CMSC 411: Computer Architecture
Summer II 1997
Class Project Proposal
Group Members
- Jiechang Huang [Section 0201]
- Thwin L. Kyaw [Section 0202]
- James T. Wu [Section 0201]
Point of Contact
Key Words
- SPECmarks
- CPU Performance
- Compiler Optimization
- Benchmark Engineering
Abstract
Benchmarks are individual programs or a mixture of programs that are run on a
target machine to measure overall performance of the system, or to measure more
specific aspects of performance, such as Graphics Applications, I/O Processing,
System Programming, Floating-Point and Integer Operations, etc. In this projectfactors affecting the benchmark engineering are discussed, and entensive examples of different benchmarks are given to establish criteria for determining the
reliability and drawbacks of benchmarking. A discussion on how targeted
optimizations and improvements in technology affect the accuracy of benchmarkingis included. Ideas on how to choose appropriate benchmarks to reveal the ideal
behavior of a typical machine are described.
Purpose
This project is intended to give future CMSC 411 students conceptual understanding on:
- what benchmarks are,
- how they are used,
- what kinds of performance they measure,
- what the most common and popular benchmarks available on market are,
- what their limitations and constraints are,
- how can one safely interpret benchmark resuls, and
- what the pitfalls and fallacies involved with running benchmarks.
References