Microsoft’s latest preview releases reveal a clear — and continuing — pattern: on identical high-end hardware, Ubuntu 25.10 is holding or extending Linux’s multi-threaded lead while Windows 11 25H2 remains highly competitive in single-threaded and platform-specific workloads, particularly where proprietary drivers or Windows-only APIs are involved.
Windows 11 version 25H2 is reaching testers via Microsoft’s Insider channels before a general release planned for this autumn; Microsoft describes 25H2 as an enablement/servicing update that shares a servicing branch with 24H2, focusing on incremental improvements and enterprise management controls rather than sweeping new capabilities. (windowscentral.com, blogs.windows.com)
Ubuntu 25.10 represents Canonical’s interim release with newer toolchains, kernel updates, and compiler versions (GCC 15 series, Linux 6.16/6.17 variants in daily builds), making it a natural test target for cross-OS performance comparisons on modern CPUs. Phoronix’s snapshot testing of Ubuntu 25.10 is explicitly a “first look” during development. (phoronix.com)
Key points about the methodology:
Readers should treat the results as an actionable signal, not a universal prescription: if your day-to-day is dominated by heavy CPU rendering, a short pilot on Ubuntu 25.10 is warranted. If your workflow depends on Windows-only software, 25H2 should remain your focus — and keep drivers and firmware patched.
Phoronix’s first-look article and the associated OpenBenchmarking logs are excellent starting points for anyone building a decision matrix, and they underscore an enduring truth: real-world performance is a system story, not a chip story. (phoronix.com, openbenchmarking.org)
Source: Phoronix First Benchmarks Of Windows 11 25H2 vs. Ubuntu 25.10 On AMD Ryzen 9 9950X - Phoronix
Background
The headline stems from a fresh set of side-by-side CPU benchmarks run on the same AMD Ryzen 9 9950X desktop hardware using clean OS installs and stock settings. Phoronix’s first-look testing compares Microsoft’s Windows 11 25H2 (available in preview channels ahead of the public rollout) against Canonical’s Ubuntu 25.10 development snapshots. The tests repeat the methodology Phoronix used in earlier Ryzen 9 9950X comparisons and offer immediate insight into how both vendor stacks behave on the newest Zen 5 silicon. (phoronix.com)Windows 11 version 25H2 is reaching testers via Microsoft’s Insider channels before a general release planned for this autumn; Microsoft describes 25H2 as an enablement/servicing update that shares a servicing branch with 24H2, focusing on incremental improvements and enterprise management controls rather than sweeping new capabilities. (windowscentral.com, blogs.windows.com)
Ubuntu 25.10 represents Canonical’s interim release with newer toolchains, kernel updates, and compiler versions (GCC 15 series, Linux 6.16/6.17 variants in daily builds), making it a natural test target for cross-OS performance comparisons on modern CPUs. Phoronix’s snapshot testing of Ubuntu 25.10 is explicitly a “first look” during development. (phoronix.com)
Test platform and methodology
Hardware and system configuration
Phoronix’s Windows 11 25H2 vs. Ubuntu 25.10 comparison used the following notable configuration (clean installs, default performance/power defaults on each OS):- CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 9950X (16 cores / 32 threads) at stock frequencies.
- Memory: 2 × 16 GB DDR5-6000.
- Storage: 1 TB Crucial T705 PCIe 5 NVMe SSD (CT1000T705SSD3).
- GPU (present but not the primary focus): AMD Radeon RX 9070.
- Clean OS installs and stock settings were used for parity; Windows tests used the 25H2 preview/release-preview channel and Ubuntu was tested from its daily/development 25.10 snapshots. (phoronix.com, openbenchmarking.org)
Benchmarks and measurement approach
Phoronix ran an array of cross-platform CPU-focused tests — synthetics, real-world producer workloads, compression, encoding, and rendering tests — selecting binaries available for both Windows and Linux where possible to avoid compiler/toolchain bias. The goal was to compare out-of-the-box behavior rather than maximize each OS via custom tuning; that approach intentionally reflects what a typical enthusiast or creator would see when switching systems. OpenBenchmarking logs back up many of these runs, providing reproducible result traces. (phoronix.com, openbenchmarking.org)Key points about the methodology:
- Clean installs for every OS iteration to avoid carryover configuration differences.
- Default OS power/performance settings to reflect “real world” usage.
- Emphasis on CPU-bound workloads (rendering, compression, encoding), not GPU gaming performance, which Phoronix reserved for a separate analysis.
What the first benchmarks show — executive summary
- Linux (Ubuntu 25.10) continues to show an advantage in heavily multi-threaded and CPU-bound content-creation tasks (Blender renders, many video-encoding paths, some AI/ML inference workloads running on CPU). Where Linux wins, margins can be meaningful for time-sensitive production work. (phoronix.com, openbenchmarking.org)
- Windows 11 25H2 holds or improves upon Windows’ strengths in certain single-threaded tasks and workloads that depend on Windows-specific drivers or libraries. Because 25H2 is built as an enablement package on the same servicing branch as 24H2, its performance story is incremental rather than transformative — but tweaks to driver handling, scheduler decisions, or telemetry/service behavior can still change the real-world numbers you’ll see. (blogs.windows.com, windowscentral.com)
- On the geometric-mean and broad cross-section of tests, the raw picture shows Linux’s out-of-the-box performance often equal to or better than Windows on the same Ryzen hardware — a continuation of earlier discrepancies reported for Zen 5 chips. Independent data-collection portals (OpenBenchmarking) show the same trend in reproducible runs. (openbenchmarking.org, phoronix.com)
Deep dive: workload-by-workload analysis
Multi-threaded rendering and producer workloads
- Blender CPU renders, multiple open-source renderers, and many multi-threaded production tasks consistently favored Ubuntu in Phoronix’s runs. The combination of kernel scheduler choices, default CPU frequency governor behavior, and compiler versions (GCC 15 in Ubuntu 25.10 daily builds) contributes to better scale across cores in many of these tests. For creators rendering long scenes, a 5–15% turnaround in render time can translate into significant productivity gains. (phoronix.com)
- Where proprietary renderers (V-Ray, Indigo) are used, results were mixed: some Windows-native binaries still performed well on Windows, but Linux often matched or beat Windows when cross-platform builds were available and running on the latest compiler/kernel stacks. This suggests the advantage is not a simple “Windows vs. Linux” binary but a nuanced interplay between software build choices and OS-level scheduler/power decisions. (phoronix.com)
Video encoding, compression, and IO-heavy workloads
- Several H.265/AV1 encoder paths and compression tools scaled more effectively on Ubuntu in these first-look tests. Differences here are often driven by how the OS schedules threads, handles memory bandwidth, and interacts with CPU frequency governors. Ubuntu’s newer kernel and userland toolchain in 25.10 can unlock compiler optimizations and syscall paths that favor high-throughput multi-core tasks. (phoronix.com)
- That said, Windows sometimes led on specific per-frame or single-file encodes where the Windows build of an encoder used a differently tuned runtime. This is why cross-platform parity matters: identical binaries reduce one major source of variance. (phoronix.com)
Synthetic single-threaded and mixed workloads
- Single-threaded or lightly-threaded benchmarks (some synthetic CPU tests, older game engines, single-core cryptography/cryptohashing tests) still often nudge Windows ahead or tie the platforms. Windows’ scheduler and per-thread latency behavior remain strong for these workloads. (phoronix.com)
- Mixed workloads (part IO-bound, part CPU) depend heavily on driver maturity and file-system behavior. Windows’ NTFS and Microsoft’s driver stack can offer advantages in certain IO patterns, whereas Linux’s ext4/XFS stacks plus kernel optimizations can be superior in others. Users should match the OS to the workload rather than expect a single winner overall. (phoronix.com, openbenchmarking.org)
Why these differences keep appearing
- Kernel scheduler and default governors: Linux distributions can expose lower-level CPU frequency/power controls and often ship newer kernel releases sooner than Windows gets equivalent low-level tuning. The result: more aggressive or more suitable scaling of Zen 5 cores in multi-thread scenarios on Linux. (phoronix.com)
- Toolchain and compiler versions: Ubuntu 25.10’s use of GCC 15 (versus older compilers in older Linux or Windows toolchains) can produce code generation that extracts more parallelism and better vectorization. This compound effect matters for CPU-bound workloads. (phoronix.com)
- Driver ecosystems: Windows tends to get vendor-tested proprietary drivers (particularly GPU drivers) that are optimized for gaming and certain GPU-accelerated paths. Linux’s open-source drivers (Mesa/RADV for AMD) have matured rapidly and in some CPU-bound workloads — especially where GPU isn’t the limiting factor — Linux’s lighter system overhead becomes decisive. NotebookCheck and other independent outlets have noted the same performance deltas in recent retests. (notebookcheck.net, phoronix.com)
- OS defaults and background services: Windows’ telemetry, antivirus, and virtualization-based security features are often enabled by default and can consume cycles that affect peak throughput; Linux distributions frequently ship with leaner defaults for workstation use. That said, enterprise Windows installs or power-user customizations can mitigate many of those overheads. (openbenchmarking.org, phoronix.com)
Practical takeaways for users and systems builders
- For content creators and workstation users whose workloads are CPU-bound and heavily parallel (Blender, large video batch encodes, CPU-based data science workloads), Ubuntu 25.10 (or other modern Linux distros) is a compelling option for maximizing throughput without changing hardware. The first-look numbers show measurable gains in render and encoding time on the Ryzen 9 9950X. (phoronix.com)
- For gamers, software that relies on Windows-only APIs, or users who need vendor-specific GPU and NPU features, Windows 11 25H2 remains the practical choice. The Windows driver ecosystem and Windows-specific optimizations still give an advantage in many game and platform-locked AI scenarios. (blogs.windows.com, phoronix.com)
- For hybrid workflows (development on Linux but testing or deploying on Windows, or vice versa), dual-boot or containerized workflows (WSL2, VMs, or reproducible Docker images) allow teams to leverage the best of both worlds: Linux for raw compute throughput; Windows for platform compatibility. OpenBenchmarking’s reproducible runs are a useful starting point for enterprises wishing to validate the same on their hardware. (openbenchmarking.org)
Risks, limitations, and caveats
- Test scope and reproducibility: these are first-look benchmarks. Ubuntu 25.10 was tested from daily/development snapshots and Windows 11 25H2 was run from preview channels — both could change before final public release. Treat the numbers as a snapshot, not the final verdict. Phoronix explicitly labels these tests as preliminary. (phoronix.com, blogs.windows.com)
- Driver and vendor updates matter: small driver or microcode updates can flip some results. The OS vendors and hardware partners frequently push fixes that materially alter performance. NotebookCheck and other testing portals have shown reproducible gains after BIOS/driver updates in previous Zen 5 comparisons. Cross-check before making purchasing decisions. (notebookcheck.net)
- Default OS settings influence outcomes: Windows’ virtualization-based security and background services are on by default in many builds and can affect performance measurements. The Phoronix methodology leaned toward out-of-box settings — which represents typical consumer experience but may not reflect an optimized production configuration. (phoronix.com)
- Workload-specific behavior: not every application maps cleanly to one OS’s strengths. Some proprietary applications are tuned for Windows; others (open-source, HPC, many AI toolchains) often find the Linux environment friendlier. Validate using your own workloads. (phoronix.com)
Recommendations for enthusiasts and professionals
- If you run long, CPU-heavy production tasks (multi-hour renders, batch encoding, CPU-only AI inference), run a pilot: clone your workload onto Ubuntu 25.10 daily or a recent LTS with updated kernels and toolchains, and measure the wall-clock gains. Even modest percent gains multiply across long workloads. (phoronix.com)
- If you’re a gamer or rely on Windows-exclusive applications, stay on Windows 11 25H2 or 24H2 and keep drivers current. 25H2 arrives as an enablement package — useful for managing rollouts and enterprise control — but it is not a feature-overhaul, so performance tuning will still rely on driver and firmware updates. (windowscentral.com, blogs.windows.com)
- For mixed environments, consider hybrid approaches:
- Use Linux VMs or dedicated Linux workstations for rendering/CI pipelines.
- Keep Windows for gaming and proprietary app testing.
- Use cross-platform CI (container builds, reproducible toolchains) to avoid surprise deltas between developer and production environments. (openbenchmarking.org)
What this means for AMD, Microsoft, and Canonical
- The pattern reinforces a long-term reality: hardware performance is a joint outcome of silicon, firmware, drivers, toolchains, and OS-level defaults. No vendor wins solely by shipping fast silicon; software stacks and partnerships matter. Phoronix’s repeated comparisons show that the Linux stack (especially when paired with newer kernels and compilers) can quickly translate new architectural improvements into measurable gains. (phoronix.com)
- For Microsoft, 25H2’s preview status and enablement-package delivery model means much of the platform’s competitive work will come from driver vendors and incremental fixes rather than a monolithic OS uplift. Enterprises should plan deployments accordingly. (blogs.windows.com)
- For Canonical and the broader Linux ecosystem, Ubuntu 25.10’s updated toolchain and kernel cadence shows the upside of shipping modern software stacks quickly; this is beneficial for early adopters and workstation-focused users who need maximum throughput. (phoronix.com)
Conclusion
These first benchmarks are less a proclamation of a permanent winner than a practical reminder: on modern AMD Zen 5 hardware like the Ryzen 9 9950X, Ubuntu 25.10’s updated kernel and toolchain can unlock meaningful multi-threaded CPU performance improvements out of the box, while Windows 11 25H2 remains the platform of choice for workloads locked to Windows APIs, specialized driver paths, or gaming.Readers should treat the results as an actionable signal, not a universal prescription: if your day-to-day is dominated by heavy CPU rendering, a short pilot on Ubuntu 25.10 is warranted. If your workflow depends on Windows-only software, 25H2 should remain your focus — and keep drivers and firmware patched.
Phoronix’s first-look article and the associated OpenBenchmarking logs are excellent starting points for anyone building a decision matrix, and they underscore an enduring truth: real-world performance is a system story, not a chip story. (phoronix.com, openbenchmarking.org)
Source: Phoronix First Benchmarks Of Windows 11 25H2 vs. Ubuntu 25.10 On AMD Ryzen 9 9950X - Phoronix