A Closer Look at Windows 7's Approach to System Performance
A Closer Look at Windows 7's Approach to System Performance
Posted 08/29/2008 at 7:44am
| by Mark Edward Soper
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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.
More like this
ian
September 11, 2009 at 10:09am
If you want master Windows 7, WIN7ZILLA is the utility for you. It optimizes memory, internet, game, customize system settings etc
Try and let me know, Im so happy to use it
jberumen
August 31, 2008 at 3:01pm
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.
marudd2002
August 29, 2008 at 11:42am
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.
Caboose
August 29, 2008 at 9:20am
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! =-
AndyYankee17
August 29, 2008 at 11:07am
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
Marcus_Soperus
August 29, 2008 at 10:33am
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.
ferariman
November 21, 2010 at 10:26am
THE REASON MICRO$OFT MAKES WINDOWS X86 IS BECAUSE OF US WHO CANT GO DOWN TO BESTBUY AND BUY 12 GB OF RAM AND ONLY HAVE 1 GB OF RAM!
just my 2 cents...
Caboose
November 22, 2010 at 10:57am
Wow, really? Micro$oft? Is this 2001 or something?
you don't need 12GB of RAM to use 64bit Windows. Heck, it runs just fine on 1 or 2 GB of RAM. The majority of the world's software is still stuck in the 32bit realm, along with the majority of PC's.
If you have more than 4GB of RAM though then ya, you'll need 64bit Windows in order to use it.
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