We tested five browsers (Internet Explorer 9, Firefox 4, Google Chrome, Opera 11 and Safari 5). For each browser, we chose the latest stable version available. All the software was tested in the same manner, according to the following criteria: javascript management,  compatibility with the current HTML5 standards, and the consumption of CPU resources.

The benchmark used for JavaScript was SunSpider (which measures the execution time of multiple functions, the highest number is therefore the worst score). For HTML5, we used the benchmark GuiMark 2, which proposes three different tests ( posting a vector table, a video game simulation, and several columns of dynamic text) and gives its results of many images a second. The compatibility of the standards was measured via the Acid3 test. We also measured the consumption of resources for each browser while launching, as well as while browsing the most popular sites (Google, Facebook, YouTube, Yahoo!, Windows Live, Wikipedia, BlogSpot and Twitter), checking via the task manager for memory consumed by each browser (restarting the computer between each test to zero out the memory).

We tested the web browsers on a computer with a 2 GHz Intel Core2 Duo T7250 processor. It runs on Windows 7 Professional (64 bit) and has 2GB of random access memory. It should be noted that, though the tests performed on these browsers from our computer can provide a standard by which to compare all of the browsers we tested, we can’t claim that the results of our tests have any cross-platform validity  – we simply can’t claim that these browsers will perform similarly to our tests on other computers.

The management of HTML5 forms in particular part of the great innovations of this grinding. The results of Internet Explorer 9 in our various tests show the care taken by Microsoft to its navigator. To start, it collects a score of 95% with the Acid3 test, well better than its predecessor (20%). Let us note however that this test became a formality for the majority of the current navigators, even if it remains pleasant to see Microsoft finally really being interested in the respect of the standards.

In terms of the management of Javascript, IE9 marks a 582.3 ms score to the total one. This score is not only better than the js score IE9 received on the beta version, it’s also better than any posted by the other browsers in this test.

With regard to the management of HTML5, the browser does not disappoint. While it posts an impressive average result of almost six images a second on the tests of vector tables,it really shows itself, on the other hand, to be much more powerful during the dynamic posting of text (12.35 images a second), and even exceeds every one of its competitors at graphic acceleration in game play (23.61 images per seconds).

As for consumption of memory, the IE9 does not particularly shine, with a mediocre score of 166 MB, which places it in front of Safari, but just behind Opera.

Click here to download Internet Explorer 9

Since then, dozens of alternatives to Firefox have appeared on the market. Many of these browsers are passable knockoffs, some are decent rivals, some even attempt to surpass Firefox for the top spot. The question now stands: does Firefox still represent the ideal of a perfect web browser?

With each new version of Firefox, Mozilla has announced major improvements to its JavaScript management engine. We love bluster as much as the next feller, but we had to put all that talk to the test. The result, without being amazing, manages to still come off as compelling: 694 ms on SunSpider. This is a much better result than the older versions of the browser, which is encouraging, but in the context of this web browser comparison, the showing is rather lackluster.  Compared to other web browsers tested, Firefox is on the low end in terms of javascript management.

Tests for HTML5 also show rather average results overall. With 6.7 frames per second test vector (on average), 5.15 in the simulation game (the worst score …) and 12.19 for the dynamic text (the best of the low scores, surpassing IE9 only barely, with 12.35 images), While Firefox shows potential in this area, the browser is slowed by issues affecting the rapid display of dynamic graphics.

As for memory consumption, Firefox results are interesting. Firefox consumes 154 MB to 1 MB of RAM while browsing web pages. Interestingly, this is the exact same result as our tests six months Firefox 7 version produced. What’s surprising is that despite this lack of improvement, all the other browsers were still far more memory-intensive, allowing Firefox to maintain the top spot this area. Go figure.

Download Firefox 8

Chrome’s score in our JavaScript SunSpider tests show a tepid 666.5 ms, a very average score, although it should be repeated that the variation among all the browsers we tested was not all that remarkable. Surprisingly though, in our previous comparison just six months ago, Chrome scored the best marks for javascript management of all the browsers we tested. It seems they’ve regressed a bit with this latest version. As for the Acid3 test, we weren’t surprised to see Chrome’s 100% score, as this has been a consistent mark since it’s release.

With respect to the management of HTML5, Chrome’s results are average. The score of 2.54 frames per second in the test vector puts Chrome in last place on this test. The browser ranks a little higher in the Bitmap Gaming and dynamic text tests, where it scored marks of 8.52 fps and 8.34 fps respectively. Overall, these results are average among the browsers we compared, but again it’s interesting to note that they are below what we found in the tests we performed six months ago.

Finally, a surprise with regard to memory consumption. Despite having concluded in our last browser comparison that Chrome was remarkable for its lightness, our tests this round showed the browser sucking up an average 256MB as it browsed the web, easily ranking as the greediest browser of any we tested.