Benchmarks

Benchmarks are a type of test that allow us to compare the ability of computers by looking at how they perform in the same areas. Computers rarely excel across the board, instead relying on differences in hardware to make them specialize in one or two areas. On a personal level, this might mean that art students and engineering students choose different laptops because they have different needs, or that our friends might buy special computers for gaming because typical work laptops cannot handle the graphics or memory requirements. For corporations or research groups that have supercomputers, benchmarking is an essential tool for finding the right product to enhance their business. For example, a computational research center might look for a supercomputer with large memory and an ability to handle large-scale, complex calculations. A for-profit social media company might instead choose a supercomputer with high network speeds to ensure the best browsing experience for their users.