Windows 8 Renders Images, Video, Text Much Faster

There's no doubt that Microsoft's biggest hurdle in convincing people to buy Windows 8 is showing them why the new operating system (OS) is better than Windows 7. The software giant has been working hard for many months to accomplish this task.

Now the firm has identified an important way Windows 8, which is officially due in retail stores on October 26, 2012, stands apart from its critically-acclaimed predecessor: better graphics performance.

In a recent post on the Building Windows 8 blog, Microsoft graphics group program manager Rob Copeland carefully outlined the performance benefits users can expect after upgrading from Windows 7 to Windows 8.

Copeland's case centers on the improved graphics capabilities of Windows 8, which make the new OS look better, and perform better as well.

Internet Explorer, Windows Live Messenger Get Major Performance Boost

Copeland asserts that Windows 8 clearly "builds on the well-established foundations of DirectX graphics" that can be found in Windows 7. (Source: cnet.com)

For example, if you're using programs that employ DirectX 11, such as Internet Explorer 9, Windows Live Mail, or the Windows Live Messenger, you'll notice a significant improvement in your computer's overall responsiveness.

Copeland indicates that Windows 8 also improves text-handling acceleration. This might sound like a minor point, but because text is used so frequently in Windows it actually makes a significant difference in total computer throughput.

Image, Video Rendering Upgraded

Geometry and image rendering have also been dramatically improved in the new OS, Copeland says.

The former is used to help build charts, graphs, tables, and diagrams. The latter improves system performance when users view photographs and images in the JPEG, GIF, or PNG formats. (Source: extremetech.com)

Improved video rendering, meanwhile, boosts system performance while displaying a TV or movie clip.

"To improve apps that don't need to redraw the entire screen for each frame, we optimized how DirectX deals with redrawing just portions of the screen and how it scrolls," Copeland says.

The graphics expert adds that this "reduces the number of times graphics data needs to be copied in memory, it also reduces power consumption, thus increasing battery life." (Source: cnet.com)

Is this enough to convince consumers Windows 8 is worth the upgrade? We shall see later this year.