For the next test, we've taken the same high-end, 3-minute AVI file, and encoded it to MPEG-1 using TMPGEnc Plus 2.5. This is a bit less stressful on the system than our previous MPEG-2 encoding, but is very popular for VCD authoring. The performance results are expressed in the form of time elapsed (minutes: seconds) and as with the MPEG-2 results, a smaller bar denotes less time taken, and therefore higher performance.
The TMPGEnc Plus MPEG-1 performance results mirror those of the higher-end MPEG-2 test, though with faster times. It's still the Pentium 4 3.2E hitting the fastest encode, with the Pentium 4-3.4 GHz EE finishing a very close second. The new Prescott core architecture definitely gives Intel an even greater advantage in multimedia processing, and shows off at least one nice feature of the design.
Also keep in mind that these two TMPGEnc Plus encoding tests were performed with a 3-minute AVI file, so real-world differences could be extrapolated to a 2-hour AVI file encoded to MPEG-1 or -2, and the end result could be a difference of 10-15 minutes or more, even with these high-end processors.
SiSoft SANDRA 2004 is the latest revision of this popular system benchmark, but sticks to its root and supplies a wide range of individual benchmarks and system utilities. The memory bandwidth tests are the most popular section of the SiSoft SANDRA benchmark suite, and highlight the potential performance levels of the CPU-memory subsystem.
The SANDRA Integer memory bandwidth tests come out almost where we expected them to, with the most basic difference being the dual-channel architectures of the Pentium 4 and Athlon FX-51, vs. the single-channel DDR controller of the Athlon 64 3400+. Within the Pentium 4 results, we again see the Pentium 4 3.2E with a slight edge over the Northwood models, owing perhaps to the larger L1/L2 cache and a better hit rate. The Pentium 4 Extreme Edition processors posted nice scores, but surprisingly, couldn't match either the Prescott or Northwood scores. This may be a factor of the large, though slower, L3 cache levels, or simply an issue with the benchmark and the EE architecture.
The SiSoft SANDRA 2004 Floating Point Bandwidth results don't show anything new from the Integer scores, but once again position the Pentium 4/i875P platform as a top-end performer in its class. This is an area where Intel can really make hay, as it can compete with the dual-channel DDR Athlon FX-51, while easily surpassing the scores of the standard Athlon 64 3400+.
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