17. SiSoftware Sandra Pro (Synthetic Benchmark)

Sandra delivers interesting low-level results, which permits the raw data from memory bandwidth and theoretical CPU performance to be compared.

The behavior of the integrated memory controller in the Turion 64 and the Mobile Sempron is clearly visible in Sandra Pro's memory benchmark. Both CPUs scale memory bandwidth higher, each time faster RAM is installed.

PCMark04 (Synthetic Memory And CPU Benchmark)

PCMark04 is a synthetic benchmark that gives an estimation of CPU and memory bandwidth performance in just a few minutes. It's a well-loved benchmark, that any user can employ to test his system quickly and easily, and provides a simple way to compare one system to another. Results are delivered as simple point counts.

The results from PC Mark's CPU tests depend measurably on the size of the L2 cache, and only slightly on the core clock rate. That explains why the Pentium M ranks ahead of both the Turion 64 and Mobile Sempron on this benchmark.

What counts most for the memory benchmark is the amount of RAM bandwidth available. The size of the L2 cache is only secondary by comparison. The logical consequence here is that the Turion 64 is ranked ahead of the Mobile Sempron. Interestingly, the Pentium M lands vanquished in third place!