Benchmark Analysis: Comparing the AMD 910e and Intel 2400s Processors - Essay Example

?Benchmark Analysis: AMD 910e vs. Intel 2400S Processors Introduction Benchmarking in computing is a standard testing procedure whose objective is mainly to assess the actual computing power of a Central Processing Unit or CPU (also called processor) when it is used in various tasks. The usual aspects that are tested in a benchmarking process are power, speed, performance of a microprocessor and the ability to multi-task various applications at once. The tests included in benchmarking will depend on the use of the processor whether it will be used in the home or in business. For example, businesses require processors with appropriate architecture that will allow a maximum use of their IT environment, yet stable at the same time (Moore p. 169). For this paper, two of the stiffest competitors in microprocessor manufacturing will be featured: Intel with its Core i5-2400S, and; AMD’s Phenom II X4 910e. These processors were launched in the market in 2011 January and 2010 January, respectively. Table 1 shows the comparative specifications of these two processors. The Benchmarks and their Analysis A. Integer Math Test This test measures the speed and capacity of a processor to perform mathematical non-fractional numbers operations by using random 32-bit and 64-bit integers for basic mathematical operations such as addition, subtraction, division and multiplication at integer buffers of 240kb per core (CPU Benchmark 2010). Intel Core i5-2400S: 28456 MHz AMD 910e: 18925 MHz In the above stats, Intel Core i5-2400S was tested using AIDA64-CPU Queen, which performs a high memory read/write traffic and therefore not ideal for more than a single thread system because of the possibility of creating a bottleneck leading to low scores (Vortez2011). AMD 910e was tested using the Everest Ultimate Edition (higher is better), using Vincent Rijmen, Antoon Bosselaers and Pablo Barreto’s public domain C code in ECB mode, which uses 48MB memory and fundamental x36 instructions (Wu 2010, p. 7). B. Compression Test Using memory buffers of 16kb per core, the compression test gauges how fast a processor can compress large blocks of data into smaller ones without any original data being lost in the process. The ability to compress is an important function in software application. The result of this test is in kb/second (CPU Benchmark 2010). Intel Core i5-2400S: 125 kb/sec AMD 910e: 133 kb/sec Intel Core i5-2400S was tested using the WinRAR 4.0 utility (Gavrichenkov 2011, p.4) while the AMD was tested using the WinRar Workload utility where data is randomly generated containing deliberately introduced redundancy to increase the load in the CPU and memory. The algorithm then compresses and decompresses the data (Wu p. 5). C. Prime Number Test The Prime Number Test gauges the speed of the processor in searching for prime numbers or numbers that are divisible only by 1 and by itself such as the numbers 1, 2, 3, 5, 7 and 11. The algorithm used for this operation uses the same loops and operations that are standard in most computers without any memory buffer (CPU Benchmark 2010). D. Encryption Test This test gauges the speed of the computer to encrypt blocks of data, an operation employed by users to store data, which can be accessed only by the user with the encryption key. It uses the blowfish algorithm and shares many of the operations used in the math test except for the large binary data manipulation and mathematical operations such as ‘to the power of’ (CPU Benchmark 2010). Intel Core i5-2400S: 372733 (traditional DES) AMD 910e: 93.4 The Intel 2400S was tested with John the Ripper v1.7.8, which uses the blowfish algorithm (OpenBenchMarking 2011), while the AMD 910e was tested using TrueCrypt, which is an open-source encryption package. Two hundred MB was used to run the utility that gives back an AES-Twofish-Serpent mean score. E. Floating Point Math Test A similar test to the integer math test, the floating point test measures the speed of a processor to perform basic mathematical operations involving fractions, but is tested separately from integers because the processor deals differently with each type. The memory buffer for this test is 4kb per core (CPU Benchmark 2010). Intel Core i5-2400S: 71.13 sec. AMD 910e: 10.223 In the above figures, the Intel processor was tested using the C-Ray v1.1 (less is better) AMD stat was obtained after subjecting the processor to an Excel Big Number Crunch (the lower the better). F. 3D Now Test This test gauges the capability of the processor for Streaming SIMD extensions or SSE. The SSE capability allows a computer to process large blocks of data at a fast speed allowing 128bit floating point in both mathematical and logical operations (CPU Benchmark 2010). Intel Core i5-2400S: 201 sec AMD 910e: 121.79 sec (Vista); 121.45 (Windows 7) The Intel processor was tested using Smallpt v1.0 (less is better), without differentiating the OS (OpenBenchMarking 2011). The AMD 910e result was reported using the POV-Ray for the rendering speed (lower is better) using all cores where the technique of ray-tracing was used to calculate the screen image (Apong 2010). G. String Sorting Test The string sorting test measures the speed of a processor to sort strings, a common computer operation, using the qSort algorithm. This sorting algorithm is known as a divide and conquer algorithm because it first divides lists into low and high elements sub-lists and then sort them (CPU Benchmark 2010). Intel Core i5-2400S: 2689.61 tps (transation per sec) Using Apache Benchmark v2.2.17, this test was obtained for the Intel processor (more is better). No information could be found for the AMD processor. H. Physics Test The Physics test determines the speed of the processor in calculating the physics interactions of hundreds of objects that are crashing into each other with the use of the Tokamak Physics Engine (CPU Benchmark 2010). AMD 910e: 222.90834 (Vista); 223.19463 (Windows 7) The AMD benchmarking used the ScienceMark 2.3 (lower is better). None could be found for the Intel processor. I. Power Management Efficiency Test This test measures the ability of the processor to operate at an efficient power. AMD 910e: 65 watts Intel 2400S: 15.9 w (idle); 55.8 w (burn) In the figures above, the Intel stat was obtained after loading the 64-bit LinX 0.6.4 utility and enabling the C1E and Enhanced Intel SpeedStep (Gavrichenkov 2011, 6). On the other hand, the AMD power management efficiency is pegged at a low 65 watts using Stress Prime or SP2004 (PCSTATS 2010). Conclusion Since the tests for the same type were conducted using different utilities and software, there is not enough basis to conclude which of the two processors is better. However, there are a few of these tests in which the gap between the results may be safe enough to sustain a premise that one may be better than the other only in that particular category. In the math integer test, for instance, it is evident that the Intel processor leads the other considering the gap between their speed, but the reverse can be said when it comes to the 3D Now Test, where the AMD processor’s specs has better performance than the Intel processor. In the power management efficiency, the stats are almost even for the two processors, with the Intel at a slight advantage over the other. There is too much inexplicable gap between the floating point math test and therefore there must be quite a difference between the methods used in the respective test software. Works Cited (2011) Intel Core i5-2400S Processor. Intel. http://ark.intel.com/products/52208. CPU Benchmarks. PassMark Software. http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu_test_info.html. Stoltz, Dan. AMD Phenom II X4 910e 2.6GHz 65W TDP Processor Review. 2010 January. http://www.legitreviews.com/article/1195/3/. Wu, Victor. ‘AMD 65W Quad and Dual Core Processors: Phenom II X4 910e and Athlon II X2 255.’ Bjorn3d. January 2010. http://www.bjorn3d.com/read.php?cID=1784&pageID=8396. Moore, Ronald. Benchmarking 100 Success Secrets - The Basics, the Guide on How to Measure, Manage and Improve Performance Based on Industry Best Practices. Lulu.com, 2008. Vortez (2011) Intel Core i5 2300 2400 2500K Sandy Bridge Review. 2011. http://www.vortez.net/articles_pages/intel_core_i5_2300_2400_2500k_sandy_bridge_rev iew.html. OpenBenchMarking. Intel Core i5 2400S. 2011. http://openbenchmarking.org/result/1108306- LI-INTELCORE08. Apong, J. AMD Phenom II X4 910e 2.6 GHz Quad Core 65 Watts Processor review. Pcstats. http://www.pcstats.com/articleview.cfm?articleID=2491. Gavrichenkov, Ilya. Energy-Efficient Sandy Bridge: Intel Core i5-2400S CPU Review. Xbit. http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu/display/core-i5-2400s_4.html. Read More