Welcome to PCMark2002
Congratulations! You have successfully installed PCMark2002 from MadOnion.com.
This document contains important information about using PCMark2002. Please read it through carefully before running the program.
PCMark2002 is the first unified personal computer benchmark from MadOnion.com and is suited for testing all kinds of PCs, from laptops to high-end workstations. PCMark2002 is designed to assess the performance of a PC under normal home and office PC usage. MadOnion.com has other benchmark products for more specific PC usage areas. PCMark2002 covers many of those as well as additional areas outside the scope of the other benchmarks.
PCMark2002 tests the following:
- The CPU (Central Processing Unit)
- The memory subsystem
- Graphics memory.
- The hard disk drive(s).
- New Microsoft Windows XP GUI (Graphics User Interface) features.
- Video performance and quality.
- Laptop battery, if PCMark is run on a laptop.
Introduction to PCMark2002
PCMark2002 measures generic PC performance in home and office use. It is a small download that is easy to install and run. The program does not include whole applications for measuring the performance but instead, PCMark measures the computer's performance on a lower level. The benchmark consists of a series of tests that represent common tasks in home and office programs but does not run or attempt to emulate whole applications.
PCMark2002 also tests memory and hard disk drive performance. The memory tests consist of a series of operations that transfer data to and from the memory in different sizes, as well as performing random-like accesses. The video memory tests are another part of the memory benchmarks; at the same time the AGP (Advanced Graphics Port) performance is also measured. The system hard drives are tested with a sequence of read, write, and copy operations; the routines are run with the data cached and uncached.
The Pro version of PCMark2002 has a series of Microsoft Windows XP 2D tests using the standard Windows XP 2D API (Application Programming Interface) GDI+. A number of the GDI+ components are run in order to both demonstrate the features and measure their performance. The Pro version also has video tests, that measure speed and visual quality. If PCMark2002 is run on a laptop, there is a benchmark for testing the laptop's battery life and the overall performance during battery usage.
System requirements
PCMark2002 is a tool for benchmarking all kinds of PCs, from laptops to high-end work stations.
Minimum System Requirements:
- Intel® compatible 400 MHz processor, with MMX support
- 64 MB system memory or more, if the operating system requires it
- AGP graphics accelerator
- Microsoft Windows 98/SE, ME, 2000 or XP operating system
- DirectX 8.1 or later
NOTE: If you run Windows 2000 or XP, 128 MB of system memory is recommended.
PCMark2002 requires a number of software to be installed for full functionality. Some are included in the installation package, but some need to be added separately.
Required software for full functionality (Pro version only):
- Windows XP
- Windows Media Player 7.1, for older Windows versions (click here to download). If needed, you can also install Windows Media Encoder 7.1 separately (click here to download).
- DVD playback software. There are several trial versions freely downloadable on the web. During the PCMark development Cinemaster, PowerDVD and WinDVD (in alphabetical order) were tested.
PCMark2002 features
PCMark2002 comes in 3 versions: Free, Registered and Pro. The Free version is available (without charge) to download and install from the web and has minimum functionality. The Registered version can be purchased online for a low price and has a basic but expanded functionality. The Pro version can also be purchased online and offers the highest level of functionality.
Free version features:
- CPU tests, presenting the total CPU score.
- Memory tests, giving a total Memory score.
- HDD test and a total HDD score.
- System Info, showing your PC hardware and system software in detail.
- Online services. Submit your results and compare them to PCMark2002 results from all over the world.
Registered version features:
- Custom benchmarking, by choosing the desired tests and settings for the benchmark run.
- Detailed result information also offline.
- Results can be exported in text format, suitable for most text editors and spreadsheet applications.
Pro version features:
- Windows XP 2D tests, demonstrating and testing new GDI+ features.
- Video performance tests, including ASF (Advanced Streaming Format) encoding and playback in different resolutions, and DVD playback also in different resolutions.
- Video quality tests, for DVD playback quality measurement.
- Battery test, for measuring battery life and for testing the impact that power saving features have on both usage and system performance. The test is completely customizable to better suit a wider range of laptop battery testing.
- Offline Result Browser. A separate application for managing and comparing larger amounts of results on a local PC. The offline Result Browser also includes additional features, such as comparison chart and graph generation.
The Registered and Pro versions of PCMark2002 are available for purchase at www.madonion.com/products.
Troubleshooting Q&A
Please go to www.madonion.com/support for the latest versions, up-to-date support, and FAQ information, as well as a current list of problems or compatibility issues with PCMark2002.
If you have problems running PCMark2002 or have any other related questions, please take the following steps:
- Make sure that your system meets the minimum system requirements and that all the required software components are installed.
- Please read the PCMark2002 Frequently Asked Questions at www.madonion.com/support. We have answered the most of the commonly asked questions and it is likely you will find an answer there.
For more information on how to use PCMark2002, please refer to the PCMark2002 help.
Guidelines for testing and publishing results
Testing guidelines
For reliable benchmarking, we highly recommend that you familiarize yourself with the testing guidelines found in the PCMark2002 help file.Publishing benchmark results
When publishing your benchmark results in a printed or on-line publication, we kindly request that you make sure that you follow our testing guidelines, identify the exact system setup that was used for benchmarking, and include the official PCMark2002 logo with a link or referral to MadOnion.com.Distribution guidelines
The software may not be distributed with commercial products without written permission from MadOnion.com, the only exception being distribution on magazine cover-CDs. You may not charge from distributing the program without a written permission from MadOnion.com Inc.
For more information, please see the PCMark2002 web site at www.madonion.com.
Legal:
Intel is a registered trademark of Intel Corporation. DirectX, Windows 98/ME/XP and Windows 2000 are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. PCMark is a trademark of MadOnion.com Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.