Want to test your own PC to see how it performs on standard benchmark tests? You can download benchmark tests and test your own PC using PC Magazine's Winstone 99 and WinBench 99 benchmark test files at www8.zdnet.com/pcmag/pclabs/bench/bench.htm. You'll find links to results of various benchmark tests at Scott Wainner's System Optimization site, www.sysopt.com/bench.html, and the Ideas International site at www.ideasinternational.com/benchmark/bench.html.

comp.benchmarks Frequently Asked Questions, With Answers   A Usenet newsgroup exists for discussions of benchmarks (news:comp.benchmarks), and this FAQ outlines the purpose of that newsgroup. You can also find answers to commonly asked questions in the FAQ, such as "What is a benchmark?" "How are benchmarks used?" and "What kinds of performance do benchmarks measure?"

PC Guide: Processor Benchmarking   You can get a good understanding of the benchmarking process by reading PC Guide's discussions of Processor benchmarking. The discussion of processor benchmarking outlines the process, distinguishes between benchmarking a processor and benchmarking an entire system, comments on what different scores mean, and describes five common benchmark tests. Performance Benchmarks for Specific Processors presents comparative tables of benchmark values for 8088, 8086, 80286, 80386DX, 80486DX, 80486SX, 80486DX2, AMD 5x86, Cyrix 5x86, Pentium, Pentium Overdrive, Pentium MMX, Pentium with MMX Overdrive, 6x86, K5, Pentium Pro, Pentium II, K6, and 6x86MX processors.