Windows "Workstation" 2008 Clobbers Vista in Benchmark Testing

[xXxexpertxXx]

Just when you think you've got it all figured out, along comes another curve ball to keep you guessing. This time around it's a set of new benchmark test results from our old friends at the exo.performance.network. Apparently, these guys heard about the brouhaha surrounding some Microsoft's engineer's blog post about using Server 2008 as a "Super Workstation OS" and decided to put the concept to the test. They loaded each OS onto identical hardware, tweaking the Server implementation to make it look and act like Vista. Then they tested them under a variety of productivity and multitasking scenarios.

The net result: Windows "Workstation" 2008 (i.e the tweaked Server 2008 installation) trashed Windows Vista with Service Pack 1, outscoring its desktop sibling by as much as 17%.
You can read all the gory details over at the exo.blog site. Suffice to say that there's a new option for power users who are fed-up with Vista's sluggishness: Windows Server 2008, or as I'm now calling it, "Windows NT 6.1 Workstation."

I made the switch myself this past weekend in support of my upcoming feature on the "Top 10 Reasons (Not) to Switch to Vista." And after just a few days running this beast I can honestly say that I will never go back to the sad piece of "bloatware" that is Windows Vista Ultimate. "NT 6.1 Workstation" is simply a superior OS. It's faster, feels more responsive and seems to do a much better job of managing the 4GB of memory I've thrown at it (Vista always seemed a bit page file-happy, even with the 4GB).

To be sure, there are things I miss about Vista. For starters, there's no Media Center. I had to scrounge around for a bunch of 3rd party CODECS just to play a DVD. Nor are any of the Vista Games available on Server 2008 (Solitaire, I'll miss you!). Useful Vista accessories, like Fax & Scan and the Windows Sidebar, are MIA, while some 3rd party tools are just plain broken (e.g. I had to downgrade my Skype install to version 3.2 since anything newer would crash consistently).

On the flip side, I can now run any and all Microsoft server applications locally, which makes debugging things like ADSI and SQL Server's Integration Services that much easier. In fact, as a pure development platform for Windows applications, Server 2008 is without equal. There's the performance (this OS really does rock). And, of course, you can tap Hyper-V to create a near-bare-metal VM environment. Visual Studio 2008 flies on this release. There really is no downside, especially if you have an MSDN account or are similarly licensed so you can use Windows Server 2008 on your own box for development purposes.

Given all the positives, I can't imaging why Microsoft didn't break-out the consumer aspects of Vista and offer a leaner, meaner "Workstation 2008" version for us hard core types. It would have gone a long way towards satiating our thirst for a "meatier" desktop Windows while rendering much of the "Save XP" messaging moot.

Maybe Microsoft just got lazy...oh well, at least now there's an alternative for those of us who are fed-up with Vista but who just can't live without Aero and the rest of the "6.x" Windows GUI.

-Randall Kennedy


Source: Enterprise Desktop | Randall Kennedy | InfoWorld | Windows "Workstation" 2008 Clobbers Vista in Benchmark Testing | March 5, 2008 10:35 AM | By Randall Kennedy

[Mak213]

Gee. Looks like it is about time they caught up to what i said a while ago.

My first thoughts of Server 2008

I made comments that Server 2008 was way faster and much better voerall than Vista back when Server 2008 went final and i installed it. Man these people are slow to get out any kind of reviews....

I posted mine back in the beginning of Feb. Not bad just over a month to agree with what i said back then.

[Peter.Cort]

makaveli- tech forums prophet.

could you use workstation 08 as like a single client os without being behind a server?

[Mak213]

I am not a prophet. But i did install as a Desktop OS. Which is basically what you are asking correct? I installed it as if i would install XP or Vista and ran it as a desktop OS.

IT was tricky at first to get certain things working like aero and stuff like that. Had to find a special Anti-Virus for it since it is a server OS and you can run AVG or Avast free versions on it. I had to get NOD32 and install that. Which worked jsut fine.

But other than that every app that i run on XP/Vista installed and ran easily.

[Peter.Cort]

yeh i was asking if it were a desktop os. and you can do it, its just a bit tricky?

and only a true prophet wouldn't think himself a prophet

and its faster then vista correct? what about xp?

[Mak213]

IT is faster than Vista about as fast as XP is with my system.

P4 3.4GHz with 3GB DDR2 RAM.

The reason why i say it is tricky is because it doesnt act at all like a desktop OS. IE for example is under lockdown. You can not visit a site in IE unless you have it added to your safe list. That is unless you remove it from Restricted Mode.

To get Aero turned on so that you dont have Windows Classic Style with the Vista start menu can be tricky. But i think i posted how i did that.

Then of course you have the Anti-Virus/Firewall stuff. I posted that you cant use just a normal AV cause it is a server. You have to find a specific Server AV to work. But NOD32 2.7 works just fine on it. I did not try any firewalls though.

Now my personal opinion if someone should run this as a desktop OS. No. It is a Server OS and there are many things about it that i did not uncover in my 2 weeks of working with it that could adversly affect your experience. Plus i can not confirm that all apps that work on Vista work on Server 2008. Jsut the bunch that i use.

But to each their own. If you have used Server 2003 as a desktop Os then you most certainly should use Server 2008. but i can not say for sure that Games will work on it as i have not tested any games on it.

[xXxexpertxXx]

Just thought some of you guys would be interested in this, like me!

I am planning on building a server for my self. Before i do that. i wanna try server 2008 on my laptop to see how its like

[ECTech]

Question: Do I need a product key to finish the install of server 2008? Cuz I downloaded it from Microsoft so I can test it out, but they never sent me a key for it.

[Mak213]

Originally Posted by ECTech

Question: Do I need a product key to finish the install of server 2008? Cuz I downloaded it from Microsoft so I can test it out, but they never sent me a key for it.

When i had installed Server 2008 i did not have to enter a serial. But it only gave me 3 days to enter a new serial to activate cause the serial they had used for the install was already used. So you can install it without a serial, but you will need to get one fast or you wont be able to run it for long.

[atomic tofu]

if we go back to when NT came about isn't this similar? afterall, workstation/server oses are made more streamlined for a purpose, to run more efficiently with less overhead than standard mainstream consumer oses...

2k8 is very modular, hence it will have advantages off the mark...because many things are not enabled...
The Way I See It : Using Windows Server 2008 as a SUPER workstation OS

w7 will take this approach perhaps, everything off by default