Use whole system performance benchmarks | Windows XP Performance Tips

Artificial benchmarking programs are a great way to see the relative performance increase that your tweaks and changes have achieved. Running a benchmark before and after a prospective change will give you a good idea of where you stand.

Several companies produce 'whole system benchmarks' designed to stress test every area of your PC's performance and give you a result which you can use as a benchmark for improving your system's speed.

Try PCMark 2004 by Futuremark, SiSoftware's Sandra 2004 and Veritest's Winbench 99. In addition to benchmarking, these applications can also provide valuable information about your PC and its configuration.

-- 99 Performance Tips --