Source : Free On-Line Dictionary of Computing

SPEC rate
     
         Results of the throughput measurement using {SPEC}
        {benchmark} suites {CINT92} and {CFP92}.  With the throughput
        measurement method, several copies of a given benchmark are
        executed.  The method is particularly suitable for
        {multiprocessor} systems.
     
        The results, called SPEC rate, express how many jobs of a
        particular type (characterised by the individual benchmark)
        can be executed in a given time (The SPEC reference time
        happens to be a week, the execution times are normalized with
        respect to a {VAX 11/780}).  The SPEC rates therefore
        characterise the capacity of a system for compute-intensive
        jobs of similar characteristics.
     
        See also {SPEC ratio}.
     
        (1994-11-14)