New versions of operating systems and apps are always being released, with the aim to make them faster, better looking, and have better usability.
Windows 7 is a tried and true operating system that works extremely well, and now Windows 10 is also considered a very reliable operating system.
Today, I will explain which operating system is faster on the same computer: Windows 10 or Windows 7.
As a general rule, Windows 10 is slower than Windows 7. Windows 7 is 7% faster at starting up and ending logging into the home screen than Windows 10, Windows 10 takes twice as long to shut down as Windows 7. Also, opening and using programs is considerably faster on Windows 7.
There have been range of comprehensive tests that have been performed by installing Windows 7 and Windows 10 on the same computer, and running tests to see which is faster.
Below, I will cover the results of various tests that were performed so you can see an average of which is faster overall Windows 10 or Windows 7.
How Much Faster Is Windows 7 Compared to Windows 10
Windows 10 has a much better look than Windows 7. Therefore, using Windows 10 is much nicer. However, how fast each operating system is also important especially for computers that aren’t the most high powered. So, here’s how much faster Windows 7 is compared to Windows 10.
On average, Windows 7 is 37.6% faster than Windows 10 on the same computer. This includes how fast it is at starting up (booting), opening the different web browsers, such as Google Chrome, installing a program, opening a program, and shutting down.
There are two programs that performed significantly better on Windows 10 compared to Windows 7. These are Firefox, and Internet Explorer.
As you may know, both of these are web browsers. However, Windows 7 significantly outperformed Windows 10 when using the Google Chrome browser.
Heres a table that shows how much fast Windows 7 is for a range of different computer processes. The tests were performed on the exact same computer. At the bottom of the table is an average:
| Computer process | How much faster or slower Windows 7 is |
| Starting up (booting up) | 9.08% faster |
| Opening a Internet Explorer | -647.08% slower |
| Opening Google Chrome | 40.00% faster |
| Opening Firefox | -9.72% slower |
| Installing a program | 51.06% faster |
| Opening File Explorer | 84.85% faster |
| Shutting down | 50.40% faster |
| Average | 37.61% faster |
From the table you can see that Windows 7 overall is 37.61% faster than Windows 10.
However, if your computer has really good specs. For example, all of the components are brand new.
Or, your computer was incredibly fast a few years ago, then it will easily be able to run Windows 10. And there won’t be a noticeable difference between Windows 10 and Windows 7.
To get an idea of how much fasting Windows 7 is compared to Windows 10, here’s a table that shows how long it took to do each of the processes above on a low end PC:
| Windows 7 | Windows 10 | |
| Start up | 20.84 seconds | 22.92 seconds |
| Opening a Internet Explorer | 40.94 seconds | 5.48 seconds |
| Opening Google Chrome | 90.00 seconds | 150.00 seconds |
| Opening Firefox | 5.08 seconds | 4.63 seconds |
| Installing a program | 45.67 seconds | 93.31 seconds |
| Opening File Explorer | Under 1 second | 3.30 seconds |
| Shutting down | 9.99 seconds | 20.14 seconds |
Interestingly Microsoft states that the minimum system requirements for Windows 7
, are exactly the same as Windows 10.
The only difference is the amount of harddrive space required. In general, computer have more than enough space for Windows 7 or Windows 10. Therefore, this spec isn’t necessary to be concerned with.
Below is a table showing a side by side comparison of the minimum system requirements for Windows 7, compared to the minimum system requirements of Windows 10:
| Component | Windows 7 | Windows 10 |
| Processor (CPU) | 1GHz or faster | 1GHz or faster |
| RAM | 1GB for 32 bit, 2GB for 64 bit | 1GB for 32 bit, 2GB for 64 bit |
| Hard drive space | 16GB for 32 bit, 20GB for 64 bit | 16GB for 32 bit, 20GB for 64 bit |
Is Windows 7 or Windows 10 Better for Gaming
Games have a reasonable demand for computer resources. In graphics intensive games, a computer will commonly max out and use all of the available memory to run the game.
But, operating systems are slower and faster than others, so here’s whether Windows 7 or Windows 10 is better for gaming.
As a general rule, Windows 7 is better for gaming because it is faster. This increases the frames per second (FPS) in game, and also loads games faster than Windows 10. Virtually all games are still compatible with Windows 7, such as Fortnite, and Dota 2.
The one exception is if you have a computer with decent components. For example, you have a dedicated graphics card (GPU), rather than using a graphics card that’s built into the motherboard.
Also, called a dedicated graphics card. And have added more RAM. If you bought a custom built PC yourself, then Windows 10 is best.
The reason is the user interface looks better than Windows 7, and your computer can more than handle the increased demand for resources that Windows 10 has.
Is Windows 7 or Windows 10 Better for Low End Computers
Computers are always getting faster and faster. Computer components for the most part get faster, but the cost remains the same.
Lower end computers that have cheaper components, or computer that were the best computer you could buy a few years ago have less performance. So, here’s which OS is better for low end PCs, Windows 7 or Windows 10.
Overall, Windows 7 is better for low end computers than Windows 10. Windows 7 is 37.61% faster overall than Windows 10 for all of the different processes on a computer such is booting up, opening a web browser, and opening a program.
But, Windows 7 and Windows 10 have the same minimum system requirements. This means that if your computer can run Windows 7, it can also run Windows 10. Due to the increased performance Windows 7 is a much better choice for low end computers.
Sources
Testing data: