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A Closer Look at Windows 7's Approach to System Performance
Posted 08/29/08 at 10:44:02 AM | by Mark Edward Soper
The Engineering Windows 7 (aka "e7") blog at MSDN is providing us with a useful look at how the performance of Windows 7 is being analyzed in this week's blog post. So, what are the major subsystems being analyzed? Some of them include:
- Memory usage: trying to balance time versus space (disk, memory)
- CPU utilization: keep it as low as possible to improve multi-user scenarios and reduce power consumption
- Disk I/O: reading, writing, paging performance for both traditional and solid-state drives
- Boot, Shutdown, Standby/Resume: working with system vendors to make these operations as fast as possible
- Base system: balancing "on-demand" loading of resources with the need to keep performance at as high a level as possible
- Disk footprint: working with the space demands of device drivers, help system, optional components, diagnostics, and logging information
What hardware is Microsoft using? In contrast to the popular view that Redmond tests Windows only on the fastest hardware, the Engineering Windows 7 group is using a variety of 32-bit and 64-bit platforms with varying amounts of RAM (1,2, and 4GB), hard disk types (5400 rpm, 7200 rpm, and solid state), and various Intel and AMD processors for performance measurements, and is also using conditional code to customize Windows for particular hardware. And, if you wondered if you should opt into the Microsoft Customer Experience Improvement Program, the e7 folks point out that it provides useful (and anonymous) data on how systems in the field are working.
One of Microsoft's goals in setting up the e7 blog was to get a wide range of user comments to help shape the direction of Windows 7, and with over 60 comments on this blog post alone, it's working. These comments aren't fanboy "Windows rules" or "Windows sucks"-level invective, either. They're thoughtful suggestions on everything from how customizable the user interface should be to how to improve the Registry. If you're concerned about the future of Windows, you should stop by and have a look - regularly - and add your two cents through their comments feature (as well as ours).
Windows 7 logo courtesy of ArsTechnica.
Comments Print Email It's 64-bit time
Submitted by jberumen on Sun, 2008-08-31 16:01
I don't care I hope this new OS perform better than Vista. I still use XP and I will be this way until something better apper. I don't care about directX 10, I'm more concerned about the woay it works and not the way it looks.
64-bit only is good is time to make some revolution and not just an evolution. the 95% of the actual market is around the 64-bit ready processors but we need to take the extra juice of the processor and not only the 32-bit part. Is like Mr. Jekyll and Hide.
Submitted by marudd2002 on Fri, 2008-08-29 12:42
Please allow Custom Install. Please.
I would really really love it if Microsoft actually gave it's consumers the
option to do a custom install alongside the express install option.
What I mean by this is things like Windows Media Player, Live Messenger,
Windows Mail, Internet Explorer, SmartCard, etc. should be optional to
the consumer. Why must I have every single program and/or service and/or
process installed on my system by default? Sometimes turning it off isn't
enough. I realize you have the ability to uninstall the above items after
install. But why does the consumer have to uninstall it? If I fork out my hard
earned cash for a retail copy of your OS, why can't I say what things I want to
never be put on my hard drive? Please at least consider my plea. I really do
beg of you to seriously consider this install option.
----
Fanboys are annoying. Price/Performance is top priority. Patience=Awesome.
imo windows 7 should only be
Submitted by AndyYankee17 on Fri, 2008-08-29 09:30
imo windows 7 should only be 64 bit
Not Enough
Submitted by Caboose on Fri, 2008-08-29 10:20
Not enough x64 software is available. It'd be nice, however, it would alienate too many people and companies, unless a super awesome x86 emulator is included in the OS to seemlessly allow the execution of x86 code (also, drivers)
-= I don't want to be dead, I want to be alive! Or... a cowboy! =-
Submitted by AndyYankee17 on Fri, 2008-08-29 12:07
16 bit applications work fine on 32 bit OS, if MS announces 64 bit only now by the time 7 is released it'll be standard
Interesting suggestions on going to x64-only
Submitted by Marcus_Soperus on Fri, 2008-08-29 11:33
I don't recall anybody making suggestions regarding supporting only 64-bit (x64) in Windows 7 at the e7 blog. I think there's some merit to the idea, especially if Redmond can solve the problem of x86 drivers and shell extensions working in x64. It's worth a comment on the e7 blog.
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It's amazing how illogical a business built on binary logic can be.
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