Why Prime95 used to test stability

[Homerboy]

Like Seti, United Devices etc?
Or is there something "special" about Prime95?

 

[jpeyton]

Prime95 Torture Test Small FFTs only tests the CPU for stability. Small FFTs easily fit inside a modern CPUs L2 cache, and the test is purely mathematical, so if the CPU has errata introduced by overclocking (for example), then Prime95 will catch the error and report it.

This is not a test of day-to-day stability, benchmark stability, or program stability. In fact, I could probably work and play all day on an overclocked CPU that would error out in Prime95.

But for people who like to claim their overclock CPU is "rock stable", i.e. as stable as a non-overclocked CPU, then 24 hours of Prime95 Torture Test Small FFTs would be proof enough.

Large FFTs and Blend are good for testing RAM as well as CPU stability, but I find that Small FFTs will error out faster than the other two and it produces hotter CPU temperatures.

You are welcome to use other programs, like SETI, but they may or may not report a mathematical error as fast, or at all. SP2004 is basically Prime95 Torture Test, but with a different GUI. S&M is also a good torture test, but it stresses your entire system. OCCT is also another torture test, similar to Prime95, although people say it's slightly less demanding.

 

[ProviaFan]

Originally posted by: jpeyton
You are welcome to use other programs, like SETI, but they may or may not report a mathematical error as fast, or at all. SP2004 is basically Prime95 Torture Test, but with a different GUI. S&M is also a good torture test, but it stresses your entire system. OCCT is also another torture test, similar to Prime95, although people say it's slightly less demanding.

Could you explain what the full version of "S&M" means? I'm afraid to google it as is.

 

[Romir]

Originally posted by: ProviaFan
Could you explain what the full version of "S&M" means? I'm afraid to google it as is.

Thread at XS about this program.
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=48687

Download link. (Scroll down)
http://www.benchmarkhq.ru/english.html?/be_cpu.html

It's running my 4400+ 8C higher than dual Prime95.

Check out this quote from Sampsa in that thread.

This is insane.

Pentium EE 840 and stock cooling: Asus Probe shows CPU temp 91C and S&M crashes after 8 minutes. All this with default clocks (3,2 GHz).

If I add 120mm fan right next to CPU cooler the Asus Probe shows 79C.

 

[Painman]

S&M's RAM test is very good for making quick stability checks when tweaking RAM settings, it's extremely unforgiving, and in my experience, uncovers more RAM/mem controller instability than OCCT's torture test. It takes 16-17 minutes to run the normal test on a GB of RAM. However, none of its tests run long enough IMO to demonstrate true system stability, they just tell you if you're headed in the right direction.

 

[bjc112]

SuperPI is a good one to use in conjuction with P95, mainly because it will keeeeel over when your memory is flaky.. Or running on the edge at least..

 

[MADMAX23]

Prime95 is the king of all stability testing programs out there, the most reliable, trust me. If Prime95 reports an error, be sure your system has a failure.