Benchmark

A benchmark is a test used to compare performance between multiple things, either against each other or against an accepted standard. In the computer world, benchmarks are often used to compare the speeds or performances of hardware components, software programs, and even internet connections.

You might run a benchmark to simply compare your hardware with someone else's, to test that new hardware is actually performing as advertised, or to see if a piece of hardware supports a certain amount of workload.

For example, if you plan on installing a new high-end video game on your computer, you might run a benchmark to see if your hardware is capable of running the game. The benchmark will apply a particular amount of stress (which is supposedly close to what is required for the game to run) on the hardware in question to check that it can actually support the game. If it doesn't perform as well as the game demands, the game might be sluggish or unresponsive when it's actually used with that hardware.

There's a variety of benchmark software tools that can be used to test various hardware components, such as Novabench, CINEBENCH, Prime95, 3DMark, Unigine Heaven, FurMark, CrystalDiskMark, PCMark, Geekbench and SiSoftware Sandra.

Some versions of Windows (Vista, 7, and 8, but not 8.1, 10, or 11) include the Windows System Assessment Tool (WinSAT) in the Control Panel that tests the primary hard drive, gaming graphics, RAM, CPU, and video card.

The two are similar, but a stress test and a benchmark are two different terms for good reason. While a benchmark is used to compare performance, a stress test is for seeing just how much can be done to something before it breaks.

For example, you might run a benchmark against your video card to see it performs well enough to support a new video game you want to install. However, you'd run a stress test against that video card if you want to see how much work it can handle before it stops functioning, like if you want to overclock it.