  mustang_z | 04/29/08
Evidence there's no benefit in moving to Vista  Get-Smart | 04/29/08
Windows 95 kicks XP's butt...  roetcisoenderbumbalough5779@... | 04/29/08
RE: XP SP3 vs. Vista SP1 - Which is fastest?  DABaker1956 | 04/29/08
so Vista SP1 degrades performance?  ChazzMatt | 04/29/08
RE: XP SP3 vs. Vista SP1 - Which is fastest?  rod@... | 04/29/08
Be Fair  Mobilepc | 04/29/08
Vista SP1 a Performance Dud  Ole Man | 04/29/08
SP1 is the sum of all the intervening system upgrades since last year  jlafitte | 04/29/08
one benchmark  eggmanbubbagee@... | 12/30/08
RE: XP SP3 vs. Vista SP1 - Which is fastest?  jlafitte | 04/29/08
RE: XP SP3 vs. Vista SP1 - Which is fastest?  liljim@... | 04/29/08
RE: XP SP3 vs. Vista SP1 - Which is fastest?  dave1944barker@... | 04/30/08
Vista was built to address Piracy & Malware  binarycheese | 04/30/08
Can we have a genuine test?  anthony_hunt | 04/30/08
Meant to reply to Anthony's post above. (NT)  Uber Dweeb | 04/30/08
RE: XP SP3 vs. Vista SP1 - Which is fastest?  Uber Dweeb | 04/30/08
RE: XP SP3 vs. Vista SP1 - Which is fastest?  ianbsnelling@... | 05/07/08
Vista isn't junk without the Crapplets  jgwinner | 05/10/08
Yep, people blame MS for their own ignorance and laziness  jgwinner | 05/10/08
RE: XP SP3 vs. Vista SP1 - Which is fastest?  CrHasher | 05/29/08

What do you think?

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