Yes, RAW images will be less noisy than straight-from-the-camera JPGs. Also, not all RAW converters are created equal. Here's a comparison shot from my PowerShot S95, shot in RAW, processed with the default NR settings in DPP vs. DxO. This was shot at ISO 640 (the crop factor for the S95 is 4.6, so this is approximately equivalent to ISO 3200 on FF or ISO 2000 on a crop sensor).<span>
<div>[img]/cfs-file.ashx/__key/CommunityServer-Components-UserFiles/00-00-00-35-15/DPPvsDxO_2D00_Noise.jpg[/img]</div>


As you can see from the whole image and the 100% crops, DxO does a better job at NR.


Quote Originally Posted by Daniel Browning
When post processing raw files, on the other hand, the software can take as long as long as you want,

To follow on from that, DPP takes about 30 seconds to process each 10 MP RAW image, while DxO takes well over a minute.