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Benchmark Software For Windows 7 Rollout?
tdisalvo writes "We are doing a Windows 7 rollout and I will have to compare major PC vendors. I am looking for vendor-neutral tests that will give me the data I need to present an educated opinion to my CIO. Clear, pretty charts are nice since it is for C level execs, and we need to make it understandable for nontechnical as well as technical people. More specifically, I am looking for something that will clearly show how the same processor performs (better or worse) with a particular build, motherboard, RAM, power supply, etc. My plan is to get very similar machines from major vendors and see which one's build has the highest independent benchmarks. Something with which I could test multiple computers and report on the differences in score would be ideal."
As usual, free is an advantage.
Phoronix Test Suite ( http://www.phoronix-test-suite.com/ ) supports Win7 now. It also allows comparison against OSX and Linux ( http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=linux_windows_part3&num=1 ).
It's Free, it's Open Source and has a bucketload of tests already. You can combine result sets and you can even get the results uploaded for comparison at http://global.phoronix-test-suite.com/
Creating your own tests is nice and easy too.
(Full disclosure - I am one of the project members).
This is pointless. Really. All the machines will test within a few percent of each other. It's not like a Dell is significantly faster than an HP (especially if the software image is the same).
If the machines have different CPU/Chipsets/Video Cards, that's a different story, but a PC -is- really just the sum of its parts.
Tell the C-level execs that the best value would be to skip the benchmark and go right to the bidding, let the vendors undercut each other for an extra month.
"Sometimes, I think Trent just needs a cup of hot chocolate and a blankie." -Tori Amos on Nine Inch Nails
"Runs On Linux, OpenSolaris, Mac OS X, Windows 7, & BSD Operating Systems"
according to the link you posted
'...if only "Jumping to a Conclusion" was an event in the Olympics.'
Yeah. You won't need more than 1Gig of RAM, and the slowest processor processor you can get with a Windows 7 bundle should be plenty enough for IE, Office, and Adobe Reader, which is pretty much the basics across the board in the Corporate world.
Unless you are using some software that demands more specs, than the benchmarks shouldn't be the primary concern, it should be the price.
Not to slashvertise, but we use the Optiplexes from Dell, and besides the cheap price for decent specs, the best part about them is screw-less maintenance. You will never need a Screwdriver to replace any component on a Dell desktop. I never realized how great it was until my parents wanted me to add RAM to their 5 year old Compaq's and HP's. I'm not sure if other vendors have started doing this yet, I hope so.
(1) Pricing.
(2) Reliability/Warranty.
(3) Driver compatibility. Gets rid of most of the issues related to stability.
The fastest processor is useless for word processing, web browsing, and Outlook.
A NYC lawyer blogs. http://www.chuangblog.com/
Windows 7 and your average suite of corporate crapware (anti-virus, monitoring tools, Outlook and Word, etc) will burn through 1G of memory just getting started.
If you are paying the piper to upgrade desktops and roll out a new OS, might as well kick in the extra $75 and get 3Gig of RAM.
That said, if OP is intent on comparing the performance of desktops I say forget comparing across vendors (HP, Dell, IBM) and compare configurations instead (same box with 1G vs 3G of RAM, 5400rpm drives vs 7200rpm drives vs SSDs, video cards, etc.) Then forget the benchmarks and just compare long term support contracts with the vendors, and load them up with 3Gigs of memory.
Personally I'm a fan of Dell, but that's only because I know how to navigate their support site to get the drivers I need.
Glonoinha the MebiByte Slayer
But there is actually a simple way to justify it. One word: Superfetch. I have found building Windows 7 PCs that having that "extra RAM" gives Superfetch the breathing room to really shine, and the customers quickly notice how their PC is soooo much more responsive, thanks to Superfetch always having the apps they use most loaded into RAM and ready to go.
Just take two identical PCs and have one with 1Gb and one with 3Gb (on my new builds I'm sticking with 4Gb and x64, unless they have a legacy app that just won't run x64) and run them for two days then time the apps. You'll find superfetch really makes a difference with regards to application speed and responsiveness. And of course the less time they are wasting waiting for an app to load the more time they have to actually be working.
ACs don't waste your time replying, your posts are never seen by me.