A powerful laptop for $5400 unexpectedly showed how different Windows 11 and Linux use the same iron. In the tasks related to artificial intelligence, the Microsoft system significantly ahead of Ubuntu and CachyOS, but when encoding video, both Linux builds convincingly took revenge.
Phoronix specialists compared Windows 11, Ubuntu 26.04 LTS and CachyOS on the laptop Razer Blade 18 RZ09-0582. The model is equipped with an Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus and a NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 graphics card. Windows 11 worked with Razer factory settings, Ubuntu used the Linux 7.0 kernel, and CachyOS received a newer Linux 7.1 kernel and a fresh version of the NVIDIA driver.
The largest gap arose during local work with language models. Windows 11 handled queries faster and generated text in all selected tests. In one of the tests, the speed reached about three times the advantage over Ubuntu. Microsoft also showed the best result by converting speech into text using Whisperfile, which is based on the OpenAI Whisper model.
The results do not prove that Windows 11 is always better suited for artificial intelligence. Performance depends on the specific program, drivers and quality of support for each system. However, on a tested laptop, applications for local artificial intelligence clearly used Windows 11 capabilities.
When encoding video, the picture completely changed. Ubuntu and CachyOS confidently bypassed Windows 11 in tests with the Advanced Professional Video format, which was developed by Samsung. Linux was also faster by encoding video in AV1 regardless of the selected settings.
In total, Phoronix conducted 99 tests. According to the average geometric result, Windows 11 almost equaled CachyOS, although the latter is focused on high performance and gets fresh components before most other Linux builds. Ubuntu in a number of tasks gave way to both systems.
The comparison shows that choosing an operating system only by general reputation is no longer enough. Windows 11 gained a serious advantage, working with local models of artificial intelligence, and Linux has retained strong positions in processing and encoding video.
Phoronix specialists compared Windows 11, Ubuntu 26.04 LTS and CachyOS on the laptop Razer Blade 18 RZ09-0582. The model is equipped with an Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus and a NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 graphics card. Windows 11 worked with Razer factory settings, Ubuntu used the Linux 7.0 kernel, and CachyOS received a newer Linux 7.1 kernel and a fresh version of the NVIDIA driver.
The largest gap arose during local work with language models. Windows 11 handled queries faster and generated text in all selected tests. In one of the tests, the speed reached about three times the advantage over Ubuntu. Microsoft also showed the best result by converting speech into text using Whisperfile, which is based on the OpenAI Whisper model.
The results do not prove that Windows 11 is always better suited for artificial intelligence. Performance depends on the specific program, drivers and quality of support for each system. However, on a tested laptop, applications for local artificial intelligence clearly used Windows 11 capabilities.
When encoding video, the picture completely changed. Ubuntu and CachyOS confidently bypassed Windows 11 in tests with the Advanced Professional Video format, which was developed by Samsung. Linux was also faster by encoding video in AV1 regardless of the selected settings.
In total, Phoronix conducted 99 tests. According to the average geometric result, Windows 11 almost equaled CachyOS, although the latter is focused on high performance and gets fresh components before most other Linux builds. Ubuntu in a number of tasks gave way to both systems.
The comparison shows that choosing an operating system only by general reputation is no longer enough. Windows 11 gained a serious advantage, working with local models of artificial intelligence, and Linux has retained strong positions in processing and encoding video.
