benchmarking Archives

Tech Optimizer

May 21, 2025

Achieve up to 1.7 times higher write throughput and 1.38 times better price performance with Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL on AWS Graviton4-based R8g instances

Upgrading to Graviton4-based R8g instances with Aurora PostgreSQL-Compatible 17.4 in an Aurora I/O-Optimized cluster configuration results in significant performance improvements. The new instances provide up to 1.7 times higher write throughput, 1.38 times better price-performance, and reduce commit latency by up to 46% on r8g.16xlarge instances and 38% on r8g.2xlarge instances compared to Graviton2-based R6g instances. The Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL-Compatible Edition now supports AWS Graviton4-based R8g instances and PostgreSQL 17.4, which introduces performance enhancements for I/O-Optimized configurations, optimizing write operations and batch processing. R8g instances offer up to 192 vCPUs and 1.5 TB of memory, supporting larger configurations and providing up to 50 Gbps of network bandwidth. PostgreSQL 17 includes vacuum improvements, eliminates the need to drop logical replication slots during upgrades, and expands SQL/JSON standards. Aurora PostgreSQL-Compatible separates compute from storage, enabling independent scaling and maintaining six-way replication for durability, while processing changes as log records to reduce I/O operations. Performance benchmarks using HammerDB show improvements in throughput and commit latency across various workloads. For small workloads on 2xlarge instance size, throughput increased by 50.25% and commit latency improved by 33.87%. For medium workloads on 16xlarge instance size, throughput increased by 30% and commit latency improved by 17.44%. The most significant performance benefits arise from combining hardware upgrades from Graviton2 to Graviton4 with database engine upgrades from PostgreSQL 15.10 to 17.4. For small workloads, throughput increased by 70% and commit latency improved by 38.71%. For medium workloads, throughput increased by 70% and commit latency improved by 46.67%. Cost efficiency is also enhanced, with a 38% improvement in price performance and a 61.26% improvement in price-performance ratio when comparing Graviton2 and Graviton4 instances. Reserved Instances for Graviton4-based R8g instances offer additional cost-optimization opportunities.

Tech Optimizer

May 20, 2025

Running I/O intensive workloads on PostgreSQL with Amazon EBS io2 Block Express

Databases are essential for organizations, and their performance is critical to user experience and operational efficiency. AWS introduced Amazon Elastic Block Store (Amazon EBS) io2 Block Express in December 2020 to address performance issues related to storage latency during database operations. This solution enhances storage management for high-performance database servers, supporting up to 256,000 IOPS and 4,000 MiB/s throughput per volume, with a maximum volume size of 64 TiB and sub-millisecond disk I/O latency. A performance comparison was conducted between PostgreSQL databases on Amazon EBS gp3 and io2 Block Express, utilizing the HammerDB benchmarking tool. The analysis involved four tests: OLTP Load test, OLTP Stress test, OLAP Load test, and OLAP Stress test, using r5b.24xlarge EC2 instances. Results indicated that io2 Block Express outperformed gp3 by 2.08 times in transactions per minute (TPM) and provided significantly lower latency for both OLTP and OLAP workloads. Key differences between gp3 and io2 Block Express include durability, with io2 offering 99.999% durability compared to gp3's 99.8% – 99.9%. The maximum IOPS for gp3 is 16,000, while io2 supports up to 64,000 IOPS. Pricing for gp3 is approximately ,375.36/month, while io2 Block Express costs around ,408/month, reflecting its premium performance capabilities. In benchmarking tests, io2 Block Express demonstrated superior performance, achieving 3.95 times faster average performance than gp3 across all scenarios. It is particularly suitable for mission-critical applications requiring consistent sub-millisecond latency and high durability.

AppWizard

May 17, 2025

The RTX 5060 is cheap, but can it game? We played 5 titles to find out

Nvidia's GeForce RTX 5060 is set to release on May 19 with a starting price of 9. It features 8GB of video memory, which may be insufficient for demanding games like Indiana Jones and the Great Circle that require at least 12GB of VRAM. Preliminary testing at 1080p showed the RTX 5060 Ti performing well in five titles, often meeting or exceeding Nvidia's performance claims, particularly within optimized conditions for Nvidia GPUs. The card benefits from DLSS 4, enabling impressive frame rates even at 1440p, with frame rates exceeding 200 FPS in demanding scenarios. Texture pool sizes during tests were around 1.5GB, indicating effective use of neural rendering techniques. However, Cyberpunk 2077's benchmarking tool did not accurately reflect performance due to pre-release drivers. Users may face challenges with DLSS override settings in the Nvidia app, requiring manual adjustments for optimal performance. Despite these hurdles, the RTX 5060 shows promise for a smooth gaming experience, though concerns about the adequacy of its 8GB VRAM remain.

Winsage

May 13, 2025

I replaced my laptop with Microsoft’s 12-inch Surface Pro – here’s my buying advice a week later

The 12-inch Microsoft Surface Pro is available for preorder, starting at 9 for the Platinum color and ,099 for the Violet and Ocean colors. It features a thin and lightweight design, a fast-charging battery, and a Snapdragon X Plus processor. The base model includes 16GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, with a maximum storage option of 512GB. Essential accessories like the keyboard, mouse, and power adapter are sold separately. The device has a resolution of 2196 x 1464 and offers up to 16 hours of battery life, achieving over 15 hours during video playback. It can charge to 50% in 30 minutes and 80% in an hour. The Surface Pro is designed for everyday users and supports AI-driven applications.

BetaBeacon

May 2, 2025

The retro gaming and emulation community needs to take a deep breath

- The development of Winlator was officially put on pause following harassment due to a Trojan found in the APK file after version 10.0 was released.

AppWizard

April 6, 2025

The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered PC Performance Analysis

Sony has released The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered for PC, utilizing Naughty Dog’s proprietary engine. Performance analysis was conducted using an AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D processor, 32GB of DDR5 RAM, and various graphics cards including AMD Radeon RX 6900XT, RX 7900XTX, RX 9070XT, and NVIDIA RTX 2080Ti, RTX 3080, RTX 4090, RTX 5080, and RTX 5090 on a Windows 10 64-bit system. The game features customizable graphics settings and supports technologies like Intel XeSS, NVIDIA DLSS 3, and AMD FSR 3.1. Benchmark tests showed all GPUs maintained frame rates above 60FPS at 1080p and 1440p resolutions with Max Settings, with the NVIDIA RTX 2080Ti achieving 60FPS. The AMD Radeon RX 9070XT outperformed the RX 7900XTX, while the RX 6900XT lagged behind the NVIDIA RTX 3080. For 4K gaming at Max Settings, the AMD Radeon RX 7900XTX and NVIDIA RTX 4090, RTX 5080, and RTX 5090 were necessary for 60FPS. The game requires a minimum of six CPU cores/threads for optimal performance, with dual-core and quad-core systems experiencing severe stuttering. An eight-core processor improved frame rates above 70FPS. The game features impressive pre-baked lighting but has some traversal stutters and asynchronous shader compilation that may affect performance on CPUs with fewer cores. Keyboard and mouse controls function well from the start.

Winsage

March 31, 2025

CrystalMark Retro 2.0.0 brings retro benchmarking to systems from Windows 95 to Windows 11

Crystal Dew World has released version 2.0.0 of its benchmarking tool, CrystalMark Retro, which now supports Windows 95, 98, and Me systems, in addition to Windows XP and later versions. The update was developed in response to user feedback and includes a new benchmark score comparison site, crystalmarkdb.com/retro. Users can benchmark a variety of systems, from vintage Windows versions to modern ones, including Windows 11 and various server editions. Windows NT 3.51 and its successors are also supported with a necessary patch.

AppWizard

March 21, 2025

A high schooler built a website that lets you challenge AI models to a Minecraft build-off

Developers are exploring new methods to benchmark generative AI models, with one initiative being the Minecraft Benchmark (MC-Bench), a platform for head-to-head competitions among AI models that generate unique Minecraft creations. Users vote on the performances without knowing which AI created each entry. The project, created by 12th-grade student Adi Singh, leverages Minecraft's universal recognition to evaluate AI capabilities. MC-Bench currently has eight volunteer contributors and has received support from major AI companies like Anthropic, Google, OpenAI, and Alibaba. The focus is on simple builds, with plans to scale to more complex tasks. MC-Bench requires models to write code for requested builds, making it easier for users to assess the quality of creations visually. Singh believes the scores from MC-Bench provide meaningful insights into AI performance compared to traditional text-based benchmarks.

AppWizard

March 18, 2025

Assassin’s Creed: Shadows PC Performance Analysis

Ubisoft has removed the review embargo for Assassin’s Creed: Shadows, which is powered by the AnvilNext Engine. Performance benchmarks were conducted using an AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D processor and 32GB of DDR5 RAM, testing various graphics cards including AMD Radeon RX 6900XT, RX 7900XTX, RX 9070XT, and NVIDIA RTX 2080Ti, RTX 3080, RTX 4090, RTX 5080, and RTX 5090. The game includes a built-in benchmark tool and offers a range of graphics settings, supporting technologies like NVIDIA DLSS 3 and 4, AMD FSR 3, and Intel XeSS, as well as Ray Tracing without requiring an RT GPU. To achieve 60FPS at 1080p with Ultra High Settings and no RT, players need an AMD Radeon RX 7900XTX, NVIDIA RTX 4090, or RTX 5090. At 1440p with Ultra High Settings and no RT, both the RX 7900XTX and RTX 4090 provide smooth performance, while the RTX 5090 is necessary for 60FPS. No GPU managed satisfactory performance at Native 4K with Ultra High Settings and no RT, with the RTX 5090 struggling to maintain frame rates above 50FPS. Lowering graphics settings did not yield significant performance improvements, raising questions about potential CPU bottlenecks. The game is visually appealing but lacks RTGI effects, making it appear flat at times compared to Unreal Engine 5 titles.

AppWizard

March 8, 2025

GTA 5 Enhanced performance analysis: Forget max settings, my advice is to enable Very High RT and enjoy the show

GTA 5's Enhanced PC version was launched on March 4, featuring modern graphical enhancements such as ray-traced shadows and reflections, upgraded ambient occlusion, global illumination, and support for DLSS 3 and FSR 3 upscaling. Performance testing was conducted using the RTX 4070 and RX 7800 XT graphics cards. With ray tracing enabled, performance dropped below 30 fps, while setting it to Very High without ray tracing resulted in frame rates between 40 to 70 fps. The RTX 4070 averaged 100-110 fps at Maximum RT, but switching to Very High RT provided a 35 fps improvement. The RX 7800 XT eliminated sub-60 fps drops with this adjustment. Performance testing revealed frame drops in certain areas, such as Franklin's backyard, likely due to dense vegetation. Very High RT settings offered a smoother experience and slightly better image quality than Maximum settings.