Benchmarking Windows 7 with PCMark Vantage

PCMark Vantage Basic Edition, from Futuremark Corporation, is one of the most popular benchmarking programs for power users. PCMark Vantage has a cool online component that allows you to view your benchmark data and compare it to other users� computers. Additionally, the application generates an overall score that can be used to compare your system to other systems. The comprehensive score that is assigned to your system is the result of numerous test results testing various parts of your computer.

You can download a copy of PCMark Vantage from www.futuremark.com/download/.

The user interface of PCMark Vantage is very simple and easy to use. Simply click the Run PCMark button to start the tests. The free version includes only basic tests that simulate various computer usages to come up with your overall score. The basic system tests include the following:

� PCMark Memories 1: This test includes two simultaneous tasks that test CPU image manipulation and the performance of your HDD importing pictures into the Windows Photo Gallery.

� PCMark Memories 2: This test converts VC-1 HD video to a portable video player format WMV9 and uses two processor cores if available.

� PCMark TV and Movies 1: Two simultaneous tasks run that convert HD DVD video to VC-1 HD video while playing a HD video with SD commentary picture-in-picture.

� PCMark TV and Movies 2: The HDD is tested with Windows Media Center while playing HD DVD.

� PCMark Gaming 1: GPU gaming performance is tested by utilizing vertex shader operations provided by DirectX while data is loaded form the HDD and decompressed in memory.

� PCMark Gaming 2: The CPU is stressed testing artificial intelligence algorithms while the HDD is simultaneously tested.

� PCMark Music 1: Web page rendering is tested while an audio file is converted from MP3 to WMA and music is added to the Windows Media Player library all at the same time.

� PCMark Music 2: Pure CPU test that converts a WAV file to WMA format.

� PCMark Communications 1: AES data encryption is tested while data compression and Windows Mail is tested simultaneously.

� PCMark Communications 2: Three simultaneous tasks run including Web page rendering with multiple tabs in IE8, data encryption and HDD tests with Windows Defender.

� PCMark Productivity 1: Text editing is tested.

� PCMark Productivity 2: Contacts are searched, e-mail messages are searched by keyword, multiple web pages are rendered, and application loading is tested all at the same time.

After you click the Run PCMark button, the system tests will begin.

After the benchmark tests have been completed, you will be shown your system�s overall score. To view the detailed scores of the different tests, you have to register on Futuremark�s web site via the link on your results window. You can find out what hardware really performs and what hardware you should avoid. Overall, the PCMark Vantage web site adds a great amount of value to the application.

Source of Information : Windows 7 Tweaks 2010