Author Archives: Eric Hale

Real performance for real people

on September 6, 2012

As you know by now, HDXPRT 2012 uses real commercial applications and realistic workloads to evaluate PC performance. We believe this approach, where we used the same software you do, and used it to do the same types of work you do, was the best way to relate a PC’s performance to the experience you’ll have.

The point of all this has been to help you answer some of the questions you’d confront when buying a PC. How much of a performance boost does adding memory really give you? Is the faster RAM worth it? How much faster is a new Intel Core i7 processor than a second-generation processor?

This Friday, we’re publishing the HDXPRT 2012 v 1.0 Scaling White Paper, which looks at exactly these issues. To prepare the paper, we took a single system and ran dozens of tests, changing one variable at a time. This let us isolate the effect each component had on performance. We show the effect of changing the following:
• The processor: We compared half a dozen second- and third-generation Intel Core i3, i5, and i7processors.
• The amount of memory: We compared the effect of having 2, 4, 8, and 16 GB of RAM.
• Memory speed and banking: We compared 1,333MHz and 1,600MHz DDR3 RAM. We also looked at the effect of using a single DIMM vs. using two smaller DIMMs for the same total memory amount.
• Drive type: We compared traditional hard disk drives and solid state drives.

Not all workloads reacted the same, so our paper presents the effect of each change on the component scores as well as on the Create HD score. This is the type of information everyone buying a PC needs.

We’re going to have a Webinar at 2 pm ET on Tuesday September 18. We’ll talk about HDXPRT 2012 and take your questions. Details to come.

In addition, we have a new video introducing HDXPRT to system vendors and testers. I hope you enjoy it.

Eric

Comment on this post in the forums

Should something unexpected happen

By Eric Hale

on August 3, 2012

HDXPRT 2012 is out, and I hope you’ve had the opportunity to start testing with it.

While we have worked hard to make HDXPRT as solid as possible, it’s possible that you may encounter a problem at some point. If that happens, we want to hear about it. Here a few things you can do that will help us solve your problem as quickly as possible.

When HDXPRT fails, it typically creates a folder on the desktop. This folder contains error information and information about the test system. The folder is named “HDXPRT Error Report” suffixed with date and time. For example, HDXPRT Error Report_04-13-12_11-24-00. Zip that directory and send it, along with a brief description of the problem, to HDXPRTsupport@principledtechnologies.com.

Please also include any information you think would be helpful. For example, if you are testing with an OEM version of the operating system, we may be unable to duplicate your problem using a default install of the same operating system. Someone will get back to you within one business day.

To make information about any bugs and their solutions available to the community, we will post it on the forum. If you would prefer not to be acknowledged on the forum, just let us know and we will preserve your anonymity.

Thanks again for your interest.

Eric

Comment on this post in the forums

Posted in HDXPRT 2012 |

HDXPRT 2012 Media Benchmark Now Available

By Eric Hale

on July 27, 2012

The HDXPRT Development Community, which Principled Technologies (PT) administers, is pleased to announce the release of the HDXPRT 2012 benchmark.

HDXPRT 2012 is a benchmark for evaluating the capabilities of PCs in consumer digital media usages.

Because people use their systems so differently, HDXPRT 2012 lets you look at your system’s performance for a number of different uses. While HDXPRT 2011 combined all media creation into a single score, HDXPRT 2012 expands that to five use cases: Media Organizer, Media Creator, Photo Blogger, Video Producer, and Music Maker. The HDXPRT 2012 design document on our Web site explains these in detail. There is also a total score that combines all of the five cases to give an overall measure of the system’s speed.

HDXPRT 2012 includes more applications than HDXPRT 2011. The four new applications are Audacity 2.0, CyberLink PowerDirector 10, GIMP 2.6.11, and HandBrake/x264 0.9.5.

PT will ship the release discs to all registered HDXPRT Development Community members. Because of its large size, the benchmark is not available for download. Instructions for obtaining the benchmark are at http://www.hdxprt.com.

Members of the HDXPRT Development Community significantly influenced the development of the benchmark by providing feedback on the initial design specifications and participating in Beta testing.

Visit the official HDXPRT Development Community Web site, http://www.hdxprt.com, to learn how you can participate in the development of future versions of HDXPRT and stay up to date on the latest information regarding the benchmark. The Community also has a presence on Facebook and Twitter.

About HDXPRT
HDXPRT, the High Definition eXperience & Performance Ratings Test, is a software tool for evaluating the capabilities of PCs at handling real-world digital media scenarios and common consumer applications. It includes tests for popular consumer usage models such as high-definition video transcoding, high dynamic range (HDR) photo manipulation, as well as mixing and editing music.

About Principled Technologies, Inc.
Principled Technologies, Inc. is a leading provider of technology marketing and assessment services. The founders, Mark Van Name and Bill Catchings, have worked together in technology assessment for over 25 years. As journalists, they published over a thousand articles on a wide array of technology subjects. They created and led the Ziff-Davis Benchmark Operation, which developed such industry-standard benchmarks as stone and WebBench. They have also co-founded or led several other technology testing firms including ZD Labs, eTesting Labs, and VeriTest.

Principled Technologies, Inc. is located in Durham, North Carolina, USA. For more information, please visit http://www.principledtechnologies.com.

Company Contact
Eric Hale
Principled Technologies, Inc.
1007 Slater Road
Suite 300
Durham, NC 27703
ehale@principledtechnologies.com
www.principledtechnologies.com

Posted in BenchmarkXPRT Press Releases, HDXPRT Press Releases, Press Releases |

As we get close to the release

By Eric Hale

on July 20, 2012

As we get close to the release of HDXPRT 2012, I wanted to let you know how it compares with the original design specification. You’ll find the complete list of differences below.

In any software project, there are differences between the original design and the final product. Generally, things have stayed pretty close with HDXPRT 2012. A number of these changes were discussed on the HDXPRT blog. We’ve noted in parentheses the title and date of the relevant blog entry.

We’re looking forward to the release of HDXPRT2012. We can’t wait to hear what you do with it!

Eric

HDXPRT does not support 32-bit operating systems. (“Bye, bye 32 bits?” March 2, 2011)
Because of difficulties with scripting, Picassa is not part of HDXPRT 2012. (“Change is inevitable,” April 27, 2012)
Audacity 2.0 with Windows 7 debuted after we released the design document, so we are using that version rather than Audacity 1.3.14beta in HDXPRT 2012. (“Change is inevitable,” April 27, 2012)
We removed the video playback tests from HDXPRT 2012. (“More HDXPRT 2012 changes,” May 11, 2012) Consequently, Adobe Flash Player 11, which was only used in the playback tests, is not part of HDXPRT 2012.
Simplified Chinese is not supported.
The specs for the calibration system are below. The design spec had recommended changing to Intel Pentium G860.
- Processor: Intel E6800, 3.3 GHz
- Graphics: Intel G45 Express Chipset
- Memory: 4 GB
- Hard disk: 1 TB HDD
- OS: Windows 7 Ultimate Service Pack 1
During testing, we were able to reduce the minimum requirements from those in the Design Document. The current minimum requirements are as follows:
Processor: Intel dual-core 2.0GHz processor or equivalent
Memory: 2 GB
Free disk space: 40 GB
Video display settings: 1,024 x 768, 24-bit color
DVD ROM to install HDXPRT
Microsoft Windows 7, 64-bit (Language: US English)

Comment on this post in the forums

Posted in HDXPRT, HDXPRT 2012, HDXPRT 2012 beta, HDXPRT Development Community benefits |

Counting down

By Eric Hale

on July 6, 2012

We’ve been hard at work since the end of the beta period, driving toward the release of HDXPRT 2012. Things are looking good. The RTM is coming soon, so we thought we’d share the next few milestones with you.

RTM candidate: 7/13/12. At this point, we stop development. There are no feature changes after this point.
HDXPRT 2012 launch: 7/27/12. Having tested the RTM and manufactured the DVDs, we mail the benchmark to the community members. This is when the press release goes out. It’s also when we publish the HDXPRT 2012 white paper. Unlike the design document, this paper will explain HDXPRT 2012 to the general public.
Webinar: 8/3/28 – We talk about HDXPRT 2012 and take your questions.
First scaling paper: 8/31/12. As with HDXPRT 2011, we will be publishing a set of scaling studies. The first will test several modern desktop processors, looking at factors such as varying the amount of RAM, comparing HDDs to SSDs, and comparing internal graphics to a couple of popular graphics cards.
Second scaling paper: 9/28/12. In this paper, we expand on the testing we did in the first scaling paper.

We will release an update of HDXPRT 2012 that supports Windows 8 and includes bug fixes within a month of Windows 8 launch.

We’re very excited about the release of HDXPRT 2012, and look forward to seeing what you do with it!

Eric

Comment on this post in the forums

Posted in Application-based benchmarks, Collaborative benchmark development, HDXPRT, HDXPRT 2012, HDXPRT 2012 beta, HDXPRT development process, HDXPRT release cycle |

Keep them coming

By Eric Hale

on June 22, 2012

At the beginning of June we mailed out the HDXPRT 2012 beta to the members of the Development community. This has been an exciting week, as the feedback has started coming in. We want to thank everyone who’s been using the benchmark.

We really appreciate the results you’ve been sending. Obviously, we can’t test every possible configuration in our lab, and it’s very reassuring to see good results coming from configurations we haven’t tried.

Of course it is a beta, and there are still wrinkles to iron out. The error logs we’ve been getting may not be gratifying, but they are enormously helpful. The more problems we see now, the better we can make the release version of HDXPRT 2012.

One of our members asked about the terms of use for HDXPRT 2012. For the final version, the terms will be the same as for HDXPRT 2011—it is free for download and you are free to publish results. The beta, however, is only available to community members. You cannot publish the results from the beta because things could still change. (If you haven’t joined the community yet, click this link <a href=”http://hdxprt.com/includes/join_us_2.php”>Register for HDXPRT</a>)

If you have questions, please do send them. We’ll get you an answer, and post the answers on the forum.

The comment period ends June 29th, so there’s still a week left. Please send compliments, complaints, results, errors—anything you think would make for a better benchmark. We take every comment seriously, and appreciate them more than we can say.

Eric

Comment on this post in the forums

Posted in HDXPRT 2012 beta, HDXPRT Development Community benefits, Let us know your thoughts |

Author Archives: Eric Hale

Real performance for real people

Should something unexpected happen

HDXPRT 2012 Media Benchmark Now Available

The HDXPRT Development Community, which Principled Technologies (PT) administers, is pleased to announce the release of the HDXPRT 2012 benchmark.

As we get close to the release

Counting down

Keep them coming

Check out the other XPRTs: