Software for stress testing CPU and GPU

pelago · Post by **pelago** » Tue Apr 21, 2009 5:12 am

I'd like to run my CPU and GPU (both separately and together) at 100% to test them. Specifically my goal is to measure the maximum power requirements at the wall with a kill-a-watt, although I assume the software needed is the same when stress testing for other reasons.

Can anyone recommend software to use? Ideally I would like something that can work in Linux, but Windows software or something that will work from a bootable optical or USB disc would be ok too.

larsolsen · Post by **larsolsen** » Tue Apr 21, 2009 5:56 am

for cpu i use handbrake, which is a open source, multithreaded x264 encoder for both linux and windows. For gpu i use nvidia's folding@home gpu enabled client, but i don't know if this is exists for linux?
run both at once, and you will stress both cpu, gpu and memory enough to simulate maximum use of your system.
links: http://handbrake.fr/

pelago · Post by **pelago** » Tue Apr 21, 2009 7:28 am

Searching around I see prime95, orthos, cpuburn and occt mentioned for CPU stress testing, and atitool and furmark mentioned for GPU testing. Anyone got any opinions on these items of software? Being lazy, I was hoping to not have to download and research how to use several different items of software, so was hoping to find a consensus for the 'best' to use!

Post by **MikeC** » Tue Apr 21, 2009 8:11 am

Check SPCR reviews. For Intel CPUs, prime95. For AMD, that and/or CPUBurn -- the latter might still push more watts w/AMD. atitool and furmark are fine.

ekerazha · Post by **ekerazha** » Tue Apr 21, 2009 11:23 am

LinX (LINPACK based) is actually the best burn-in tool for CPUs: http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/sho ... p?t=201670

However, other LINPACK based tools could be as good as LinX...

LodeHacker · Post by **LodeHacker** » Tue Apr 21, 2009 11:56 am

What about Linux? For CPU there is cpuburn, but I've not seen something that can stress a GPU.

ekerazha · Post by **ekerazha** » Tue Apr 21, 2009 12:46 pm

LodeHacker wrote:What about Linux? For CPU there is cpuburn, but I've not seen something that can stress a GPU.

I was developing a LINPACK frontend (like LinX) for both Windows and Linux, but It's still not ready.