Steps to reproduce
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Clone a large Git-based vault (~12,000 markdown files with backlinks and frontmatter metadata).
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Open the vault on:
- Machine A: MacBook Pro (M1 Pro, 64 GB RAM)
- Machine B: Windows 10 Workstation with AMD Threadripper 3995X (64-core), 64 GB RAM
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I do not : Disable third-party plugins and use the default theme (sandbox mode).
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Launch Obsidian and start navigating the vault, using backlinks, graph view, and file search.
Did you follow the troubleshooting guide? [Y]
Expected result
Similar performance across both high-spec systems, with vault loading, intellisense indexing, and backlinks populating at comparable speeds — especially since Machine B is significantly more powerful in terms of core count and single-thread performance.
Actual result
- MacBook Pro (M1 Pro) loads and renders Obsidian vault significantly faster (~5–10 seconds).
- Windows 10 (AMD 3995X) takes significantly longer (30+ seconds), with a delay in loading backlinks, graph view, and internal link previews.
- Heavy use of GPT-related extensions (code blocks + live completions) and graph connections may worsen performance on Windows but not on macOS.
Environment
- Obsidian version: 1.5.12
- Mac: macOS Ventura / Sonoma, 64 GB RAM, M1 Pro
- PC: Windows 10 Pro, AMD Threadripper 3995X, 64 GB RAM
- Vault size: ~12k Markdown files, versioned under Git
- Plugins: (All disabled during test)
- Theme: Default
- Mode: Restricted Mode ON
Additional information
- The Obsidian vault is heavily interlinked and uses a number of backlinks and internal references.
- The graph view and connection load time is much slower on Windows.
- Disabling GPT and intellisense-related extensions helps slightly on Windows, but macOS still consistently performs better.
- Suggests possible OS-level optimizations or differences in how file I/O and rendering threads are managed between macOS and Windows.