What is the difference between a “rate” and a “non-rate” metric?
A12: There are several different ways to measure computer performance. One way is to measure how fast the computer completes a single task; this is a speed measurement. Another way is to measure how many tasks a computer can accomplish in a certain amount of time; this is called a throughput, capacity or rate measurement. The SPEC speed metrics, or non-rate metrics, (i.e., SPECint2000) are used for comparing the ability of a computer to complete single tasks. The SPEC rate metrics (i.e., SPECint_rate2000) measure the throughput or rate of a machine carrying out a number of similar tasks. Traditionally, the rate metrics have been used to demonstrate the performance of multi-processor systems.
