To serve today’s PC user, there is a need to tap into previously underutilized compute resources which are available in the form of graphics processing units (GPUs) and their massive parallel compute capabilities. Modern processors, like the Accelerated Processing Unit (APU), have both Central Processing Unit (CPU) and GPU processing engines as well as specialized video and audio hardware, all working together to contribute to the user’s experience and process modern workloads efficiently for outstanding performance with minimal power consumption. Users today expect a rich visual experience and engage with computers like never before; consuming, creating, integrating and sharing high quality audio and video while interacting with their computers through touch, voice and gesture. There is seemingly less interest in what is happening behind the screen and more of an expectation that the system will just work to provide a great experience whether at home or at work. Systems now can include 64-bit multi-core APUs such as AMD’s A-Series APUs. Given this seismic change in usage and user expectation, you would think that benchmarks would have changed to reflect the technology and user’s needs and expectations. The sad reality is that many benchmarks haven’t. Measuring just one task or one type of processing, such as single-core CPU performance, these benchmarks provide a limited view of system performance that does not easily translate to an evaluation of the experience of using the system the user is concerned with.
Is it valid to base buying decisions on benchmarks that only measure one aspect of the processor or are more heavily weighted toward a single, rarely used application? When buying a car is horsepower the only specification you consider on the window sticker at the dealership? Ultimately you are the best judge of what is good for you; in an ideal world, hands-on evaluation of a computer can determine if it will either satisfy your needs or it won’t, simple as that. In today’s online world, hands-on evaluation of a PC is not always realistic, so benchmarks still have an important role to play. There are currently three benchmarks we believe provide a well-rounded picture of modern compute architectures based on the typical workload of today’s consumer and commercial users. Two of them are produced by Futuremark®, a European based organization that is open to the whole computing industry.
