Benchmark Results: Audio And Video Encoding
Audio encoding, a single-threaded affair in iTunes and Lame, is downright embarrassing for the $1200 machine. The Sandy Bridge-based $600 PC bests it in both applications. We know that neither program can take advantage of the mid-priced system’s additional integer cores, and on a per-clock basis, the Bulldozer architecture is at a disadvantage.
That means the $2400 PC is left to fight off the cheapest PC based on clock speed alone, since both machines employ the same architecture.
The $1200 machine is a little more competitive when it comes to threaded video encoding software, but still needs an overclock to win that fight. The $2400 build’s combination of architecture and clock speed make it the best choice for those who can afford it.