SPec CPU2017: Performance, event, and energy characterization on the core I7-8700K

Abstract

Computer engineers in academia and industry rely on a standardized set of benchmarks to quantitatively evaluate the performance of computer systems and research prototypes. SPEC CPU2017 is the most recent incarnation of standard benchmarks designed to stress a system's processor, memory subsystem, and compiler. This paper describes the results of measurement-based studies focusing on characterization, performance, and energy-efficiency analyses of SPEC CPU2017 on the Intel's Core i7-8700K. Intel and GNU compilers are used to create executable files utilized in performance studies. The results show that executables produced by the Intel compilers are superior to those produced by GNU compilers. We characterize all the benchmarks, perform a top-down microarchitectural analysis to identify performance bottlenecks, and test benchmark scalability with respect to performance and energy. Findings from these studies can be used to guide future performance evaluations and computer architecture research.