Testing: Methods And Benchmarks
To test the HP DV1000T and the Fujitsu N6410 I used BAPCo's MobileMark 2005 benchmarks. I also used FutureMark's PCMark05, 3DMark05 and 3DMark06 test suites.
MobileMark 2005 uses real world office applications to measure battery life under different conditions. It also provides a useful measure of the performance of the combined components in a mobile computer that is running applications in a multitasking environment on battery power.
All of the battery-based tests discussed here were done with Microsoft's USB 2.0 battery drain patch for Windows XP SP2 installed. As of this writing neither the simple patch revealed to mobile computer manufacturers last July nor the more comprehensive public patch promised by Microsoft is available. For more on the patch, which applies to all computers running Win XP SP2, see these articles:
PCMark05 produces performance scores for certain discrete components in a computer, while the computer is running on AC power. For tests of the DV1000T, I used PCMark05's CPU and memory benchmarks.
3DMark05 measures gaming graphics performance on a computer that is plugged into an AC socket. A computer must obtain a 3DMark05 overall score of over 500 before its performance under the full 3DMark05 benchmark suite is reported by MobilityGuru. This is the first time MobilityGuru has used 3DMark06. It uses tests similar to those in 3DMark05. As you will see, 3DMark06 places more demands on a graphics processor than 3DMark05.
For more on how we use these various benchmarks see How We Test Laptop and Notebook Computers for Home and Office. For more on 3DMark06 read 3DMark06 Under the Magnifying Glass.
