Windows 10: Does Windows 10 Run Much Faster Than Windows 7 and Why Does It?

I upgraded from my Windows 7 laptop to a Windows 10 laptop. The new laptop has an i7 processor and a SSD; and the old has an i5 processor and an optical hard drive. The processor clock speeds are not much different. The speed of the new computer however is several times faster than the old. I can only think that Windows 10 runs faster than Windows 7. Can anyone provide any insight into this? Thanks.

:)

 

Why do Windows 10 graphics look so bad?

If fancy graphics require more processing power, why does Windows 10 run slower (lower or choppy frame rate) on older computers than Windows 7? If it's less graphics and processing, it should run faster. I also notice Windows 10 uses more RAM than Windows
7.

 

Why do Windows 10 graphics look so bad?

Just more processes running which I think is why Microsoft dumped the visuals and replaced it with more system functions. If you ever used Windows 7 the visuals in Windows 10 are a complete let down.

 

the SSD will be making a huge speed difference in your system.

 

You got new and more powerful processor with more cores, SSD definitively makes a difference and maybe you have more memory too. Another factor is that you got new OS, nice and clean while OS gets "dirty" after some time of use.
I have W7 in dual BOOT on this same computer and W10 has some advantage on it but nothing earth shaking, maybe 10 - 15% in benchmarks.

 

Thanks for the replies. The dual boot case is really telling. I am sure that after about five years my Win 7 did get dirty and that seems to be the major reason for the speed change. My new Win 10 computer has the ability to reset which means a fresh installation of Win 10 and I might at least try that after a few years if it slows down. It is a major amount of work and time to reload applications and make settings and I have reserved that for when I buy another computer. It is too bad that there is not a program to clean up an OS.

 

You can also make full system backup with Macrium Reflect and keep it until needed. Install what ever programs you may need to keep long time, install all proper drivers and make sure everything nice running and clean. Make an occasional new backup and replace it after major changes or regularly. That way you can have a nice clean first installation and subsequent one.

 

The evolution to "Windows as a service" will likely mean that you get your Windows "cleaned" twice a year, and the way that this happens will be by ever-decreasingly perceptible updates - removing the old system and replacing with new.

The main difficulties will arise with the choice of third party programs and the modifications that the user makes to their system, as well as Device manufacturers stopping support for their products by not updating drivers to keep up with the new builds of Windows.

Still, the benefits of this will remove the steep learning curve with each change of hardware, as the old gets replaced - the new will immediately appear familiar.

 

Thanks for the replies. I use Macrium now due to recommendations from this forum. It works great for backups and I trust for a restore if and when I need one. Over a few years I have always needed a restore a handful of times in the past. I have thought about making an image of my HD at a time close to when it was new with the OS and installed programs and data. If I go back to that backup after a year or so then I will be missing some new installed programs and of course the new data. The data is not a problem because I have it backed up separately. I will consider making a backup image and keeping it and also making the monthly backups which I normally do. The former would restore the non dirty OS and the latter could just remove some immediate issue.
The Windows as a Service is interesting and it may be a good thing if it can restore Windows to its original state without the clutter slowing it down, and to provide updates. I have a lot of third party and legacy programs and I will be sad to find that some suddenly stop working with an update. I will feel helpless if I am just along for the ride with no control over updates. If Microsoft can mitigate the loss of third party programs the process will be a good one with many benefits and hopefully not a large expense.

 

Statements like "The speed of the new computer is faster" or "Windows 10 runs faster than Windows 7" are virtually meaningless. What exactly seems to be faster in your case? Boot times? Search times? Or specific applications? If you see difference in specific applications, the improvement is not necessarily caused by the OS itself.

 

The thing I was hoping for was to learn specific ways that Win 10 was faster than Win 7. Perhaps there are ways that Win 10 operates that are improved. I can say that my boot times on my new computer are more than 10x faster than Win 7 on my old computer. Applications open about 5x faster. Searches are several times faster. I have not tried to document the times of the two computers but that would be helpful for sure.

 

Windows 10 introduced some relatively minor improvements in memory management but performance gains will be primarily noticed on low memory systems. Otherwise performance gains will be minimal and usually not noticeable. Windows 10 also introduced Fast Startup which is essentially a hybrid of hibernation and a normal startup. This can significantly improve boot rimes but has a few drawbacks. There have been some other improvements but noting that would make the OS "much" faster.

There really isn't much scope for an OS to make major improvements in performance. This is due to the fundamental nature of software. As has usually been the case, major improvements in performance have come from improvements in the hardware on which the OS runs, not in the OS. I can't imagine, even in theory, how an OS could be 5 x faster than a predecessor.

 

Yeah, but it's like replacing a Pinto with a Corvette and trying to figure out how much of a difference the new tires made.

 

Agreed. I feel the only real way to judge improvement is to have 2 identical or nearly identical machines and make changes on only 1 then compare the performance.

 

I did a test a few months ago by restoring my SSD from a Macrium image. It worked perfectly.

I make a Macrium image every day. I have set it to a max. of 4 such backups, deleting older ones. About every 10 days I copy one of the backups to a separate disc in case I need to go back further.