Many users feel that performance differences between processors are not significant when it comes to surfing the Web. But this is only the case if the Internet is accessed via a slow modem connection; even then, significant differences can emerge if content (Java applications, PDFs) must be downloaded before execution. If a fast DSL connection is used, processor speed becomes a significant factor.
iBench 5,0 evaluates performance using different Internet technologies, ranging from simple HTML pages with text and diagrams to complex pages with XML and JavaScript; the rendering of PDF documents and the Java Virtual Machine (VM) are also tested.
Intel's Pentium 4 only has the upper hand in the XML test, with a 20 per cent advantage. There are no significant differences between Intel's and AMD's chips in the Java VM test. In the remaining five tests, the Athlon 64 beats the Pentium 4 by between 19 and 66 per cent.
We would like to report further benchmark results in the Internet performance section, but unfortunately BAPCo's WebMark 2004 refused to work with our test systems. It's possible that with a pure XP installation without service packs and Hotfixes is required; the use of older versions of Flash players and Sun's Java VM could also be a problem. Also, iBench 5.0 accepts the most current plug-ins, while WebMark only supports with certain versions. We are working with BAPCo to resolve these problems, and will deliver the performance results in due course.
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AquaMark 3 |
Unreal Tournament 2003 3D Studio Max 6 Video Studio 8 |
6%
1%
