Memory Benchmark Test

The memory benchmark test is designed to test the raw performance of the entire memory subsystem, including RAM and cache memory. In order to do this, we execute three separate sub-tests, each with a different block size. Then, to compute the final memory throughput score, we average out the results of each individual sub-test.

Block sizes tested: 128 KB, 2 MB, and 32 MB.

Results are measured in MB/s (megabytes per second).

L1 and L2 Cache

The cache subsystem is there to provide a boost to applications that frequently use a small amount of memory. A large, fast cache can provide a substantial boost to most applications, because rarely does an application need to read or modify more than a few megabytes of data.

We test the cache subsystem using two block sizes:

The 128 KB block size is intended to test the L2 cache on most systems, or L1 cache on some high-end systems. 128 KB is enough to fit into most L2 caches, even on low-end CPUs like the Intel Celeron processor.

The 2 MB block size will fit into the L2 or L3 cache of most modern processors. For older processors, the 2 MB block test will actually use the RAM instead of the cache. The result of the test will therefore be much lower for those processors.

The throughput of the cache is measured in MB/s (megabytes per second).

RAM Throughput

Using 32 MB blocks, we can reliably test the throughput of the RAM. RAM is generally much slower than the cache.

RAM throughput is measured in MB/s (megabytes per second).