Originally posted by Quackdoc
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What sucks is "the right setup" is like $30K in hardware alone and that's one PC with 11 GPU swaps.
It'd be cool if someone like Bridgman of Adg5f could talk someone at AMD into hooking Michael up with eleven 7800X3Ds. That takes it all from "only" $30K to $100K in PC hardware. Then there's needing in-line graphics capture so you're not skewing benchmarks with video capture software, you'd need a 12th PC for doing actual work, a 13th PC to do video rendering and whatnot so the 12th PC can still be used for other work...then there's all the other PCs and servers that have to be powered for all the other Phoronix testing.
And to do all that would require some electrician work because you don't run that many PCs without upgrading your power grid. Wiring, breakers and boxes, power conditioners, etc.
Speaking of one and multiple PCs, I've often wondered how much caching plays a role in benchmark results. Not just here, everyone's results. A lot of benchmarkers use the same PC and swap GPUs between tests. That makes me wonder: How is the caching handled? Does the last tested GPU have an easier time due to more cache built up? Is the first GPU at a disadvantage? Is the cache wiped between runs and, if yes, should the tests be ran at least three times with the first two results discard since they're cache training builds? Like they're the gaming equivalent of a PGO build/test.
There's a lot of shit that's necessary for professional, full time benchmarks; gaming and general software and operating systems. Probably more than most people realize or consider.
Michael, just wanted to say thanks and let you know that I appreciate all the work you put into everything. It's amazing how much content you put out.
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