By Stevie Smith Nov 27, 2007, 10:53 GMT
While Microsoft continues to laud the advantages of its latest Windows Vista operating system, reports are starting to filter across the Net that suggest a new SP3 (Service Pack 3) heading for Windows XP actually leaves the stalwart OS running faster than its glamorous successor.
Net reports suggest new Windows XP SP3 beta delivers performance boosts that overshadow Windows Vista. Credit: Microsoft Corp.
According to a Wired News report, the third XP service pack, which is due to arrive in the first half of 2008, leads to XP surpassing Vista in a number of speed-related tests via a near 10 percent performance boost.
That percentage estimate has been taken from Florida-based software development company Devil Mountain Software, which ran the current SP3 beta through its paces on Windows XP via a series of benchmark tests – much as it did when SP2 was first released for testing on XP systems – and deemed that it ran "considerably faster" than its Vista stable mate.
The performance tests focused attention on the Microsoft Office software suite and have subsequently reinforced earlier blog reports and stories posted on social news Web sites that have outlined that the new service pack seemingly bestows XP with extra (and perhaps unexpected) speed advantages.
And unexpected the speed increase may well be, not least because Redmond-based Microsoft Corp. has so far only publicly confirmed that the SP3 release will be given to XP users to address various bugs and security vulnerabilities in the long-serving Windows operating system.
Wired goes on to point out that Windows Vista failed to show its self as being speedily superior to XP when the same performance tests were conducted through its long-awaited SP1 release.
That being said, the tech Web site outlines that current test results may not bear out, especially as both service packs are not official releases and are still open to further optimisation. It also offers that speed increases witnessed in Microsoft Office does not necessarily mean that similar boosts will be evident when running something as intensive as cutting-edge videogame software.
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