PCMark 8 v2.6.512 update released

January 19, 2016

This major update accommodates a change in the latest version of Adobe After Effects and provides better support for NVMe SSDs. These changes affect the workloads in the Adobe Applications benchmark and the Storage benchmark. Scores from the new versions of these tests should not be compared with older versions. Home, Creative, and Work benchmark scores are not affected.

Adobe Applications benchmark

  • Adobe Applications benchmark has been updated to version 2.0. Scores should not be compared with earlier versions.
  • The After Effects test output has been changed to uncompressed AVI format as the latest version of Adobe After Effects CC no longer supports output to compressed Windows Media Video format.
  • Use Compatibility mode to compare scores with historical result data, also requires an older version of After Effects that supports Windows Media Video.

Storage benchmark

  • The Storage and Expanded Storage benchmarks have been updated to version 2.0. Scores should not be compared with earlier versions.
  • The tests now provide better support for NVMe drives. Scores from NVMe drives will improve in some cases. The faster the drive, the bigger the difference. Other types of drive are unaffected. 

Improved

  • General stability and error handling have been improved.
  • SystemInfo module updated to 4.41 for improved hardware compatibility.

Fixed

  • Video Chat test now works even when there is no audio device in the system.
  • Fixed a bug that could cause PCMark 8 to crash when the SystemInfo module failed.
  • Fixed several issues found on non-English language Windows installations.

Professional Edition only

  • Command line now offers temp path selection.
  • XML output now shows battery life in minutes not seconds for more intuitive results.