Significant variations in startup times even on identical systems
Significant variations in startup times even on identical systems
Boot times vary widely due to differences in hardware configuration and settings. Your system uses specific components like the AMD Threadripper 3960X and high-end GPUs, which can affect performance. The presence of certain peripherals and the absence of USB ports might also play a role. No changes to BIOS or OS were made, so the issue likely stems from hardware quirks or driver configurations.
Fast startup in Windows 10's Power Options might lead to uneven boot times based on the applications already running.
If you power off and then turn it back on, it boots quickly. Using Windows' restart feature doesn't achieve this speed because it's typically used for troubleshooting or switching between operating systems, where a saved state can cause issues. The measured boot times vary, but 18 seconds is reasonable. Some systems previously took minutes due to slow hard drives.
I hope these machines just powered up right away. What bothers me about shutting down and restarting is that the Windows spyware updates don’t seem to install properly during a normal shutdown. Even though they appear in Windows Update as installing, I often have to restart myself for them to actually fix the spyware issues. If you understand what I mean, plus the slow boot times are really annoying. For my next desktop, I’m planning to use an SSD or NVMe drive if it works.
That's likely because they require the full shutdown, rather than the partial shutdown. You can disable fast boot to get them install each time, but then you slow down your normal boot time. I recently upgraded an old desktop to a sata SSD. Even though it's still limited to Sata 2 (300 Mbps) by the MB, it's amazing how much of a difference it made to the speed, both on boot and in general use. If you go with sata, there's no reason to wait for the next desktop. SATA SSDs are plug-and-play replacements (with either an OS re-install or a drive clone) for SATA hard drives, in both desktops and laptops (with the caveat that some old desktops only have 3.5" mounts, so you might need some double-stick tape to mount it). I highly recommend it.
You're welcome on the topic. It's good to hear the fluctuation issue has been addressed. Let me know if you need anything else!