Linux vs Windows 11 Leistungsvergleich Image © PhoronixLinux vs Windows 11 Leistungsvergleich (Image © Phoronix)

Hardware Configuration for the Tests

To ensure professional, high-end results, the tests were conducted on an HP Z4 G6i workstation. The system specifications included:

  • CPU: 48-core Intel Xeon 678X Granite Rapids WS.
  • Memory: 128 GB DDR5-6400 RAM.
  • GPU: NVIDIA RTX Pro 6000 Blackwell.

Linux vs Windows 11 Leistungsvergleich LuxCoreRenderLinux vs Windows 11 Leistungsvergleich LuxCoreRender (Image © Phoronix)

Overall Performance and Workstation Metrics

The comparison included CachyOS, AlmaLinux 10.2, Ubuntu 26.04, Fedora Workstation 44, and Windows 11 Pro. Based on the geometric mean of the workstation benchmark results, CachyOS took first place in performance mode. In contrast, Windows 11 Pro was approximately 14.9% slower than CachyOS under the same conditions.

Linux vs Windows 11 Leistungsvergleich BlenderLinux vs Windows 11 Leistungsvergleich Blender (Image © Phoronix)

Rendering and Computation Workloads

In 3D rendering and modeling tests using Blender and IndigoBench 4.4, both CachyOS and AlmaLinux outperformed Windows 11 in CPU computation and CUDA rendering. The biggest difference was seen in pure CPU rendering tasks, where Windows 11 lagged behind CachyOS by up to 12%. Ubuntu and Fedora also performed well, but were about 3% to 4% slower than CachyOS.

However, when using the V-Ray 6.0 rendering engine, the results varied. In this specific application:

  • RTX rendering: Windows showed a 6% lead.
  • CUDA rendering: Windows had a slight 2% lead.
  • CPU rendering: Linux remained dominant, with CachyOS being 18% faster than Windows.

Linux vs Windows 11 Leistungsvergleich Geometric MeanLinux vs Windows 11 Leistungsvergleich Geometric Mean (Image © Phoronix)

Specialized Benchmarks and Simulations

CachyOS maintained its lead in several other tests as well, including the Neatbench video benchmark, GravityMark 1.87, and Unigine Superposition 1.0. In OctaneBench, only AlmaLinux and CachyOS (in performance mode) managed to outperform Windows 11.

Additional results include:

  • Fluid dynamics: Performance in FluidX3D simulations was nearly identical across all platforms, with Windows holding a negligible lead of fractions of a percent.
  • Compression: In the 7-Zip benchmarks, the Linux distributions consistently outperformed Windows by a significant margin, although there were hardly any differences between the various Linux versions.
  • Mixed Results: OSPRay Studio and LuxCoreRender yielded inconsistent results, with Windows winning some tests but lagging significantly in others.