Once you install it, Namebench couldn’t be easier to use. You simply load it up, hit the “Start Benchmark” button and let it do its thing. Depending on the number of test you run (you can set that), it will come back with the results in a few minutes. The results open in your web browser, showing you the first, second, and third best DNS options right up top. There are also a number of charts and and graphs if you want to drill down into the numbers.
Now, you might worry that since Namebench was created by a Googler, it would promote Google Public DNS above all others. But actually, in the test I just ran, Google’s solution ranged from the middle of all the DNS offerings to the slowest. OpenDNS, considered Google Public DNS’ biggest competitor, was actually the fastest.
“Are you a power-user with 5 minutes to spare? Do you want a faster internet experience?,” is the way Stromberg pitches it on the site for project. If that applies to you, you should check it out. Strombergwrote more about the idea a few months ago before Google Public DNS was a reality.
After you download and fire up namebench, just click the Start Benchmark button to test out a handful of free public DNS services, from Google Public DNS to OpenDNS toUltraDNS. Once started, the test took about 12 minutes to complete using the default settings. When it’s done, you’ll be presented with a handful of handy charts displaying the results of the tests.
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