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| Video and Audio Encoding Performance AMD's Dual Core vs, Intel's Core2 Duo | |
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(Review by JoeF, August 28, 2006) |
Results
Results – LAME
Runtime in seconds (lower is better). The Core 2 family of processor does very well in this single threaded application. Note that there is no difference between a single core and the dual core results for the X6800. The modest E6300 ties AMD’s X2 4600+, while the E6700 and X6800 place well ahead of the FX62.
Runtime in seconds (lower is better). With the exception of the "single core X6800" , there is not much difference between the results in encoding a single file or two at once. Monkey’s Audio favors AMD.
Results – Dr. DivX OSS
Runtime in seconds (lower is better). Intel’s Core 2 again flexes its muscle.
Runtime in seconds (lower is better). The most effectively multithreaded program used. Rankings are the same as the DivX encoding test.
Results – Cache and Cores
As the results show, the larger L2 cache on the FX62 and X6800 has a negligible effect on encoding performance. This is not very surprising since encoding data streams uses non-recurrent data, meaning that there is no incentive of caching the data anyway. A larger L2 cache does have a negative impact on heat and power consumption, though with these modern chips that is less of a concern than in the Pentium 4 days. Bottom line is that if audiovisual encoding is the primary task, then more L2 cache is not a reason to pay more for a processor.
On the other hand, having dual cores on a single CPU provides undeniable benefits with multi-threaded encoding. Even with single-threaded applications, dual cores allow the system to perform more tasks simultaneously. An illustration of this is the Monkey’s Audio test, where encoding a single .wav file would only use 50% of the available power on a dual core chip. Encoding two files at once on a dual core chip allowed twice as much work to be done in approximately the same amount of time. With dual core CPUs achieving substantial market share, more programs will be written and compiled for multi-threaded operation. With prices on dual core processors dipping so low, there is little reason to use a single core chip for any but the absolute cheapest systems.
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Athlon64 X2-3800+ (ADA3800DAA5CD) | |
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Core2 Duo E6300 (HH80557PH0362M) |
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