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I have two laptops:

  1. Old HP Elitebook: 6th generation Intel CPU, 4 cores, 8 GB memory, 128 GB SSD, and Ubuntu 16.04;

  2. New Dell XPS: 8th generation Intel CPU, 8 cores, 32 GB memory, 512 SSD, and Windows 10.

In both laptops, I installed LibreOffice 5 Writer.

On the HP laptop, Writer works quickly and smoothly.

On the Dell laptop, Writer is "sticky" - there is a noticeable delay after almost anything I click.

It is quite frustrating: I bought an expensive laptop that should be better in every hardware-related parameter, but got worse performance. How can this be?

  • Is it because Windows, in general, is slower than Ubuntu even on faster hardware?

  • Is it because Dell laptops, in general, are slower than HP laptops even with faster specs?

  • Is it because LibreOffice is optimized for Ubuntu, so it specifically is slower on Windows?

  • Finally, is there a way to make LibreOffice faster on Windows? Based on some Internet advice, I tried switching OpenGL on and off and did not notice much improvement.

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    LibreOffice should not lag on most PC's, Windows or Linux. However, you can easily compare the performance: create a "live" Linux USB that includes LibreOffice, such as Ubuntu, and run it from the USB on the Dell without bothering to install Linux. Even though a USB flash drive is slower than HDD (much less SSD), once loaded, Writer should run full speed. My guess is that Windows OS is busy doing other tasks, such as performing updates.
    – DrMoishe Pippik
    Nov 16, 2018 at 6:45
  • Do either of the laptops have dedicated graphics? What screen resolutions? Does the HP have an SSD while the Dell has an HDD? You are missing a lot of important system specifications that would establish why one system is "better" than the other.
    – Mokubai ♦
    Nov 16, 2018 at 8:12
  • Is it only Writer which is "sticky" or does that also apply to other programs? A new installation of Windows may be a bit slow while it indexes files for searching and updates.
    – Andrew Morton
    Nov 17, 2018 at 16:38
  • There are too many variables for a definitive answer. You will need to assess this under controlled conditions.
    – fixer1234
    Nov 18, 2018 at 2:38

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Let's try to answer one by one:

  • Is it because Windows, in general, is slower than Ubuntu even on faster hardware? Which version of MS Windows, 7, 8 or 10; Ubuntu 16.04 using which Desktop Environment. I'll suggest you to try the latest version of both OSes, Windows10 and Ubuntu18.04LTS. with the latest Fresh version of LibreOffice that is as of today the 6.1.3 release.

  • Is it because Dell laptops, in general, are slower than HP laptops even with faster specs? Not true at all (^_-)

  • Is it because LibreOffice is optimized for Ubuntu, so it specifically is slower on Windows? No Here is how you can directly download the latest fresh version (6.1.3) of LibreOffice, and test it on both machines/Operating Systems. to decide what to do next: How to install latest LibreOffice on GNU/Linux Vs MS Windows

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