Why are Windows 7&8 so much slower than Linux Mint on the same SSD?

A few things that can impact performance with SSDs (or even HDDs sometimes) include:

Block size (Windows calls it cluster size)
Whether extents are enabled in the filesystem
Whether TRIM is used
Whether an encryption layer is used
Whether a compression layer is used
What kind of RAID (software, hardware, fake) is in use
Virus scanners
Simultaneously reading and writing to the same physical area of the memory
Filesystem access patterns of programs using the filesystem (lots of small files versus a few large files, for example; also whether data is read by seeking/jumping around in the file a lot or if it's just read from start to finish)
Drivers -- sometimes generic, unoptimized drivers on Windows, especially for the motherboard or SATA controller, can be enormously slower than the latest hardware-specific drivers from the manufacturer
Filesystem design: sometimes one filesystem is just better than another, and since Linux is a hotbed of filesystem research while NTFS has been relatively stagnant, this would not surprise me :)
Age of the SSD, which is pretty much a non-factor here since you know that it performs well on Linux.

With so many factors it's hard to know what the culprit is. If I were to guess out of the above, I'd say it's:

10% likely due to superior filesystem design on Linux (assuming you're using ext4)
50% likely due to a very inefficient virus scanner that may use a file access pattern that tortures (exploits a worse case scenario) the performance of the SSD
50% likely due to a generic/outdated driver
Not very likely to be the other things

But without other information or "what have you tried?" steps, it's hard to be more specific than this.

allquixotic

Posted 2013-01-08T16:01:38.847

Reputation: 32 256

Added requested info to question. While I'm sure that ext4 is likely better than NTFS, it seems unlikely that it's the sole culprit (as antivirus and driver issues do not apply). – Logos – 2013-01-08T16:44:20.267

1So you're saying if you take the MSI Windpad out of the box fresh from MSI with OEM Windows installed, it takes that long to do the things you describe? If not, what exact actions have you taken since unwrapping it, and what are the most recent actions you can remember before and after the performance change? – allquixotic – 2013-01-08T17:00:07.460

Yes, if you take it out of the box it takes that long to do those tasks. I also did a fresh recovery install from the recovery disks not long after I got it, and have the same problems. – Logos – 2013-01-08T17:09:24.300

1You'd think this would be a major production issue that MSI would identify and fix. It sounds like a design flaw. I'd take it up with MSI, or if you're still within warranty, try to get a replacement unit (it may just be your specific one). – allquixotic – 2013-01-08T17:11:55.077

@allquixotic: I completely agree with you. A brand new machine with a fresh Windows install on an SSD, or a fresh install on an even faster SSD taking 5-15s for the context menu to show up, and 1-1.5 minutes for a mere 200 files to be listed in Explorer, points to serious issues. What I also would like to know is, just how much crapware does the machine come loaded with? – Karan – 2013-01-08T19:12:05.833

@allquixotic: it might be a problem with just my unit... but if it is, Linux would show the same issues (and it doesn't). So methinks it must be product-specific. – Logos – 2013-01-08T21:53:45.043

@Karan: surprisingly, no crapware at all. Just a custom app for switching apps and toggling radios and the like. – Logos – 2013-01-08T21:54:42.330

1I have developed software under both GNU / Linux and various Windows versions for many years. The Windows file system seems to be a big bottleneck: the same build (Java / Ant) took twice as long under Windows (15' versus 7-8'). More recently I have been using cmake, C++, Qt on both Windows 7 and Debian 8, the difference is even bigger. – Giorgio – 2015-11-28T09:16:17.327

Now that you've established that your SSD can perform much faster on a different OS, you should collect data to gain further insight into the issue on Windows. One way to do that is to run Process Monitor and capture a log of what Windows (or Explorer) is doing when you perform those actions. Analyzing that log could hold the answer to your problem.

– Der Hochstapler – 2013-01-08T16:07:44.770

possible duplicate of How can I identify the culprit of my slow Windows shutdown?, That other question may have been about shutdowns but the tools it recommends cover diagnosing all slowness issues.

– Scott Chamberlain – 2013-01-08T16:11:24.773

I'll give those tools from the other thread a try. I have ProcessMon on the tablet already, but it hasn't provided any good diagnostic info. – Logos – 2013-01-08T16:50:39.057

3...how is this question not constructive??? It seems pretty straightforward to me. I don't see anything in the FAQ that applies to this question. – Logos – 2013-01-08T21:57:41.070

Why are Windows 7&8 so much slower than Linux Mint on the same SSD?

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