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Subject: Re: Some benchmarks...

Author: Aaron Gordon

Date: 15:04:21 04/29/03

Go up one level in this thread


On April 29, 2003 at 17:51:19, Keith Evans wrote:

>On April 29, 2003 at 17:45:25, Aaron Gordon wrote:
>
>>On April 29, 2003 at 15:00:51, Robert Hyatt wrote:
>>
>>>On April 29, 2003 at 14:36:39, Aaron Gordon wrote:
>>>
>>>>On April 29, 2003 at 14:20:08, Tom Kerrigan wrote:
>>>>
>>>>>On April 29, 2003 at 10:48:24, Aaron Gordon wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>>On April 29, 2003 at 02:38:17, Tom Kerrigan wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>On April 27, 2003 at 16:32:10, Aaron Gordon wrote:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>On April 27, 2003 at 14:50:27, Tom Kerrigan wrote:
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>On April 26, 2003 at 22:25:47, Aaron Gordon wrote:
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>On April 26, 2003 at 21:11:59, Tom Kerrigan wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>I checked Aaron's story with his contact at AMD. The guy said that AMD didn't
>>>>>>>>>>>allow performance testing with the memory _overclocked_, but it certainly isn't
>>>>>>>>>>>underclocked. This makes perfect sense to me. (If you allow overclocking memory,
>>>>>>>>>>>why wouldn't you also overclock the processor? Then all your benchmarks are
>>>>>>>>>>>worthless.)
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>So SPEC is comparing non-overclocked Intel to non-overclocked AMD and Intel
>>>>>>>>>>>wins.
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>-Tom
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>When I ran the tests I recalled seeing some information where the P4 was running
>>>>>>>>>>CAS2 and the like. The settings I was told to use put me at CAS 2.5.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>It sounds like you don't really know what configs Intel uses for SPEC testing.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>How would this be 'fair'? Same thing happens on some review pages, but to a much
>>>>>>>>>>larger degree. As I have proven in the past tomshardware has actually run the
>>>>>>>>>>memory lower than the bus on the athlons tested, put the AGP to 1x, etc.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>I think we can all agree that review pages may be biased. My point was that SPEC
>>>>>>>>>is not biased, because the vendors are submitting their own scores.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>I've said this many, many times already. AMD told me to run CL2.5. I've seen
>>>>>>>>them do the same thing for the SPEC benchmark. Try reading the lawsuit message I
>>>>>>>>posted here again. I'm sure they'd run the fastest timings in the bios if they
>>>>>>>>could. I can, and have, and don't have anything to fear from Intel.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>slow. I went and 'rented' one myself. I compared a few clock speeds, I'll post
>>>>>>>>>>what I have so far but the most for now will be just the max both systems could
>>>>>>>>>>do.
>>>>>>>>>>GCC (Linux kernel compile times)
>>>>>>>>>>XP-2.50GHz: 119.5 seconds
>>>>>>>>>>P4-3.32GHz: 126.87 seconds
>>>>>>>>>>Gzip:
>>>>>>>>>>P4-3.32GHz: 25.340 seconds
>>>>>>>>>>XP-2.50GHz: 26.060 seconds
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>etc. Your gcc test shows a 41% improvement in IPC for the Athlon, vs. the 9%
>>>>>>>>>improvement in official SPEC submissions. You get a 29% improvement in Gzip vs.
>>>>>>>>>a 22% improvement. How do you explain this? You're obviously a big AMD fan, why
>>>>>>>>>should I think your results are somehow more accurate than results from the
>>>>>>>>>companies themselves?
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>-Tom
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>I'm only a fan of whats fastest. Also, if I see a good product getting reviewed
>>>>>>>>or tested poorly I'm going to make a comment. AMD, Intel, Cyrix/VIA, doesn't
>>>>>>>>matter.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>First of all, I used the fastest timings on both systems. I didn't run CL2.5 as
>>>>>>>>some of the SPEC systems run. I used the fastest drivers I could find on both
>>>>>>>>systems. The point is.. when both systems are configured so they just can't
>>>>>>>>possibly go ANY faster this is what you get. Believe what you want, doesn't
>>>>>>>>matter to me either way. I'm just reporting my test results.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>Can you run the same tests with slower memory settings? Do you see a 30%
>>>>>>>difference?
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>-Tom
>>>>>>
>>>>>>When I was doing the Quake3 benchmarks for AMD I saw a little over 20% drop in
>>>>>>FPS from running the slow memory timings. This is why I was wanting them to use
>>>>>>the CAS-2.0, 4-bank interleave, etc settings.. because it beat the crap out of
>>>>>>the P4-2GHz they were testing again. With the timings at the slowest settings
>>>>>>the 1900+/1.6GHz lost by a few fps.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>I didn't try slower timings in the other benchmarks. I'm only interested in what
>>>>>>the systems could at their peak.
>>>>>
>>>>>Interested or not, this indicates that your memory timing explanation probably
>>>>>doesn't entirely explain the differences between your benchmarking and official
>>>>>SPEC submissions.
>>>>>
>>>>>-Tom
>>>>
>>>>The bit of testing I did in the past with crapped out memory timings did prove
>>>>that the memory settings helped. I only said I RECENTLY tested Quake3, that
>>>>doesn't mean I didn't do any testing at all. If I hadn't I wouldn't be making
>>>>such a fuss over this stuff. The ram settings DO help a lot. As I said before,
>>>>you're welcome to telnet into my machine and run the tests yourself.
>>>
>>>\
>>>However, in the case of Intel or AMD, I'd suspect that if they want to test
>>>using cas 2.5 memory at 133mhz, then they would be hesitant to run that memory
>>>at cas 2.0 even if it would run.  Since it is outside the spec provided by the
>>>manufacturer of the memory itself.
>>>
>>>I can't imagine a vendor wanting to publish SPEC numbers, and then have a huge
>>>press release 6 months later saying "vendor used unsafe memory timing to produce
>>>a lead in SPEC numbers..." when that unsafe timing fails for someone else.
>>>
>>>specifications are specifications.  Going beyond them invites trouble.  I'm
>>>running a Merc V6 outboard and I have taken the compression to extreme levels,
>>>as well as RPM.  And I have had to rebuild the thing at _my_ expense when it
>>>comes apart due to my exceeding the specs, even if it were still in the warranty
>>>period.  I accept that without a hassle.
>>>
>>>Just because John Tiger can run his stock merc at 7500 against an advertised
>>>peak rpm of 6500 does _not_ mean that someone else is going to be able to do
>>>it with success...
>>>
>>>Same for memory, or anything else.  I trust the manufacturers to test and decide
>>>on what the upper bounds are, and I live within those if I want reliability.
>>>For racing someone up and down the river here, I want horsepower, with
>>>reliability a distant second place overall.  But the average mom and pop that
>>>take their runabout out for a Sunday afternoon of skiing or pulling a tube
>>>around the lake want _reliability_.  And that is what Mercury/Evinrude/Intel/AMD
>>>want to provide...
>>>
>>>Us "hot rodders" want something different, but we don't necessarily have to push
>>>_our_ wants down "mom and pops" throats...
>>
>>I completely understand, but I'm curious as to the rating Corsair put on the ram
>>itself. I emailed them about it and will post the response here if I get one.
>
>Also if this is why the manager wouldn't let you run with CL=2, then I would ask
>him why he didn't just let you stuff in a faster DIMM. I don't think that
>Corsair even sells this one any more. (I may have missed it.)

Yeah, they don't unfortunately. At the time though I didn't have any faster
dimms, the Corsair PC2400XMS CL2 was the fastest stuff out.



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