Re: GS Benchmarking ?

[mjmahon@aol.com (Michael J. Mahon)]

vector wrote:

>In 1997, mailto:GUDATH@EZINFO.VMSMAIL.ETHZ.CH writes:
>
>> There is a software called "Speed Test" that is benchmarking QuickDraw
>> performance. It's drawing an awful lot of text, boxes, lines etc. and then
>> gives you a count. We have been using that software extensively.
>
>> From my weak memory, Speed Test gives earlier versions of Bernie a count of
>> 4500 (601/66), Turbo 3 has 3800 (601/66), Warp 5 2200 (601/66) or 800
>> (603/200). (This is really just ballpark.)
>
>> What would be interesting is a real benchmarking software for testing SCSI
>I/O,
>> integer performance, floating point (SANE or FPE/NC), graphics as Speed
>Test
>> does, etc. OTOH, Speed Test is testing real-world performance, so I think
>it
>> does a pretty good job.
>
>Was such a benchmark ever developed?  I'm aware of the Dhrystone
>benchmark included with GNO/ME, but I'm not terribly interested in
>installing GNO/ME right now, and especially not just to use a single
>benchmarking app.
>
>And since I realise there's some debate, let me just say that I'm
>aware of the subjectiveness of benchmarks.  I want one anyway.  :)

A suite of benchmarks, to measure the capabilities of specific
subsystems is useful.

Dhrystone is a processor benchmark, but it bears little resemblance
to what any application would do with a processor.  About the only
thing it could do is determine the clock frequency ratios between
two otherwise identical CPUs.  ;-)

A small set of common applications, with "automated" operation
for repeatability, makes a fine suite--realistic and easy to relate to
the real world by users.

Since emulators are an increasingly important thing to benchmark,
and they can behave _very_ differently from a real IIgs in specific
operations, so it is appropriate to have separate benchmarks for
the video subsystem, the sound subsystem, the processor, and,
say, a simulated floppy and a simulated hard disk.

-michael

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