Linux is typically less resource-hungry than Microsoft’s Windows 10, and that gives it a distinct advantage on under-powered desktops and laptops. Linux is constantly celebrated for reviving older hardware (think low-powered Atom processors and a scant 1GB or 2GB of RAM) that struggles to run smoothly under Windows. It’s an advantage I haven’t (yet) had the opportunity to test in the real world, though. Thankfully, community member James Dawson who owns and operates Melbournes’s DXM Tech Support did some testing and published a fantastic infographic illustrating the speeds of various productivity and business tasks using a “cheap and cheerful” HP laptop.
Mawson compared Windows 10 version 1903 and Linux Mint 19.1 Cinnamon on the HP 245 G6 laptop (which originally shipped with Windows 10) which contains a meager AMD E2-9000e APU. The machine has a respectable amount of RAM at 8GB, but it’s definitely bottlenecked by the slow 5400 RPM hard drive and budget dual-core 2GHz processor.
Using fresh installations, Mawson clocked the speeds for various productivity tasks and daily routines, such as Firefox browsing, firing up Slack, system boot time and image editing. Here’s what each partition looks like on the software side:
- Firefox: Both partitions use 67.
- Slack: Both partitions use 3.4.2.
- LibreOffice: The Linux partition uses 6.0.7, while the Windows partition uses 6.2.
- GIMP: The Linux partition uses 2.8.22, while the Windows partition uses 2.10.
Mawson acknowledges that some people may take issue with not using more “mainstream” Windows-side applications like Microsoft Office or Adobe Creative Cloud, but he argues that these open source apps have native versions for both Windows and Linux, and testing the same exact files on identical software maks the most sense. (Note also that the Windows installation has slightly newer versions of both apps).
Below is the final infographic, which you can view in full resolution by clicking here.
Even if you toss aside the LibreOffice and GIMP benchmarks, it’s difficult to ignore the dramatic speed advantage Linux Mint has in system boot time and everyday tasks like Firefox web browsing. It’s not a comprehensive suite of benchmarks, but it further cements the fact that even a modern and beautiful distribution like Linux Mint is a strong alternative to Windows 10 for those of you saddled with older or less performant work machines.
In the near future I plan to do my own testing along these lines — specifically on machines that use a paltry 2GB or 4GB of RAM and ship with Windows 10 — using Phoronix Test Suite, so stay tuned to my continuing Linux adventures by following on me on Twitter and Facebook.
