We've developed our own suite of benchmarks using real-world and open-source applications to simulate how PCs are actually used. The suite comprises an image editing test using Gimp, a video encoding test using Handbrake, and a multi-tasking test using 7-Zip to archive and encrypt a large batch of files while an HD movie plays in mplayer.
A score of 1,000 means that the test system is as fast as our reference PC, which used a 2.66GHz Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 at stock speed, 2GB of Corsair 1,066MHz DDR2 memory, a 250GB Samsung SpinPoint P120S hard disk and an Asus P5K Deluxe WiFi-AP motherboard. The scoring is linear, so a system scoring 1,200 points is 20 per cent faster than our reference system. Equally, a system scoring 1,200 is 4 per cent faster than a system scoring 1,150.
Far from being some kind of pr0n-filtering tool, Gimp is an open-source image editing application - Gimp is an acronym of GNU Image Manipulation Program. Our test simulates how well a PC can manipulate a collection of large digital photos, and to achieve a low time requires a PC with a powerful CPU, plenty of quick memory and efficient access to storage.
We use the open-source, GPL-licensed, multi-platform, multi-threaded video encoder Handbrake to encode an HD video using the H.264 codec. This primarily tests multi-threaded CPU and memory subsystem performance.
Multi-tasking is a phrase with which we're all familiar, as most of us are now used to running multiple applications at the same time. However, to run multiple applications well you need a powerful (ideally multi-core) CPU and plenty of RAM.
Our multi-tasking test performs a massive file backup (with encryption) using 7-Zip, while simultaneously playing back a HD movie file using mplayer, making it a demanding test for any PC.
Multi-tasking Test
mPlayer and 7-Zip
Intel Core i7 (Sandy Bridge) 1,333MHz CL9
Intel Core i7 (Sandy Bridge) 1,600MHz CL9
Intel Core i7 (Sandy Bridge) 1,866MHz CL9
Intel Core i7 (Sandy Bridge) 2,133MHz CL9
Intel Core i7 (Lynnfield) 1,333MHz CL9
Intel Core i7 (Lynnfield) 1,600MHz CL9
Intel Core i7 (Lynnfield) 1,866MHz CL9
Intel Core i7 (Lynnfield) 2,133MHz CL9
Intel Core i7 (Nehalem) 1,333MHz CL9
Intel Core i7 (Nehalem) 1,600MHz CL9
1449
1511
1596
1629
1327
1394
1509
1584
1351
1484
0
250
500
750
1000
1250
1500
1750
Points, Higher is Better
Points, Higher is Better
Overall Score
The overall score is an unweighted mean average of the scores of the three individual tests. A score of 1,000 means that the test system is as fast as our reference PC, which used a 2.66GHz Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 at stock speed, 2GB of Corsair 1,066MHz DDR2 memory, a 250GB Samsung SpinPoint P120S hard disk and an Asus P5K Deluxe WiFi-AP motherboard. The scoring system is linear, so a system scoring 1,200 points is 20 per cent faster than our reference system. Equally, a system scoring 1,200 is 4 per cent faster than a system scoring 1,150.