Fastest Browser? What do you think?

By cultavix
in Web Browser Discussion & Support

 Share

Recommended Posts

Mentor

macstorm

Posted
Posted

Believe it or not, IE7. Firefox is cool once your get FireTune to optimise it but I've found IE7 to be blazing fast and be very secure.

Problem with FireFox is it freezes whenever your try doing to many things at once. IE7 stays near and clear of whatever you're doing. Plus the popup blocker(in my experience) works better.

ditto (Y)

Grand Master

Borbus

Posted
Posted

To clarify. IE6 loads fastest on windows XP, this is because it's integrated of course. Opera loads second fastest, firefox is the slowest.

Once the app is open, IE6 is the slowest, firefox is ok, but this is when Opera really excels. When Opera says it has instant back/forward, it really does. Not some half a second delay like firefox, but truely instant.

Grand Master

PT 13

Posted
Posted

Is opera really the fastest. Or do people just like to use it alot?

On my computer (I tried IE6, IE7, FF and Opera) it's really the fastest not only opening up and closing (only takes about 30mb of ram while FF took 100MB or more :( ), but also loading websites

Grand Master

ozgeek

Posted
Posted

Define "fastest browser". Do you mean loading/rendering of pages or loading of the browser? It all depends on how you configure the browser and the loading of pages depends on your internet connection and the server that you get the pages from. It's proven true to me that pages that reside on servers nearer to you gets loaded faster than those servers far away.

I say IE becasuse it's fast to load but Firefox because it seems to oad pages faster than IE.

Grand Master

Brandon Live Veteran

Posted
  • Veteran
Posted

I refuse to even try Opera these days. Long story, though. Suffice to say I don't trust them nor have I ever found anything of use in their previous versions.

Both Firefox and IE (32-bit and 64-bit) start up instantly on my system, so no difference there.

It's hard for me to say one is faster than the other. Generally I don't notice any difference except that Firefox (1.51) still does its insanely annoying "piece-by-piece" rendering. So usually it gets something on the screen faster, but it flashes and moves everything around before it's done. Whereas IE might take a second longer to start drawing but is finished immediately. Seeing as I'm on broadband, the latter is greatly preferred.

I use Maxthon for my daily browsing needs. Performance really isn't a factor in that decision.

Grand Master

Brandon Live Veteran

Posted
  • Veteran
Posted
ie 6 sp2 x64 > ie 7 b2 preview 32 > opera 9 > opera 8 > ie 6 sp2 32 > firefox, and I don't know about safari.

The 64-bit version of IE 6 isn't going to be noticeably faster than the 32-bit version.

What you do probably notice is that it starts and responds faster because it almost certainly has no BHOs loaded, whereas I'm betting your 32-bit version has a dozen or so.

Grand Master

IceDogg

Posted
Posted

The differences are fractions of seconds, or in some extreme cases a few seconds, but there isn't enough of a difference for me to chose the browser I use based on speed. Now if you have a browser that takes like 25+ additional seconds to load even simple sites that's a different story, but that's not what the differences are these days.

I'm not just saying that cause I'm a Firefox user/fan either, wouldn't make any difference if Firefox was obviously faster I would say the same thing.

To prove my point a little more: I use some extensions that cost me slight time in the rendering of pages. Only a little, but adds functions or protections enough that I think it's worth it.

Enthusiast

Tarzan

Posted
Posted

It's hard for me to say one is faster than the other. Generally I don't notice any difference except that Firefox (1.51) still does its insanely annoying "piece-by-piece" rendering. So usually it gets something on the screen faster, but it flashes and moves everything around before it's done. Whereas IE might take a second longer to start drawing but is finished immediately. Seeing as I'm on broadband, the latter is greatly preferred.

Yes that can be annoying but avoided by increasing "nglayout.initialpaint.delay" value. Default is 250ms but many "tweak" guides and presets in "tuning" programs will advice 0ms. Try 500, 750 - IE is probably like 1000+. Good explanation of it here http://weblogs.mozillazine.org/asa/archives/007164.html

Rising Star

cultavix

Posted
  • Author
Posted

1. Wrong forum.

2. We been threw this thousands of times

3. I say - check my old posts in Web browser forum

Yes, you are right on the fact that we have been over this a million times but I am asking this at a time when IE7 just came out, new versions of Firefox and Opera also came out...and for new users to see these opinions.

Believe it or not, IE7. Firefox is cool once your get FireTune to optimise it but I've found IE7 to be blazing fast and be very secure.

Problem with FireFox is it freezes whenever your try doing to many things at once. IE7 stays near and clear of whatever you're doing. Plus the popup blocker(in my experience) works better.

Yes, IE7 is fast, but I just dont like the way its setup and they dont really let you customize it too much? Or maybe I am wrong... but I dont see anything like firefox?s extensions or anything like that.

Is opera really the fastest. Or do people just like to use it alot?

People def. do NOT use it alot. I would say the number one browser used is IE, then Firefox and then MAYBE opera...

Internet Explorer because it's integrated.

You def. need to learn a bit more about how things work. Just because its integrated into windows doesnt mean it is faster ONLINE, it might be faster at LAUNCHING...but thats about all.---

oh yea, does that say that Lynx is the fastest. You are wrong. Download opera, disable anything but text downloading (no java, no images) and see who wins then.

Grand Master

E t h a n

Posted
Posted

Opera's the fastest as far as I can see. Plus it's a pleasure to use. I used to use FF (and still do sometimes) but now I can't wait for Opera 9. I haven't used IE in years due to all the security risks. Even if they have managed to patch a few things up, it'll still always be a dangerous browser in my mind.

Grand Master

cork1958

Posted
Posted

The fastest browser for simply surfing the net is a no brainer. It's Opera and ANYONE that says different, is flat out lying!! I don't care what your machine specs are. Now, as far as loading and any other extracirricular activiites, it may not be so obvious, but I'd still say Opera.

Proficient

Wheazel

Posted
Posted

Opera's the fastest as far as I can see. Plus it's a pleasure to use. I used to use FF (and still do sometimes) but now I can't wait for Opera 9. I haven't used IE in years due to all the security risks. Even if they have managed to patch a few things up, it'll still always be a dangerous browser in my mind.

Opera 9 beta works excellent. I'm using it for weeks now, and it's very stable for everyday use. Rarely crashes.

The fastest browser for simply surfing the net is a no brainer. It's Opera and ANYONE that says different, is flat out lying!! I don't care what your machine specs are. Now, as far as loading and any other extracirricular activiites, it may not be so obvious, but I'd still say Opera.

I totally agree. Although I think the speeds are quite the same for normal websites. Opera just is better when it comes to opening allot of pages, with the sublime download/mousegestures and tabbed browsing package.

This topic is now closed to further replies.
 Share
Go to topic listing

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.

  • Posts

    • Microsoft confirms Windows 11 26H2, urges IT admins to prepare for release

      By Usama Jawad96 · Posted

      Microsoft confirms Windows 11 26H2, urges IT admins to prepare for release by Usama Jawad Windows 11 typically follows an annual update cycle, but Microsoft recently broke that tradition a bit by releasing a "26H1" version in the first half of this year as a "scoped" build for select new silicon PCs only. This version was not available for customers using 24H2 and 25H2 builds, as Microsoft is busy preparing version 26H2 for them, confirmed officially for the first time. In a Windows IT Pro blog, Microsoft has urged IT admins to prepare for the upcoming release of Windows 11 version 26H2. The company has confirmed that this will be a small enablement package (eKB) that will simply light up certain disabled features that are already present in the operating system's code base. This means that the "refined" Windows update and deployment experience will be simpler and quicker, with minimal disruptions, as the feature update will simply toggle a few flags rather than performing a complete replacement. Microsoft has explained that this is all possible because the standard Windows 11 releases share the same servicing branch and hence, the same source code. However, this also means that Windows 11 26H1 users won't be able to upgrade to 26H2 as that is a different branch, but this is something we have known for a while now. Similar to previous annual feature updates, Windows 11 26H2 will offer the following support cycles: 24 months of support for Home, Pro, Pro EDU, and Pro for Workstations editions 36 months of support for Enterprise, Education, IoT Enterprise, and Enterprise Multi-session editions Microsoft has not confirmed a concrete release date for Windows 11 26H2, but noted that it is "coming soon". If we go by the ongoing release cadence, we can expect it to begin rolling out in early October 2026. As such, IT admins have been encouraged to begin validating Windows Insider releases in the Experimental Channel, plan rollout rings, and strategize the utilization of their existing deployment tools.
    • Windows 11 gets new audio improvements in the latest builds

      By TarasBuria · Posted

      Windows 11 gets new audio improvements in the latest builds by Taras Buria Today's Experimental builds (26H1 and Future Platforms, formerly Canary) pack several audio-related improvements. If your device is enrolled in the Experimental Channel (26H1), you can download build 28120.2315, while those in the Future Platforms version have build 29613.1000 to try. Here is what is new in build 29613.1000: [Audio] Following up on our previous improvements, we’re making some more adjustments to Settings > System > Sounds based on your feedback. Namely, we’ve updated the “All sound devices” page so: You now have the ability to change default devices from this page. Each of the devices displayed on this page now has a little volume meter next to it to show if there is audio actively playing. We’ve adjusted the page design slightly so now you can filter whether you’re viewing input or output devices. We’ve added toggles so you can choose if you want to hide or show disabled, disconnected, and unplugged devices on this page. We’ve also updated the input and output audio properties page for devices in Settings to now include jack information for those that need it. And here is the changelog for build 28120.2315: This update includes a small number of minor bug fixes and improvements. [Accessibility] This update improves caption style responsiveness by redrawing captions immediately for caption style changes. If no current caption is visible, a sample caption string is displayed. [Audio] This update improves the reliability of the inbox HD Audio driver. You can find the official release notes for build 28120.2315 here and for build 29613.1000 here.
    • Google is opening the world's first AI museum in Los Angeles

      By sphbecker · Posted

      I agree with what I think you are saying, just not in the way you are saying it. Like any tool, the amount it represents your work is perorational to the effort you put into it. It is similar to why 2nd grade math students learning to add and subtract are not allowed to use calculators, but a high-school calculous student is. For the 2nd grader, that tool would completely replace the work they are doing, for the calculous student the same tool allows them to work far more effectively while in no way replacing their effort or knowable. If you spend 30 seconds writing a prompt, then the image that comes out is no more "yours" than if you found the same image with a Google Image search. However, many of these generative tools also support highly iterative processes that allow back and forth, and merging generated images with photos or human created images. I am sure you would agree that a human spending hours of time working on a project, even if AI was involved in the process, still reflects that human's work.
    • Windows 11 version 26H2 is now available for testing in the latest preview build

      By TarasBuria · Posted

      Windows 11 version 26H2 is now available for testing in the latest preview build by Taras Buria Friday Windows 11 preview builds are here. Insiders in the Experimental (formerly Dev) and Beta Channel can download builds 26300.8697 and 26220.8690. There are no new features, but Microsoft is officially moving the Experimental Channel to version 26H2. In addition, Microsoft is improving the copy dialog in File Explorer, the Start menu reliability, and fixing virtualization issues. Here is the changelog: [General] With today’s build, Windows Insiders in the Experimental channel will see the versioning updated under Settings > System > About (and winver) to version 26H2. For more information, see the Windows Insiders blog. [File Explorer] We’ve improved the visual consistency and reliability of the Copy dialog in Dark mode, including its launch experience and the expanded progress view. [Start menu] - Also available in Beta Improved reliability of Start menu reflecting newly installed or removed apps without requiring sign-out or restart. [Taskbar] Fixed an issue for Insiders using the new smaller taskbar option, where the system tray might get cut off or pushed off screen. [Settings] - Also available in Beta Improved reliability of Settings > Apps > Startup. [Virtualization] - Also available in Beta This update addresses an issue that could result in bugchecks citing HYPERVISOR_ERROR (0x20001) and KMODE_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED (0x1E) errors after installing the latest flights on some devices during system restarts, virtual machine operations, or while running some gaming applications. You can find the official changelog for the Experimental build here and for the Beta build here.
    • We now know when and how the Universe may truly end

      By sphbecker · Posted

      I've always preferred this possibility. There is something that feels good about the idea that all matter in the universe will eventually come back together and maybe even result in another big bang. The idea that the universe would fizzle out over the eons and forever drift apart is a little depressing. I realize it is not logical to let a basic human desire for life to have a grand everlasting meaning change the way I feel about a scientific theory, but I am human, so that is how I feel :-).

  • Recent Achievements

    • Collaborator
      ryansurfer98 went up a rank
      Collaborator
    • Week One Done
      Eurosoft10 earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • One Month Later
      Eurosoft10 earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • One Year In
      Skeet Campbell earned a badge
      One Year In
    • One Month Later
      Sharbel earned a badge
      One Month Later

  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      574
    2. 2
      +Edouard
      188
    3. 3
      Michael Scrip
      77
    4. 4
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      76
    5. 5
      neufuse
      71
    Show More

  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!