While it's easy enough to game browsers to score well on specific kinds of tests, the latest pre-alpha release of Opera 10.5 runs JavaScript not just faster than every other browser out there -- it eats every other browsers' lunch and dinner.

The folks at Lifehacker put the new pre-release of Opera 10.5 through its paces with Mozilla's Dromaeo JavaScript tests and found support for Opera's brag that their new browser is seven times faster than Opera 10.1. Not only that, but according to Lifehacker's measurements, the newest version of Opera smoked everyone else on the market, clocking nearly four times as fast in JavaScript as the nearest competitor, Google's Chrome. Testers over at the gHacks blog confirmed these speed improvements in JavaScript but also noted huge increases in page rendering.

Image Source: Lifehacker.com

The secret is in the sauce, in this case Opera's new JavaScript engine, Caraken, which replaces Futhar, the previous engine. The other is in brand new layout engine, Presto 2.5, and Vega, the new graphics library. Taken together, these three new under-the-hood roll outs take Opera from wannabe to the browser to beat. Developers at Opera have also decided to join other browsers in adding in a private browsing mode, building in both tab and window iterations.

While Opera's market figures have languished in the low single digits, if these figures hold up in the stable release they will undoubtedly boost user stats at least in the short term. What is clear from these results, though, is that developers at Apple, Google, and Mozilla will be studying Opera's success and hoping to mimic it. One thing is certain, we're definitely feeling the need for speed.

Feeling adventurous? Hop on over to Opera labs and give it a test yourself.