CoreMarkMHz

CoreMarkMHz is a performance-efficiency metric used in embedded and processor benchmarking. It expresses how many CoreMark iterations a processor can perform per unit of clock speed, commonly calculated as CoreMark score divided by the operating frequency in megahertz. The term is frequently presented as CoreMark/MHz and is used by vendors in benchmarking reports to compare efficiency across different cores at varying frequencies.

Origin and basis: CoreMark is a standardized benchmark developed by EEMBC to measure core computation performance in embedded processors. It runs a fixed workload of simple, task-oriented routines to produce a CoreMark score. CoreMarkMHz (or CoreMark/MHz) combines this score with the processor’s frequency to yield a per-MHz measure of efficiency, providing a compact way to compare how much work a core can accomplish per clock cycle.

Usage and interpretation: The metric can help illustrate efficiency differences between processors, especially when comparing devices at similar or fixed frequencies. However, CoreMark results are sensitive to factors such as compiler toolchain, optimization level, memory model, and the exact CoreMark configuration used. Therefore CoreMark/MHz should be used for relative comparisons within a consistent test setup and not as an absolute measure across different architectures or benchmarking methodologies. It does not directly reflect real-world performance for all workloads or energy consumption.

Limitations: Vendors may report higher CoreMark/MHz through aggressive compiler optimizations or particular test configurations, so cross-vendor comparisons require careful consideration of the benchmarking methodology. CoreMarkMHz is one metric among many and should be interpreted alongside other benchmarks and real workload analyses to form a complete view of processor performance.