Chrome just got the biggest speed boost in years – and you can try it now
The latest version of Google’s Chrome browser has just started rolling out and with it some much-needed upgrades.
Not only is Chrome 91 23% faster, it promises to free up CPU and RAM resources by freezing small tab groups. But as a result, it is no longer possible to turn off the tab grid view.
Chrome’s new speed comes from a pair of JavaScript additions; two compilers called Ignition and Turbofan. These two elements âbridge the gap between the need to start executing quickly and optimizing code for maximum performance.â
Simply put, that means a suite of optimizations to help Chrome handle code better on startup and keep running fast under heavy use.
But even better are the optimizations to reduce Chrome’s CPU and RAM hunger. When you decide to shrink tab groups in Chrome to free up space in the browser and Windows, Chrome 91 will essentially reduce the compute resources going to those tabs, freeing up power for use elsewhere. Reducing CPU and RAM demands can also help reduce the power consumption of laptop batteries when they are away from an electrical outlet.
But the downside, as mentioned earlier, is that you have to stick to Chrome’s tab grid view. The grid layout and tab grouping is nothing new, as it was first rolled out to Chrome on Android in January. Meanwhile, the inactive tab freeze first appeared in Chrome 89, and last month an update meant it could offer up to 35% lower CPU usage. Chrome 91 builds on all of this.
But that’s not all Chrome 91 has to offer. The forms have been reorganized to provide a more modern look and do not appear to have been removed directly from Windows XP. Likewise, web applications can now read files on the clipboard, allowing you to copy and paste files into whatever you use the web application for. Chrome’s password manager also recognizes sites that use the same sign-in system across multiple domains and automatically populates the page.
These are all small updates, but they add up so much. Not only does this mean that Chrome 91 is much more convenient and more pleasing to the eye, but depriving Chrome of the ability to hog your system resources is always a good thing.