Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9650 Review - Page 3

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 Core 2 Extreme QX9650 starts to show its muscle right off the bat, posting the top PCMark05 System score in the roundup. While not a significant improvement, the enhanced 45nm architecture does pay dividends compared to the 3.0 GHz Core 2 Extreme QX6850.

The CPU portion of the PCMark05 includes some multi-threaded tests, and gives a definite advantage to the quad core processors. The Core 2 Extreme QX9650 still comes out on top, and by a noticeable margin, finishing well ahead of both the Core 2 Extreme QX6850 and QX6700.

The PCMark05 Memory benchmarks show how both an increase in bus speed and core speed can translate into higher memory scores, not even mentioning the DDR2-1066 memory upgrade. Intel competes very well against AMD in this test, and while the Athlon 64 X2 6000+ outpaces the Core 2 Extreme QX6700, that's as far up the chart as it goes.