Browser lag when viewing YouTube and Gmail

[cdf3]

Internet Explorer on my Surface Pro 2 lags when opening email from the Gmail website. Sometimes it takes 2-3 seconds before the email to open after clicking the link. I also experience lag while watching YouTube vidoes. I get lag when going to full screen mode, and exiting full screen mode.
I downloaded Firefox and loads faster, but pinch to zoom using Firefox is painfully slow.
Everything tends to load faster using the Chrome browser, but it's blurry.
Any tips or advice, or another browser that works better when viewing Gmail and YouTube websites?

 

[benjitek]

Chrome is my personal favorite, and you can get rid of the blurriness by right-clicking the chrome shortcut and setting the Compatibility properties as shown:

 

[GoodBytes]

Firefox has interesting add-ons.
I use:
-> Pinch-to-zoom and double-tab Gesture Support Add-on. This extensions adds zooming features like smartphones and tablets.
-> Grab and Drag. This extension allows you to use the pen to scroll anywhere, like in Adobe Acrobat Reader

Hope this helps.

Chrome will eat your battery life. I don't recommend it for mobile computers.

 

[Seneleron]

Chrome will eat your battery life. I don't recommend it for mobile computers.

I'd love to see some of the studies/tests/etc that led you to this conclusion. I'm not saying I don't believe you, and I'm not saying I do. I'd just like to see a little bit of science to back the statement up.

 

[benjitek]

...Chrome will eat your battery life. I don't recommend it for mobile computers.

Used to be... In October of 2013 Google released a version on both OS X and Windows platforms that addressed issues with battery life. Since then, Chrome hasn't had an effect on battery life any different than other browsers. 'Mobile computers' is a bit general, as the battery life issue was never present on iOS or Android devices.

 

[GoodBytes]

I'd love to see some of the studies/tests/etc that led you to this conclusion. I'm not saying I don't believe you, and I'm not saying I do. I'd just like to see a little bit of science to back the statement up.

Very well: Which Internet Browser Will Make Your Battery Last Longer?
They are others sites confirming the same, but those are too old (old web browser version, and Windows 7), so I don't think it's fair to show. But if you really want, I can see and try to dig them out, if you really want.

So the crown is IE11, which makes sense as the web browser was optimized for smartphone (Windows Phone).

So, on the Surface Pro 2 (which conveniently was measured), using Firefox, gives you 1h more of usage.

In addition, Firefox will get you the best web experience. As it supports color manage images: http://petapixel.com/2012/06/25/is-your-browser-color-managed/
As well as support for animated PNG's:

(It spins in Firefox, and unlike gif's, it supports full color, smoother animation and transparency)

 

[the_new_normal]

Very well: Which Internet Browser Will Make Your Battery Last Longer?
...
So the crown is IE11, which makes sense as the web browser was optimized for smartphone (Windows Phone).

So, on the Surface Pro 2 (which conveniently was measured), using Firefox, gives you 1h more of usage...

Thanks for the useful link.

Taking those results at face value, on SP2:

- desktop version of ie11 gives an hour (21%) more life than the touch version
- Firefox is right there within 8% of the longest lasting desktop ie11
- even Opera lasted longer than touch friendly ie11

 

[GoodBytes]

lol yea.
But that is a different topic. My only guess is that Modern UI is fully GPU rendered (which it is), so the Intel integrated graphics needs to go faster to process the interface.
But it could be something else.

 

[the_new_normal]

lol yea.
But that is a different topic. My only guess is that Modern UI is fully GPU rendered (which it is), so the Intel integrated graphics needs to go faster to process the interface.
But it could be something else.

I thought this might be a clue to the OP's problem, but unfortunately no, both versions of IE seem to show the lag:

Testing Gmail in touch version of ie11 I also get 1-2 seconds lag opening mail
On desktop version of ie11, lag is around half of this
On Firefox, no noticeable lag

Perhaps the reason is simply how ie11 is coded. I'm sure it's total coincidence the OP has noticed lag on 2 sites owned by the one company Microsoft loves above all others...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scroogled

 

[cdf3]

Chrome is my personal favorite, and you can get rid of the blurriness by right-clicking the chrome shortcut and setting the Compatibility properties as shown:

View attachment 2016

The issue I have with using this setting, is that the font is too small for me to read. When I try to zoom in, the Gmail page will not allow me to scroll left and right. Makes it difficult to access the left menu items when zoomed in.

 

[benjitek]

The issue I have with using this setting, is that the font is too small for me to read. When I try to zoom in, the Gmail page will not allow me to scroll left and right. Makes it difficult to access the left menu items when zoomed in.

...odd, it didn't change my font size at all, just made the menu and screen fonts smooth -- eliminated the blurriness.

 

[al2fast]

My browsing experience is much more pleasurable with Firefox in the desktop. I really like that swipe back thing in IE, but its too damn slow. Takes forever sometimes to go back, like it gets stuck trying to refresh, and why is it even refreshing, isn't why there is cache? The colors really seem to pop more in Firefox, plus you get ad block plus.