These tests were completed using the following hardware: Core i7 920, MSI Eclipse SLI motherboard, Nvidia GeForce GTX 280 1GB, 3x 2GB Corsair DDR3-1,066 at 6-5-5-15-1T, Seagate 7200.10 250GB SATA HDD.

File Compression & Encryption:

Website: WinRAR
We used the Intel X25-M SSD to provide a uniform performance base in file compression and decompression.



Nothing introduced in the new Service Pack has changed performance in our file compression tests.

File Decompression & Decryption:

The two RAR archives created during the compression and encryption tests were then decompressed and decrypted.



The small file decompression test replicates the performance differences we witnessed on a different system in our FC Test MP3 test pattern.

Mulitasking Performance

Website: MPC-HC
Website: 7-Zip

To run multiple applications well you need a powerful (ideally multi-core) CPU and plenty of RAM. Our multitasking test performs a massive file backup (with encryption) using 7-Zip, while simultaneously playing back a HD movie file using Media Player Classic, making it a seriously demanding test for any PC.


Our multi-tasking test, which uses a different file compression tool, also doesn't exhibit any performance difference as a result of upgrading to Service Pack 2 beta.