Meaningful graphics workstation performance measurements

Abstract

We present how graphics workstation performance is currently advertised by workstation manufactures. We suggest that the manufacturers' performance numbers are not the best indicators of how well the system will perform. Four levels of graphics system performance measurement have been defined by the NCGA Graphics Performance Characterization group[1]. These levels are low-level primitives (points, lines, and polygons per second), pictures, systems (input and action response times), and applications. We suggest that the best indicator of a graphics workstation's performance capabilities is that of an application running on the system. For applications level performance measurements, there are many potential applications from which to choose. We suggest that three-dimensional visual simulators are one of the better applications to study as that type of system has a realistic mix of processor and graphics computational requirements. We describe one such system, the Moving Platform Simulator (MPS), developed at the Naval Postgraduate School with the goal of fully listing its capabilities and utilized graphics techniques. We then present how that system performs on a currently available, high-performance graphics workstation.