How to benchmark

Good testing guide

To get accurate and consistent benchmark results you should test clean systems without third party software installed. If this is not possible, you should close as many background tasks as possible, especially automatic updates or tasks that feature pop-up alerts such as email and messaging programs.

  • Running other programs and tasks during the benchmark can affect the results.
  • Avoid touching the mouse, keyboard or touchscreen while the tests are running.
  • Do not change the window focus while the benchmark is running.
  • Press the ESC key if you want to stop the test.

How to set up your hardware

  1. Install all critical system updates to ensure your operating system is up to date.
  2. Install the latest approved drivers for your hardware.
  3. Restart the computer or device.
  4. Wait 2 minutes for start up to complete.
  5. Exit all other programs, especially those that run in the background or task bar.
  6. Wait for 15 minutes.
  7. Run the benchmark.
  8. Restart and repeat from step 3 at least three times to verify that the results are consistent.

Benchmark technical guides

3DMark

PCMark

Powermark