CPU Benchmarks: Media Encoding
Media encoding is where we expect to be able to benchmark AMD’s fixed-function VCE logic. We’ll start with CyberLink’s MediaEspresso 6.5.
Interestingly, VCE doesn’t seem to help Trinity much with the 480x720 iPhone 3G target. However, the 1280x720 Asus TF101 result is completed in almost half the time of a software-only transcode.
Unfortunately for AMD, Intel’s Quick Sync makes short work of the same tasks, finishing them in a fraction of the time.
Arcsoft’s MediaConverter 7.5 also supports VCE, but wouldn’t enable any encode acceleration for the iPhone 3G profile on Sandy Bridge or Llano.
Once again, VCE didn’t seem to do much on the low-resolution iPhone target using our Trinity-equipped notebook, although the render time for the 1280x720 profile was much improved. Once again, though, Quick Sync achieves the best result, although not by as much.
Lame, iTunes, and HandBrake offer no OpenCL or VCE acceleration. As a result, all of the workloads run on x86 execution cores, where Intel dominates. At the same time, though, AMD’s A10-4600M manages to beat the A8-3500M by a significant margin. We’re eagerly waiting on an OpenCL-accelerated version of HandBrake in the works and expected later this year.