Engadget Guide Points to Four Free Tools for Testing PC Performance

For graphics cards, the guide names 3DMark as the long-standing favorite. A free demo version is available on Steam and includes tests such as Solar Bay and Time Spy, and the no-cost edition lets users compare their results with those of other players running similar hardware online. A paid version costing $30 adds extended stress tests, which the guide says most people do not need.

Superposition is offered as a second GPU option. Built on the UNIGINE 2 Engine, it loads a card with simulated demanding lighting and visual effects, and it can monitor clock speeds and temperature, giving an indication of how a card's fans cope under sustained load. The guide notes the software has not received a major update in some time but is still worth trying.

Cinebench is recommended for processor testing, described as the safest and most reliable way to stress-test a CPU and the go-to tool for measuring rendering performance. The guide suggests running Cinebench's multi-core test alongside 3DMark's Speed Way test to combine CPU and GPU loads in a way that mimics actual gaming, with the latter leaning heavily on ray tracing and global illumination effects.

For storage, CrystalDiskMark is cited as the tool for measuring the read and write speeds of modern SSDs. The free, open-source software tests sequential read and write performance. The guide advises closing background applications, keeping at least 10 percent of the drive free and plugging in a laptop's charger before running the test.

On the question of whether in-game benchmarks are more reliable than 3DMark, the guide says a game's own tool usually gives the best picture of how that particular title will run, while 3DMark remains useful for comparing base hardware results against other systems online. Forza Horizon 6 is cited as having a comprehensive tool that measures GPU performance and CPU utilization and produces frame-rate graphs covering maximum, minimum and average rates. Cyberpunk 2077 also includes a benchmark that runs through a crowded Night City scene, letting players adjust graphics settings and measure the effect on frame rate.

Many games have no benchmarking option, so the guide points to frame-rate displays in the Nvidia and AMD applications as well as in Steam and Windows 11 through the Xbox Game Bar. It also notes that the older FRAPS utility is still available despite not having been updated since 2013, offering reliable but limited measurement.

The guide states that benchmarks can help detect wider system issues, though it cautions that real-world symptoms such as regular Blue Screens of Death are a clearer sign that something is wrong. One warning sign it highlights is test results that are consistently and significantly lower than those of comparable hardware setups on 3DMark, which may mean Windows is using the wrong power settings, too many background applications are running, or the hardware is not sufficient for the user's needs.