Which Web Browser Is Best Under Windows 8?

Welcome to our first-ever Web Browser Grand Prix on Windows 8! Will Chrome remain the reigning Windows champion? Is Internet Explorer 10 going to smash the competition like its predecessor? Does Opera 12.10 finally deliver on what version 12 promised?

Source

A Guy
 
I'm usually a Chrome fan, it always seems to load faster than IE. But I've found that IE10 loads faster on start up, for me. Now with that said, I thought IE loaded faster when Win 7 first came out then Chrome seemed to catch up and fly by IE.

So for now, I'll probably use IE as my primary browser for Win 8 and continue to check Chrome as new updates come out. And of course this is all subjective on my experiences only. No testing was performed, just observations.

Greg
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Alienware Area 51
    CPU
    Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-5820K (6-cores, 15MB Cache, Overclocked to 3.8 GHz w/ Turbo Boost)
    Motherboard
    Alienware Area 51
    Memory
    16GB Quad Channel DDR4 at 2133MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    4GB GDDR5 NVIDIA(R) GeForce(R) GTX 980
    Sound Card
    Sound Blaster Recon3Di
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Asus PB287Q 28"
    Screen Resolution
    3840 x 2160
    Hard Drives
    Samsung PM851 128GB SSD 6Gb/s Main + 2TB 7200RPM SATA 6Gb/s
    PSU
    875 Watt
    Case
    Triad Black case
    Cooling
    Alienware High-Performance Liquid Cooling
    Keyboard
    Alienware
    Mouse
    Alienware
    Internet Speed
    100/5MB Service
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    Norton Internet Security
    Other Info
    Logitech Z-5500 THX-Certified 505-Watt 5.1 Digital Surround Sound Speaker System
I use Firefox nightly 64bit a lot faster then ie10
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 8
    System Manufacturer/Model
    acer ax3950
    CPU
    i3 530
    Memory
    4 gig ddr 3
    Graphics Card(s)
    dont need one as i go on onlive cloud gaming
    Sound Card
    none
    Monitor(s) Displays
    i-inc 19 inch wide
    Hard Drives
    640 gig
    Cooling
    fan
    Keyboard
    logitec s540
    Mouse
    motor mouse
    Internet Speed
    60 meg virgin media uk
opera 64bit works great
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    win8 - win7
    CPU
    intel i7 2600
    Motherboard
    foxcon
    Memory
    8gb ddr3
    Graphics Card(s)
    nvidia 550ti
It's a personal preference. The tests are not from real life experiences. I believe differences between browsers are negligible in most situations. So It becomes a personal favor. I personally use chrome.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 8 pro x64
    CPU
    Q9300
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte P43 Es3g
    Memory
    8 GB of ddr 2
    Graphics Card(s)
    sapphire hd 6850
    Sound Card
    sound blaster titanium x-fi pci-e
    Monitor(s) Displays
    22 inches
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050
    Hard Drives
    Seagate 2 TB st20001dm001
    Samsung 2 tb sata 2
    Hitachi 500 gb sata
    PSU
    fatality 550 w
    Case
    spike
    Cooling
    air
    Mouse
    wired A4
    Internet Speed
    ADSL 8 MB / 1 MB
Whichever one works best for you is the best one. Just because I use Chrome or like it for 1 reason or another doesn't make it better for everyone. I like the Chrome sync feature so that my bookmarks are shared across all of my devices. That 1 thing makes Chrome the "no-brainer" for me.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Self-Built in July 2009
    CPU
    Intel Q9550 2.83Ghz OC'd to 3.40Ghz
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3R rev. 1.1, F12 BIOS
    Memory
    8GB G.Skill PI DDR2-800, 4-4-4-12 timings
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA 1280MB Nvidia GeForce GTX570
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC899A 8 channel onboard audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    23" Acer x233H
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Intel X25-M 80GB Gen 2 SSD
    Western Digital 1TB Caviar Black, 32MB cache. WD1001FALS
    PSU
    Corsair 620HX modular
    Case
    Antec P182
    Cooling
    stock
    Keyboard
    ABS M1 Mechanical
    Mouse
    Logitech G9 Laser Mouse
    Internet Speed
    15/2 cable modem
    Other Info
    Windows and Linux enthusiast. Logitech G35 Headset.
I'm slowly moving away from Chrome. I love the speed. but authentication is much more reliable in Firefox and IE. And Chrome has zero touch support which is a PITA me me. On my regular desktop with no touchscreen, I still mostly use Chrome. Firefox has decent touch support but it's laggy. IE10 is slowly growing on me. It's my #1 browser for my touchscreens but a distant third for non-touchscreens.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
Welcome to our first-ever Web Browser Grand Prix on Windows 8! Will Chrome remain the reigning Windows champion? Is Internet Explorer 10 going to smash the competition like its predecessor? Does Opera 12.10 finally deliver on what version 12 promised?

Source

A Guy

I don't stay in Metro that much so I'm sticking with Chrome.

-Max
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron 17R / Dell XPS 8300
    CPU
    Intel i5 (17R) / Intel i7 (XPS)
    Memory
    8GB / 8GB
I used to be a firefox user, as well as a safari user, but IE 9 changed that. Knowing that chrome is from google and google kind of has a record of user privacy concerns, I avoid using it. That, along with poor malware blocking. There is even some studies that back this. I've personally have had to deal with malware that was deeply embedded into Windows 7 on some laptops that had either expired anti-virus, shoddy anti-virus, or no anti-virus. Normally, this would go to say that one should use anti-virus software especially online. But I've also seen this on some systems with IE 9 on them. Those systems didn't have deep malware that literally prevents anything from being done. The constant I've seen with those deeply affected system is the use of google chrome as the default browser. Shoot, this reminded me of a laptop that I've had to work on like three times, reinstall Windows 7 one time on it, and kept getting malware attacks. I recently read a study saying google chrome does a poor job of blocking malware, and the anti-virus being used was AVG Internet Security 2012, all up to date. Still kept getting malware, and I realized chrome was the default browser. I uninstalled it after cleaning up the STDs and idiot-proofed it. So far, I haven't had a call to service said laptop.

Now, I read the breakdown of IE 10's performance, I have to say, ehh meh. It's third, but not dramatically, just three points behind firefox. I'll sacrifice two-three seconds of load time versus not dealing with STDs all the time.

By the way, they used the Desktop IE 10 version, and didn't use the metro IE. Obviously the test needs to have its constants, but I've read about metro IE 10 being better and faster, as it doesn't have add-ons to load and it also uses a new media framework. So if you're watching a YouTube video or some other online video, metro IE adjusts the quality to keep the video going. I'd like to see a breakdown of metro IE 10, that's all. :)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS
    CPU
    AMD FX 8320
    Motherboard
    Crosshair V Formula-Z
    Memory
    16 gig DDR3
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS R9 270
    Screen Resolution
    1440x900
    Hard Drives
    1 TB Seagate Barracuda (starting to hate Seagate)
    x2 3 TB Toshibas
    Windows 8.1 is installed on a SanDisk Ultra Plus 256 GB
    PSU
    OCZ 500 watt
    Case
    A current work in progres as I'll be building the physical case myself. It shall be fantastic.
    Cooling
    Arctic Cooler with 3 heatpipes
    Keyboard
    Logitech K750 wireless solar powered keyboard
    Mouse
    Microsoft Touch Mouse
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender, but I might go back on KIS 2014
Knowing that chrome is from google and google kind of has a record of user privacy concerns, I avoid using it.
Fair enough, a valid concern for many.

That, along with poor malware blocking. There is even some studies that back this.
I would like to see these studies. My experience in using and supporting computers does not confirm this statement. In fact, I've experienced far more problems with IE (6,7 and 8 for sure), with respect to malware.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Self-Built in July 2009
    CPU
    Intel Q9550 2.83Ghz OC'd to 3.40Ghz
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3R rev. 1.1, F12 BIOS
    Memory
    8GB G.Skill PI DDR2-800, 4-4-4-12 timings
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA 1280MB Nvidia GeForce GTX570
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC899A 8 channel onboard audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    23" Acer x233H
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Intel X25-M 80GB Gen 2 SSD
    Western Digital 1TB Caviar Black, 32MB cache. WD1001FALS
    PSU
    Corsair 620HX modular
    Case
    Antec P182
    Cooling
    stock
    Keyboard
    ABS M1 Mechanical
    Mouse
    Logitech G9 Laser Mouse
    Internet Speed
    15/2 cable modem
    Other Info
    Windows and Linux enthusiast. Logitech G35 Headset.
Knowing that chrome is from google and google kind of has a record of user privacy concerns, I avoid using it.
Fair enough, a valid concern for many.

That, along with poor malware blocking. There is even some studies that back this.
I would like to see these studies. My experience in using and supporting computers does not confirm this statement. In fact, I've experienced far more problems with IE (6,7 and 8 for sure), with respect to malware.

IE 6, 7, and 8 are crappy for sure. But IE 9 and 10 are the most relevant nowadays and for the enterprise along with firefox.

Internet Explorer 9 Is the Most Secure Browser, Better Than Chrome ? Study - Softpedia
This is the most recent one. I'm trying to find the latest one as it now says chrome's ability to block malware rose from 30 or percent to about 70.4.

IE9 Tops On Malware Blocking Test | Apple Safari 5 | Google Chrome 10 |
And again, even a year ago, IE 9 was still best for malware blocking.

Study: Internet Explorer 9 Safest Browser: Associations Now
This appears to be the most recent, and again IE 9 WHOMPS chrome.

IE9 versus Chrome: which one blocks malware better? | ZDNet
A year ago from ZDNet, same thing.

Internet Explorer 9 Is the Most Secure Browser, Better Than Chrome ? Study - Softpedia
Another recent one, from October this year, same thing.

Shoot, this made me think of a friend that has xp and constantly had malware issues, even corruption files on USB drives and locally. He uses google chrome along with freeware anti-virus...
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS
    CPU
    AMD FX 8320
    Motherboard
    Crosshair V Formula-Z
    Memory
    16 gig DDR3
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS R9 270
    Screen Resolution
    1440x900
    Hard Drives
    1 TB Seagate Barracuda (starting to hate Seagate)
    x2 3 TB Toshibas
    Windows 8.1 is installed on a SanDisk Ultra Plus 256 GB
    PSU
    OCZ 500 watt
    Case
    A current work in progres as I'll be building the physical case myself. It shall be fantastic.
    Cooling
    Arctic Cooler with 3 heatpipes
    Keyboard
    Logitech K750 wireless solar powered keyboard
    Mouse
    Microsoft Touch Mouse
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender, but I might go back on KIS 2014
Knowing that chrome is from google and google kind of has a record of user privacy concerns, I avoid using it.
Fair enough, a valid concern for many.

That, along with poor malware blocking. There is even some studies that back this.
I would like to see these studies. My experience in using and supporting computers does not confirm this statement. In fact, I've experienced far more problems with IE (6,7 and 8 for sure), with respect to malware.

I use Chromium. No privacy issues.

Malware blocking doesn't seem to be poor.
What I do like is the Adblock Plus addon that blocks most of flash and popups so that's related to malware blocking since most of the popups can execute malware.

Too bad IE doesn't have Adblock Plus (free) or something similar (maybe I'm not aware of something here).
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 x64
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy DV6 7250
    CPU
    Intel i7-3630QM
    Motherboard
    HP, Intel HM77 Express Chipset
    Memory
    16GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD4000 + Nvidia Geforce 630M
    Sound Card
    IDT HD Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15.6' built-in + Samsung S22D300 + 17.3' LG Phillips
    Screen Resolution
    multiple resolutions
    Hard Drives
    Samsung SSD 250GB + Hitachi HDD 750GB
    PSU
    120W adapter
    Case
    small
    Cooling
    laptop cooling pad
    Keyboard
    Backlit built-in + big one in USB
    Mouse
    SteelSeries Sensei
    Internet Speed
    slow and steady
    Browser
    Chromium, Pale Moon, Firefox Developer Edition
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    That's basically it.
IE 9/10 is okay but I don't use it much. Unless I need another browser for checking two emails or something I will barely use it. The appearance of 10 really bugs me and it doesn't seem as fast as they make it seem especially when opening. 10 on windows 7(preview?) is okay but it looks flat and clashes with windows 7 plus the ugly metro scrollbar. When I fear a website could be unsafe I usually visit it with firefox plus it has a bunch of good plugins for various needs, although it's kind of slow. Google chrome I use for regular just surfing or reading. It's fast and light-weight. Of course I am only referring to the desktop versions.
 

My Computer

The IE preview for 9 was crap as well for me. I actually caused me to do a reinstall of 7 because I couldn't figure out for the life of me why things all of a sudden went weird. Then I read a few weeks after doing so that IE 9 preview was the cause... :eek:

Now, I wonder, do most people that use chrome have some plugins like Adblock? I feel it's a no. I do know that people that know what they're doing will have those plugins, but every chrome browser on malware affected systems are just running chrome as it is...

But I just use Kaspersky's adblocking feature with IE.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS
    CPU
    AMD FX 8320
    Motherboard
    Crosshair V Formula-Z
    Memory
    16 gig DDR3
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS R9 270
    Screen Resolution
    1440x900
    Hard Drives
    1 TB Seagate Barracuda (starting to hate Seagate)
    x2 3 TB Toshibas
    Windows 8.1 is installed on a SanDisk Ultra Plus 256 GB
    PSU
    OCZ 500 watt
    Case
    A current work in progres as I'll be building the physical case myself. It shall be fantastic.
    Cooling
    Arctic Cooler with 3 heatpipes
    Keyboard
    Logitech K750 wireless solar powered keyboard
    Mouse
    Microsoft Touch Mouse
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender, but I might go back on KIS 2014
Why we have 2 treads on witch one is the best browser ? This is an easy choice, you install and try all of them, and then you decide by yourself....
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 enterprise x64
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Pc-Quebec / Area 66
    CPU
    i7-3960X Extreme Edition
    Motherboard
    Rampage IV Extreme
    Memory
    Gskill 4x4 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    4 x HD 7970
    Sound Card
    onboard
    Screen Resolution
    2560*1600
    Hard Drives
    C:\Intel series 520 SSD , 250 GB
    D:\ WD 750 black with Intel 40gb SSD cache Intel RST
    E:\ WD 2TB Black
    PSU
    Corsair AX 1200
    Case
    TT Mozart TX
    Cooling
    Water Cooled
    Keyboard
    Logitech G-15
    Other Info
    Windows 8 VM is install on his own SSD.
I used to be a firefox user, as well as a safari user, but IE 9 changed that. Knowing that chrome is from google and google kind of has a record of user privacy concerns, I avoid using it. That, along with poor malware blocking. There is even some studies that back this. I've personally have had to deal with malware that was deeply embedded into Windows 7 on some laptops that had either expired anti-virus, shoddy anti-virus, or no anti-virus. Normally, this would go to say that one should use anti-virus software especially online. But I've also seen this on some systems with IE 9 on them. Those systems didn't have deep malware that literally prevents anything from being done. The constant I've seen with those deeply affected system is the use of google chrome as the default browser. Shoot, this reminded me of a laptop that I've had to work on like three times, reinstall Windows 7 one time on it, and kept getting malware attacks. I recently read a study saying google chrome does a poor job of blocking malware, and the anti-virus being used was AVG Internet Security 2012, all up to date. Still kept getting malware, and I realized chrome was the default browser. I uninstalled it after cleaning up the STDs and idiot-proofed it. So far, I haven't had a call to service said laptop.

Now, I read the breakdown of IE 10's performance, I have to say, ehh meh. It's third, but not dramatically, just three points behind firefox. I'll sacrifice two-three seconds of load time versus not dealing with STDs all the time.

By the way, they used the Desktop IE 10 version, and didn't use the metro IE. Obviously the test needs to have its constants, but I've read about metro IE 10 being better and faster, as it doesn't have add-ons to load and it also uses a new media framework. So if you're watching a YouTube video or some other online video, metro IE adjusts the quality to keep the video going. I'd like to see a breakdown of metro IE 10, that's all. :)

Interesting. I've been running Chrome on all my systems for several years and I haven't had a single malware incursion that I've been able to detect. Maybe it would be a good idea to stay away from porn sites, eh?

-Max
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron 17R / Dell XPS 8300
    CPU
    Intel i5 (17R) / Intel i7 (XPS)
    Memory
    8GB / 8GB
Too bad IE doesn't have Adblock Plus (free) or something similar (maybe I'm not aware of something here).

Turn on ActiveX filtering in IE9 and it does pretty much the same job as Adblock.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows Phone 6, Windows CE 5, Windows Vista x32, Windows 7 x32/x64, Windows 8 x64
Yeah, I've certainly experienced more malware type problems on IE boxes at work and with friends in their homes. But I also have to take into account that they are less sophisticated computer users as well...so that may explain why they get themselves into some situations that I might not find myself in.

Also, when I look at my web usage, I'm far more conservative than many others. I don't pirate software, I don't download movies, music, software torrents, etc. I think when you stay away from a lot of those types of things, you have far fewer problems on your computer.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Self-Built in July 2009
    CPU
    Intel Q9550 2.83Ghz OC'd to 3.40Ghz
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3R rev. 1.1, F12 BIOS
    Memory
    8GB G.Skill PI DDR2-800, 4-4-4-12 timings
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA 1280MB Nvidia GeForce GTX570
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC899A 8 channel onboard audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    23" Acer x233H
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Intel X25-M 80GB Gen 2 SSD
    Western Digital 1TB Caviar Black, 32MB cache. WD1001FALS
    PSU
    Corsair 620HX modular
    Case
    Antec P182
    Cooling
    stock
    Keyboard
    ABS M1 Mechanical
    Mouse
    Logitech G9 Laser Mouse
    Internet Speed
    15/2 cable modem
    Other Info
    Windows and Linux enthusiast. Logitech G35 Headset.
Yeah, I've certainly experienced more malware type problems on IE boxes at work and with friends in their homes. But I also have to take into account that they are less sophisticated computer users as well...so that may explain why they get themselves into some situations that I might not find myself in.

Also, when I look at my web usage, I'm far more conservative than many others. I don't pirate software, I don't download movies, music, software torrents, etc. I think when you stay away from a lot of those types of things, you have far fewer problems on your computer.

Concur. Anyone that I've known that has ever had problems with their system seem to be the ones who are into pirating stuff. One guy I work with makes no bones about the fact that he steals music and video. If you're going to visit sites that provide that service then you're more likely to pull down a payload.

Don't get me going about piracy. I'm one of the few people on this planet that PAYS for my copy of WinZIP!

-Max
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron 17R / Dell XPS 8300
    CPU
    Intel i5 (17R) / Intel i7 (XPS)
    Memory
    8GB / 8GB
I pay for all my software too, as for the music, I don't care about the one you download as it's crap to my ears, I still prefer vinyl.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 enterprise x64
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Pc-Quebec / Area 66
    CPU
    i7-3960X Extreme Edition
    Motherboard
    Rampage IV Extreme
    Memory
    Gskill 4x4 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    4 x HD 7970
    Sound Card
    onboard
    Screen Resolution
    2560*1600
    Hard Drives
    C:\Intel series 520 SSD , 250 GB
    D:\ WD 750 black with Intel 40gb SSD cache Intel RST
    E:\ WD 2TB Black
    PSU
    Corsair AX 1200
    Case
    TT Mozart TX
    Cooling
    Water Cooled
    Keyboard
    Logitech G-15
    Other Info
    Windows 8 VM is install on his own SSD.
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