1.13

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Questions and Answers

What percentage increase does the SPECFP numbers typically show compared to the base SPECFP measurement?

15% to 30% (correct)

10% to 20%

30% to 50%

25% to 40%

Which processor is noted as the sole survivor from SPEC89?

PowerPC G3

gcc compiler (correct)

ARM Cortex

Intel Pentium

What was the focus of the new benchmark sets provided by SPEC in 2008?

Only CPU performance

Embedded systems only

Graphics and high-performance scientific computing (correct)

General software performance

What significant change was made with the introduction of SPEC95 regarding the base computer for normalization?

Changed to a Sun SPARC Station 10/40 Signup and view all the answers

Which organization was inspired by SPEC to create benchmarks for the embedded community?

EEMBC Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following statements accurately reflects the trends in embedded computing during the late 1980s and early 1990s?

There was a rise in embedded processors in advanced video games and personal digital assistants. Signup and view all the answers

How many programs did SPEC CPU need over its six generations?

82 programs Signup and view all the answers

What was developed in 2019 to improve benchmarking for embedded computing?

Embench Signup and view all the answers

What does the performance improvement factor for computers in the past 55 years represent?

What is one major advantage of the Embench suite over traditional benchmarks?

It is free and developed collaboratively. Signup and view all the answers

How has the price/performance ratio changed since 1951?

It has improved by almost 58% per year. Signup and view all the answers

Which benchmark suite is often seen as a standard for performance measurement in computing?

SPEC Signup and view all the answers

What significant change occurred in computer performance according to the historical perspective provided?

There has been a dramatic improvement in performance capabilities. Signup and view all the answers

In terms of computing evolution, what does the term 'embedded computing' refer to?

Computers integrated into other devices for specific tasks. Signup and view all the answers

What impact did the computing evolution have on the cost of devices?

A factor of 10,000 improvement in cost was noted. Signup and view all the answers

What is the role of the Gcc compiler in the context of computing?

It acts as an open-source compiler for various programming languages. Signup and view all the answers

What was one significant advance in performance evaluation introduced in 1988?

The formation of the System Performance Evaluation Cooperative (SPEC) Signup and view all the answers

Why did SPEC find it challenging to establish a benchmark initially?

Portable operating systems and high-level languages were not yet popular. Signup and view all the answers

Which measures were added to improve the benchmarking process in 1991?

Throughput measures based on running multiple benchmark versions. Signup and view all the answers

What was one of the shortcomings of the initial SPEC89 benchmark set?

It favored computers with strong floating-point performance. Signup and view all the answers

What change was made in the SPEC92 benchmark set compared to SPEC89?

Incorporation of SPECbase for standardization. Signup and view all the answers

What is one major role of compilers in benchmarking evaluations?

Compilers must be measured as part of the overall evaluation. Signup and view all the answers

What was an additional feature introduced in SPEC92 to differentiate types of programs?

Provision of separate measures for integer and floating-point programs. Signup and view all the answers

What did the introduction of SPECbase aim to achieve?

It provided a performance measure closer to users' experiences. Signup and view all the answers

Why might kernels overstate the performance of real applications?

Kernels focus on small pieces of code and may not represent larger workloads. Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

SPECFP Benchmarking Information

SPECFP measurements typically increase by 15% to 30% compared to base measurements.
The benchmark was updated in 1995 to include new integer and floating-point benchmarks and remove flawed ones.
SPEC95 adopted Sun SPARC Station 10/40 as the normalization base due to difficulty in finding original computers.
SPEC2017 is the most recent version of SPEC benchmarks.
82 programs were necessary for SPEC CPU across six generations; 57% of these were unique to a single generation.
Only six programs (7%) have persisted for three or more generations, with the gcc compiler being the only survivor from SPEC89.
Additional benchmark suites for various performance areas have been introduced, including graphics and scientific computing since 2008.

Growth of Embedded Computing

Embedded processors have existed since the development of minicomputers and microprocessors.
Historical dominant use was in industrial control, featuring low-cost and low-performance processors.
An 8-bit microcontroller remains the best-selling processor, utilized in cars and home appliances.
The late 1980s and early 1990s saw expansion into advanced video games, set-top boxes, cell phones, and PDAs.
Growing networking and information appliance demands triggered an increase in embedded processors and performance requirements.
Embedded Microprocessor Benchmark Consortium (EEMBC) was established in 1997 to create benchmarks tailored for embedded systems.
EEMBC released its second-generation benchmarks in 2007; in 2019, Embench was developed to provide free alternative benchmarks.

Historical Perspective on Computing Progress

Over 50 years, computers have evolved significantly in technology and capabilities.
Price/performance improved by nearly 100 billion due to inflation adjustments, equating to 58% per year.
Notable factors include a 10,000 improvement in cost and a 10 million improvement in performance.
Characterizing performance often relies on kernels, particularly in scientific applications, although they can overstate real application performance.

SPEC and Performance Evaluation Development

Established in 1988, the System Performance Evaluation Cooperative (SPEC) includes representatives from major computer companies.
SPEC standardized a set of real programs and inputs for consistent performance evaluation.
The cooperative emerged during an era of portable operating systems and high-level languages, allowing for meaningful comparisons.
SPEC benchmarks have evolved to evaluate multiple systems and include OS and I/O activities as factors.
SPEC92 introduced critical updates, including separate measures for integer and floating-point programs (SPEC INT and SPECFP).
SPEC base measures, which exclude program-specific optimizations, allow users to have a realistic measure of performance.

Benchmarking Techniques

Initial benchmarking faced challenges due to diverse operating systems and programming languages, making standardization difficult.
Synthetic programs like Whetstone, derived from scientific algorithms, gained popularity for benchmarking.
Kernel benchmarks, which consist of small, time-intensive code snippets from real programs, became a method to assess high-end computing performance.
Livermore Loops and Linpack serve as prime examples of kernel benchmarks that isolate individual computer features for performance analysis.

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Description

This quiz explores the evolution of SPECFP benchmarks and their significance in measuring computer performance. It covers updates made in 1995, including the introduction of new benchmarks and the changes in normalization based on the Sun SPARC Station 1. Test your knowledge on how these benchmarks have impacted performance assessments over the years.