The Complete Benchmark for Windows

PCMark 8 is the latest version in our series of industry standard PC benchmarking tools. With PCMark 8 you can test the performance of all types of PC, from tablets to desktops. With five separate benchmark tests plus battery life testing, PCMark 8 helps you find the devices that offer the perfect combination of efficiency and performance. PCMark 8 is the complete PC benchmark for home and business.

The industry standard PC benchmark test for Windows 8 and Windows 7.
Combines performance testing with new battery life measurement tools.
Includes new tests using popular applications from Microsoft and Adobe.
Ideal for testing the performance of SSDs and hybrid storage devices.

Created with industry expertise

We create PCMark in cooperation with the world's leading technology companies using an open process that guarantees fair and neutral benchmark results.

Our PCMark Benchmark Development Program™ includes the widest range of OEMs, hardware manufactures, and software developers in the industry.

With every member having an equal voice we ensure that Futuremark benchmarks deliver relevant results that reflect the latest developments in hardware and software. And with Futuremark having the final say in all development decisions, we ensure that our benchmarks are impartial and free from bias.

Real-world relevance

What makes PCMark 8 different from other benchmarks? Real-world relevance.

With PCMark 8 you measure and compare PC performance using real-world tasks and applications. We've grouped these applications into scenarios that reflect typical PC use in the home and at the office.

This approach ensures that PCMark measures the things that matter, highlighting performance differences that will be apparent to end users and consumers.

Home test

Common home computing tests

The PCMark 8 Home benchmark includes workloads that reflect common tasks for a typical home user. These workloads have low computational requirements making PCMark 8 Home suitable for testing the performance of low-cost tablets, notebooks and desktops. Home includes workloads for web browsing, writing, gaming, photo editing, and video chat. The results are combined to give a PCMark 8 Home score for your system.

Creative test

Tests for experts and professionals

The PCMark 8 Creative benchmark includes workloads typical of enthusiasts and professionals who work with media and entertainment content. With more demanding requirements than the Home benchmark, this benchmark is suitable for mid-range computer systems. PCMark 8 Creative includes web browsing, photo editing, video editing, group video chat, media transcoding, and gaming workloads.

Work test

Simple office productivity tests

The PCMark 8 Work benchmark test measures your system's ability to perform basic office work tasks, such as writing documents, browsing websites, creating spreadsheets and using video chat. The Work benchmark is suitable for measuring the performance of typical office PC systems that lack media capabilities. The results from each workload are combined to give an overall PCMark 8 Work score for your system.

Storage test

Measure drive performance using real-world traces

Use the PCMark 8 Storage benchmark to test the performance of SSDs, HDDs and hybrid drives with traces recorded from Adobe Creative Suite, Microsoft Office and a selection of popular games. You can test the system drive or any other recognised storage device, including local external drives. Unlike synthetic storage tests, the PCMark 8 Storage benchmark highlights real-world performance differences between storage devices.

Applications test

Benchmark with Adobe and Microsoft applications

The PCMark 8 Applications benchmark measures system performance using popular applications from the Adobe Creative Suite and Microsoft Office. You can choose which tests to run based on the applications installed on your system. Each test automatically steps through a series of actions such as opening, editing and saving a file. The results are used to calculate the PCMark 8 Applications scores for the system.

Battery life testing

Measure battery life with realistic use patterns

PCMark 8 improves on previous versions by adding new battery life testing tools for Windows notebooks, laptops and tablets. The Home, Creative, Work and Applications benchmarks can be used for battery life testing. Choose Battery Life mode to loop the benchmark from a full charge until the battery is almost empty to accurately measure battery life under real-world conditions.

"For organisations that buy PCs in large volumes, a dollar saving between two systems with comparable performance could be worth tens of thousands of dollars in total. That's why organisations that value neutrality, independence, and ease of use choose PCMark."

European Union

The Directorate-General for Informatics (DIGIT) defines the IT strategy of the European Commission, providing the EC and, when appropriate, other European institutions and bodies with IT infrastructure solutions and services. One of the main tasks of DIGIT's Procurement and Contracts unit is to acquire computer and telecommunications products and services for the Commission Directorates-General and departments. The unit also issues invitations to tender on behalf of the administration in Brussels.

In 2014, DIGIT issued an invitation to tender for the supply of desktop computers to the European Parliament and more than 50 other European Agencies, Bodies, and Centres located in over 20 member countries. DIGIT used PCMark benchmark scores to define minimum performance requirements for the supply of an estimated 87,100 reference PC configurations and 15,900 specific purpose PCs.

Germany

Bitkom is a German IT trade association that represents over 2,300 international companies in the digital sector. Working with the purchasing authorities of several German ministries and agencies, Bitkom publishes guidelines for the vendor-neutral performance description of desktop PCs. Bitkom's guidelines specify the use of PCMark 8 benchmark scores to define the minimum performance requirement for desktops PCs to be used by office workers for administrative tasks.

France

In France, L'union des groupements d'achat public (UGAP) is the public procurement and purchasing centre responsible for awarding contracts for services and supplies for authorities and entities subject to the public procurement code. When UGAP completed the tendering process for the supply of 60,000 PCs, they used PCMark to specify the minimum acceptable level of system performance.

Northern Ireland

The Northern Ireland Civil Service (NICS) employs 18,000 administrative staff across 11 departments. IT Assist, the NICS ICT Shared Service Centre, provides common infrastructure and desktop services to NICS staff in the office, at home or when mobile working. IT Assist specified PCMark performance requirements in its tendering process for the contract to supply the Northern Ireland Civil Service with more than 20,000 PCs and laptops.

Brazil

In Brazil, the implementation and monitoring of procurement, tenders and contracts is managed by the Secretaria de Logística e Tecnologia da Informação (SLTI). The SLTI mandated minimum PCMark benchmark scores as a measure of system performance when purchasing computers for the Federal Government of Brazil, a tender covering more than 61,000 desktop PCs and 13,000 notebooks.

For business and commercial users

PCMark 8 Professional Edition

The industry standard benchmark that's easy to use.

Licensed for business and commercial use.
Includes all five performance benchmarking tests.
Easy to install and run, no complicated configuration required.
Measure the battery life of tablets and notebooks.
Test SSDs, HDDs and hybrid drives with the Storage test.
Use Expanded Storage tests for specialist drive analysis.
Benchmark with Adobe & Microsoft applications.
Run individual workloads to fine-tune your testing.
In-depth hardware monitoring graphs.
Command line automation and scripting.
Keep sensitive results private with the offline results option.
Export results as XML and PDF for analysis and reporting.
Priority technical support over email and telephone.

Site License

With a PCMark 8 Professional Edition site license you can use PCMark 8 on an unlimited number of systems for performance testing, research and development, component evaluation, competitor analysis and sales and marketing activities.

Single-Seat License from $1495

A single-seat Professional Edition license allows you to install and run PCMark 8 on one system at a time. To run PCMark 8 on more than one system simultaneously, you will need an equivalent number of Professional Edition licenses or a Site License.

PCMark 8 + 3DMark bundle from $2495

Save at least $500 when you buy PCMark 8 and 3DMark licenses together.

For governments and public organisations

PCMark 8 for vendor-neutral procurement

PCMark 8 is the ideal benchmark suite for governments and other public bodies seeking a vendor-neutral solution. It provides accurate, relevant, impartial and practical benchmarks for specifying and comparing the performance of Windows PCs, notebooks, and tablets.

Since its release, PCMark 8 has been incorporated into the tendering, procurement and purchasing departments of the governments of France, Germany, Northern Ireland, and Brazil as well as the European Commision.

If you work for a government agency or other public body and are interested in using our benchmarks, please contact us at sales.support@futuremark.com.

Government License

We support governments, public procurement agencies, and other qualifying organisations with complimentary licenses, source code access, and priority technical support and advice at no cost. Contact us to discuss your requirements.

Contacts us

Using PCMark to specify performance in tenders

Best practices, guidelines, installation and setup information for governments and public bodies using PCMark 8 to specifiy PC performance in tenders.

PCMark 8 setup guide

For home users

PCMark 8 Advanced Edition

Everything you need to start benchmarking your Windows PC today.

Includes all five performance benchmarks.
Measure the battery life of your tablet or notebook.
Test your SSDs and HDDs with the Storage test.
Run individual workloads to fine-tune your system.
In-depth hardware monitoring graphs.
Automatically save your results offline.

$49.99

Buy from Steam

PCMark 8 + 3DMark bundle $59.99

Save big when you buy 3DMark and PCMark 8 together.

Buy from Steam Find out more

PCMark 8 Basic Edition

Test your PC with the Home, Creative and Work benchmarks.

Or click Download Demo on the store page to download from Steam.

Minimum system requirements

OS:	Microsoft Windows 7
Processor	Dual core processor
Memory	2 GB
Graphics	DirectX 9.0c compatible
Display	1366 × 768 resolution
Storage	30 GB free hard disk space

Windows 7 Service Pack 1 required. Download it here.

Internet Explorer 10 or later required. IE 11 recommended, Download it here.

64-bit IE 10 offline installation files
32-bit IE 10 offline installation files
Users with Windows 8 N Edition (Europe) or Windows 8 KN Edition (South Korea) will need to install Windows Media Player 12. Download it here.

Recommended system requirements

OS:	Microsoft Windows 7 or Windows 8
Processor	Dual core processor
Memory	2 GB
Graphics	DirectX 11 compatible
Display	1920 × 1080 resolution
Storage	30 GB free hard disk space

PCMark Creative benchmark requires hardware that supports all DirectX 11 features.

* You must have the relevant Adobe and Microsoft applications installed in order to run the PCMark 8 Applications benchmark. PCMark 8 is compatible with Adobe Creative Cloud and Microsoft Office 2010 or later.

Internet connection required for some features.

Support

Latest version 2.7.613 | April 13, 2016

About Steam

Steam is a popular digital entertainment platform for buying games and software. Steam is available in 237 countries and 21 different languages.

When you buy PCMark 8 Advanced Edition from Steam you get a fast download, easy installation and automatic updates. You can move your key freely between Steam and the stand-alone version. See our Steam FAQ for details.

You can download PCMark 8 Basic Edition from Steam using the Download Demo button on the store page.