Dual core shoot-out: Intel versus AMD

Kai Schmerer ZDNet Germany

Published: 03 Nov 2005

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Go to section: Introduction Test setup Memory & cache performance Application performance Video & audio performance Rendering performance Conclusion

Application performance

The Business Winstone and Content Creation Winstone benchmarks carry out typical application-based tasks such as converting video files or creating a PowerPoint presentation. The following applications are used:

Content Creation Winstone 2004 (at 1600 by 1200 resolution)

• Adobe Photoshop 7.0.1
• Adobe Premiere 6.50
• Macromedia Director MX 9.0
• Macromedia Dreamweaver MX 6.1
• Microsoft Windows Media Encoder 9.0
• Internet Explorer
• Newtek Lightwave 7.5b
• Steinberg Wavelab 4.0f

Business Winstone 2004 (at 1600 by 1200 resolution)

• 5 Microsoft Office XP applications (Access, Excel, FrontPage, PowerPoint, Word)
• Microsoft Project 2002
• Microsoft Outlook
• Winzip 8.1
• Norton Anti-Virus 2003
• Internet Explorer

Business Winstone 2004 has two modes. In the standard test, there is no multitasking: several applications are loaded in memory, but only the foreground application is active. This corresponds to the work routine of a Web designer, for example, who first prepares graphical elements in Photoshop and then integrates them into a Web site using Dreamweaver.

There is also a multitasking mode in Business Winstone 2004 (BWS-MT Overall), in which the background applications are active. Business Winstone 2004 can also simulate different multitasking scenarios (BWS-MT Test 1, 2 and 3).

In the first scenario (BWS-MT Test 1) files are copied in the background, while Outlook and Internet Explorer process tasks in the foreground. The second scenario (BWS-MT Test 2) starts with Word and Excel in the foreground with Winzip files being compressed in the background. The third scenario (BWS-MT Test 2) runs a Norton Anti-Virus scan in the background, while all of the Microsoft Office programs are busy with tasks in the foreground.

Under Business Winstone 2004 (BWS04), the AMD processors are clearly the superior performers. Only in the multitasking test can Intel's chips keep up with their AMD counterparts.

Content Creation Winstone 2004 (CCWS04) lacks a multitasking mode, but many of the component programs in this benchmark are multithreaded. The AMD processors are the winners here, too. Even the entry-level $328 Athlon 64 X2 3800+ is faster than Intel's $999 Pentium EE 840.

It's worth noting that Intel's processors perform better under BAPCo's SYSmark thanks to its greater prevalence of Pentium 4-optimised applications. Ideally, a performance test should go beyond standard benchmark suites, and in the following pages we test AMD's and Intel's dual core chips with current applications from the audio, video and 3D-rendering markets.

Dual core processors are not particularly relevant to 3D gaming -- highly clocked single core processors such as the Athlon 64 FX57 or Pentium 4 670 are more suitable for this market. As a result, we have only tested with one game, Farcry, here: once again, the AMD chips deliver the best performance.

Business and Content Creation Winstone 2004 (bigger is better)
CPU	Athlon 64 X2	Athlon 64 X2	Pentium D	Pentium EE
Model number	3800+	4800+	820	840
CCWS04	37.7	40.7	29.8	33.4
BWS04	26.4	29.0	22.7	24.7
BWS-MT Overall	3.23	3.51	3.06	3.14
BWS-MT Test 1	2.55	2.56	2.72	2.89
BWS-MT Test 2	2.68	2.69	2.39	2.48
BWS-MT Test 3	3.96	4.75	3.56	3.58
Farcry Regulator (640)	141.9fps	169.6fps	120.4fps	130.0fps

 

Go to section: Introduction Test setup Memory & cache performance Application performance Video & audio performance Rendering performance Conclusion

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