PCMark05 Pro Performance

PCMark05 Professional is the latest update to the popular PCMark system benchmarking series from FutureMark, and is revamped to highlight current hardware and features additional multithreaded and multi-tasking performance tests. There is the usual selection of individual System, CPU, Memory, Graphics, and Hard Drive benchmark suites, and these continue to bridge the gap between synthetic and application-based benchmarks. For our purposes, the System, CPU and Memory areas will be where we concentrate our benchmarking efforts.

The PCMark05 System benchmark suite includes a wide range of tests, from Windows XP hard drive startup to video and audio encoding, and features a selection of standard desktop routines like text edit, virus scanning, and image decompression. Three of the benchmark scenarios are multithreaded, with the first two including two simultaneous tests, and the final one utilizing four program tests running simultaneously. This helps make the PCMark05 System benchmark a great analysis tool for our dual and quad core processors. For this test, the latest 1.2 patch has been applied.

The Athlon X2 BE-2350 performs as anticipated in the PCMark05 System performance test, and places just behind the Athlon 64 X2 4200+. At only 2.1 GHz, it's still back of the score posted by the Core 2 Duo E6300, but certainly competitive with existing Athlon 64 X2 models.

The PCMark05 Memory benchmarking gives a slight edge to the Intel processors, but the AMD models also place well, even the Athlon X2 BE-2350.

The CPU part of the PCMark05 benchmark also follows right along with the previous tests, and shows the Athlon X2 BE-2350 performing right on par with its 2.1 GHz core speed. It is interesting to see how the AMD dual core processors fare against the Core 2 Duo 2MB and 4MB variants.