CPU stability test?

[Silent Avenger]

I found this program on the PC world website and it's supposed to benchmark your CPU. I'm just wondering if anyone has used this program because it says although this program still works, it is no longer supported by the author.

http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/file/fid,7146-order,1-page,1-c,systemresourcestuneup/description.html

[rdrake]

There's only one surefire way to stress-test your CPU.

1. Install FreeBSD
   
2. Be sure to install system sources, as well as kernel sources.
   
3. cd /usr/src
   
4. make buildkernel kernconf=GENERIC && make buildkernel kernconf=GENERIC && make buildkernel kernconf=GENERIC && make buildkernel kernconf=GENERIC && make buildkernel kernconf=GENERIC
   
5. make installkernel kernconf=GENERIC
   
6. make buildworld && make buildworld && make buildworld && make buildworld && make buildworld
   
7. make installworld
   
8. cd /usr/ports/devel/gcc-4.1
   
9. make clean install
   

If your system survives that, I'd say it is worthy.

[md]

Install Gentoo from stage 1, much the same idea.

[TokenHerbz]

Run WoW, CS, BW, music play, download things, open another 6 games which dosn't require a CD, some more programs, a few windows with flash things and movie clips! MSN and more!

I think if you can still run smoothly with all that, your comp is good to go!

[Silent Avenger]

I think the problem with that TokenHerbz is that some of that will also test my GPU not just my CPU. I do know one thing is that my GPU does really suck and I'm hoping on getting a new one soon.

[ericfourfour]

An easy way to test your cpu can be done in two lines of code. I guess if your cpu can handle being left on overnight running at 99% it passes right?

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[Silent Avenger]

Actually, I have done something similar to that already ericfourfour. I've done multitasking before for well over 13 hours straight. The one day I was doing it I was running Sonic's MyDVD which was encoding and making a DVD, Windows Movie Maker which was recording a movie off of a DVD player, Media Centre was also running and recording a TV show, and I had the internet running at times and a few other apps. That got my CPU up to 99% to 100% for most of the 13 hours and my comp still runs fine. The one problem is I don't have any stats on how many processes my CPU was doing over that time or how fast it was doing the processes.

[ericfourfour]

I am wondering though. Does the cpu run at 100% all the time when the computer is on? It seems the system idle process takes over to keep it running at 100%.

I guess the real stress test is to over clock your cpu.

[Andy]

system idle process is basicly the os giving the cpu something to do while nothing else is using it. it's at the lowest priority

[md]

Andy wrote:

system idle process is basicly the os giving the cpu something to do while nothing else is using it. it's at the lowest priority

Not only that but it usually involes more then just a loop. Usually it does some power management stuff that actually shuts off the CPU for short amounts of time. That's why a CPU @ 100% load will be hotter then one at 0% load (idle @ 100%).