Benchmarking tools for Windows test your computer's performance.
Benchmarking a computer is a method of comparing the performance of one computer system with another. Benchmarking is useful because it allows for easy comparison between various chip sets and system architectures and gauges performance across a variety of applications. Benchmarking software works by running special applications that stress system components through creating workloads similar to real-world applications. You can choose among several benchmarking software options for the Windows operating system to accurately predict a computer system's performance capabilities.
3DMark Vantage
3DMark Vantage tests the graphics capabilities of your computer.
3DMark Vantage (see Resources) tests the performance of your graphics acceleration card utilizing DirectX 10, a programming interface developed by Microsoft. 3DMark Vantage is geared largely toward computer gamers seeking to gauge computer video gaming performance. The program applies a real-time 3-D graphics workload to your graphics acceleration card and CPU to determine the graphics capabilities of your Windows computer. As of August 2010, the basic edition costs $6.95, the advanced edition costs $19.95 and the commercial-use edition costs $995.
WorldBench 6.0
WorldBench 6.0 helps determine computer performance using real-world applications.
WorldBench 6.0 (see Resources) is benchmarking software for Windows that determines the capabilities of your computer by running and using a host of applications such as Microsoft Office, Adobe Photoshop and Mozilla Firefox. The results are then compared with a baseline system to determine your systems performance rating. As of August 2010, a single user license costs $249, a business license for up to five computers costs $999 and a corporate license for up to 25 computers costs $2,499.
Windows System Assessment Tool
WinSAT tells you which software is best suited for your computer's capabilities.
The Windows System Assessment Tool (WinSAT) is a Windows 7 and Vista-only benchmarking tool included with the operating system that lets you determine which software applications will run well on your computer. WinSAT also helps you decide the best system settings for your computer when running individual software applications.
PassMark Performance Test
PassMark Performance Test allows you test your computer under different configurations to see which runs best.
PassMark Performance Test stresses your computer's processor, graphics card, RAM and disk drives. It then compares the results with baseline readings from similar machines. The utility also allows you to view performance under different system configurations so you can determine if making changes to your computer will be worthwhile. The program runs on Windows 2000, XP, 2003 Server, Vista, 2008 Server and Windows 7. It is available for both 32-bit and 64-bit platforms. You can try Performance Test for a free 30-day trial (see Resources) or purchase it for $24, as of August 2010.
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