As you state, the usefulness of any CPU
benchmark is highly dependent upon the emphasis of the suite of tests that
are used to compile it.
The benchmarks at The CPU Scorecard are
based on Intel's iCOMP Index, which
is a weighted rating of indicators that test integer, floating point,
internet, and application performance. Our benchmarks thus combine both
integer & floating point speed, internal & external cache
efficiency, and 3D instruction set performance, providing an overall guide
to how fast each processor will function in everyday use.
Non-Intel manufacturers and third-party hardware reviewers use many of
the same tests that compose the iCOMP index, and their
results are linked to the Scorecard
benchmark numbers respectively. The CPU Scorecard places
all the various benchmark scores along one relative scale, for more
convenient reference.
Note that iCOMP and any other benchmark techniques can
only provide an approximate indication of how each CPU will perform in a
particular system configuration and suite of software. They are an average
of business application and gaming performance, and your mileage will vary
depending on motherboard, memory, hard drive, and video specifications.
