PCMark 2005 Review
PCMark is one of the worlds leading system benchmarking tools, testing all components of your computer. Its purpose is to give the user an overall idea of the performance his system can deliver. The tool stresses all parts of your computer to the highest level to measure the overall performance, therefore making it a valuable tool for overclockers and system tweakers. Some people might disagree with this because of PCMark being a synthetic benchmark which does not show the 'real life' performance of your system. It is true that it performs the same tests on everyones systems, however, this makes it very easy to compare results and to see which parts could need some upgrading.
PCMark05 is the successor to Futuremark's 2002 and 2004 editions. Let's have a look what is new or different in this years version. First, one might notice that PCMark05 needs some time to start up, nearly twice as long as PCMark04. During this time the tool collects all system information and therefore the user won't be able to do anything.
PCMark05 main screen
The visual style of PCMark2005 is nearly the same as 04's look. To the left is the list of selected tests, the center shows information about your system and to the right you can see the test results after you've run the benchmark.
Futuremark has added some new tests, especially to the graphics and cpu test suites. There are some new 3D tests like pixelshader performance and others. PCMark05 now supports measuring dual core processor performance because the user can run some multithreaded tests. The memory suite has been updated with larger blocks to read/write, to meet todays application requirements. The overall system suite is much more balanced testing all your system's components.
Some of the System Suite tests
Overall, there are some tests already known from the former version still applaying today. Some tests have been improved and others are totally new.
Multithreaded CPU test
The custom suite lets the user manually select which tests to run. This is a great way for testing specific parts of your system, e.g. components that you have overclocked. However, the custom feature is only available in the Professional edition of PCMark05 which costs $200 USD. This version also adds features like MS Excel export, batch run or commercial use. Therefore it is intended to be used in professional testing labs. The normal user will be satisfied with the Advanced version of PCMark2005 which can be purchased for the price of $20 USD. Users can also download the Basic edition at no costs which will only allow the System suite to be run.
The final PCMark05 score
After running all chosen benchmarks, PCMark shows the resulting score. The user also gets detailed information about the results of each single test run. The final score can be added to Futuremark's online database, where users can compare their results.
Finally, PCMark05 is a great tool to measure your systems performance. If you tweak your system you can quickly verify if it had any profit. The tool is very easy to use and considering all the features included, the price for the Advance edition is hardly to complain about. If you own PCMark04 you can even upgrade for only $10 USD.
To download the free version of PCMark05 check out the official site and if you want to purchase a better edition access Futuremark's online store.