SiSoft SANDRA XI Bandwidth Performance
SiSoft SANDRA XI is a very popular system benchmark, and each revision sticks to its roots and supplies a wide range of individual benchmarks and system utilities. These tests include processor, system, network, and hard drive benchmarks, along with many other performance metrics. The memory bandwidth test is the most popular section of the SiSoft SANDRA benchmark suite, and it highlights the potential performance levels of the CPU-memory subsystem. As the Integer and FPU memory bandwidth scores are quite similar, we are only including the first one in our benchmark testing.
SiSoft SANDRA includes a range of memory and cache-related benchmarks, and it definitely makes a great fit for our mainstream processor testing. The memory bandwidth scores again favor the Athlon 64-based dual core processors, and SANDRA XI can obviously take full advantage of the integrated memory controller. The Athlon X2 BE-2350 posts a very impressive score for an entry-level processor, outpacing both the Intel Core 2 Duo E6300 and E6600 models.
The SiSoft SANDRA XI Cache & Memory benchmark goes well beyond memory performance, and measures the bandwidth of the combined processor cache and memory subsystem. This test can show off the architectural advantages of each processor, as well as the benefits of larger and faster L1/L2 data caches, and help give us an overall view of how the processor and memory match up in high-speed data transfers.
This particular benchmark test certainly gives the advantage to the Intel Core 2-based models, and even the 1.86 GHz Core 2 Duo outperforms the Athlon 64 X2 5000+. The entry-level Athlon X2 BE-2350 performs up to expectations, and doesn't show any perform impact from such a low-power unit.
Multi-Threaded Performance
As we are covering multi-core processors, a more in-depth look at multi-threaded processor performance is certainly warranted - without the limitations of single-threaded applications or component-specific benchmarks. In this set of tests, we offer up two different multi-threaded tests: CINEBENCH 9.5 and WinRAR.
CINEBENCH 9.5 Performance
CINEBENCH 9.5 is the latest update to this performance suite, which utilizes CINEMA 4D for both CPU and video-based testing. We're concentrating on the multi-threaded CPU benchmark, processes a large, detailed image file on-screen, times the overall performance, and displays the results. CINEBENCH 2003 was multi-threaded as well, but it simply split the task into equal portions (per logical or physical cores) and let it run. CINEBENCH 9.5 upgrades this considerably, and dynamically shifts processing on the fly. Therefore, if one core is finished its job, the program automatically segments the remainder, thereby speeding up processing times considerably. Another factor of this change is that it rewards true physical cores, while lowering performance on Hyper-Threaded systems.
The CINEBENCH 9.5 benchmarking shows a very even race between the AMD and Intel processors, and we see the Athlon X2 BE-2350 coming extremely close to matching the Core 2 Duo E6300. Other AMD vs. Intel comparisons are available, as is the discrepancy between an entry-level and mainstream Core 2 Duo models.
WinRAR 3.62 Performance
WinRAR is one of the most popular compression programs, and it even includes an internal benchmark program that measures the performance of the RAR compression and decompression algorithm using a demanding worst-case data set. This multi-threaded test offers a data throughput rating, and while it does not relate specifically to cache or memory transfers, we have found that the overall throughput numbers do adhere closely to the overall architecture. A faster clock speed certainly helps, but the score also ties in closely with memory, cache and CPU performance.
WinRAR is another benchmark test that helps show off the real-world improvements of a dual-core processor. The Athlon X2 BE-2350 shows a performance score in line with the other Athlon 64 X2 models, while remaining back of the Core 2 Duo processors.
