Intel Linux Driver Performance Still Slower Than Windows 7

For the new Unvanquished test case with its Daemon engine and using its OpenGL 3.x renderer, Windows is faster. With Mesa 9.1, Ubuntu 13.10 is just a frame slower than Windows 7, but with Mesa 9.2 its speed drops. While visually it looked the same between Mesa 9.1 and 9.2, the performance drop may be due to Mesa 9.2 implementing more OpenGL 3.2~3.3 functionality.

In looking at the OpenGL frame latency, Ubuntu Linux required more time to prepare each frame than Microsoft Windows 7. The Windows 7 average was 36ms with a 78ms peak while Ubuntu 13.10 with Mesa 9.2 averaged out to 38ms and Mesa 9.2 jumped up to a 52ms average and 91ms peak.

For the visually demanding Xonotic game benchmarks, Windows 7 was the clear-cut winner across the tested low, high, and ultra quality visuals.