SPECwpc 2.0, a major new release of the multi discipline workstation benchmark, includes a number of new features designed to help better test CPU and Solid State Drive (SSD) performance.
For CPUs, the test features improved scalability measurement for workstations with large numbers of processing cores as well as the ability to request a specific number of threads or processes for multi-threaded workloads.
For SSDs, improved storage workloads are designed to better reflect performance of NAND Flash devices for high-capacity data storage. The test also has the ability to condition drives for NAND Flash devices before performance measurement.
Other new features include a new PTC Creo CAD/CAM workload in the product development category as well as a number of general enhancements.
There are more than 30 workloads in the SPECwpc V2.0 benchmark that test CPU, graphics, I/O and memory bandwidth.
The tests are divided by application categories that include media and entertainment (3D animation, rendering), product development (CAD/CAM/CAE), life sciences (medical, molecular), financial services, energy, and general operations. Individual scores are generated for each test and a composite score for each category.
The benchmark does not require the full application and associated licensing to be installed on the system under test. It runs under the 64-bit versions of Microsoft Windows 7 SP1 and Windows 8.1 SP1.
The SPECwpc V2.0 benchmark is available for download under a two-tiered pricing structure: free for non-commercial users and $5,000 for commercial entities.
