How Your Graphics Card Can Be Benchmarked

Do you want to test the performance and evaluate your GPU? Tests for content development, in-game benchmarks, and synthetic tests are all available with 3DMark. We'll be teaching you how to benchmark your graphics card in a variety of tests in this article. We will also demonstrate how to use the programs MSI Afterburner & Rivatuner Statistics Server (RTSS) to track your frame rate when playing games.

You will have a better understanding of your graphics card's performance capabilities in various settings after the benchmarking procedure is complete. Finding out whether your hardware is operating at peak efficiency may be done very well by benchmarking your GPU. You are also able to compare your GPU with other GPUs by using the benchmarking scores.

Make sure you have the most recent driver updates installed before beginning the benchmarking procedure. Find out here how to update the drivers for GPUs made by AMD, NVIDIA, and Intel Arc. Now that's out of the way, let's look at how to use a variety of benchmarking programs to assess the performance of your GPU.

Utilize 3DMark Benchmark to Evaluate GPU Capabilities

First, you need to have Steam installed on your PC, using which you can download 3DMark. But, if you don’t have it, download Steam from here. Before proceeding to the next step, make sure to sign in with an existing or new account.

When Steam is running on your PC, you need to download 3DMark. The software is paid but some benchmarks are free to run. Click on Download Demo, and follow the on-screen instructions to install it.

Once the download is complete, go to Library > Games & Software and select 3DMark Demo. Now, click the Play button to launch the 3DMark benchmarking software.

In the 3DMark app, click on Benchmarks. Here, you will find the various 3DMark scenarios, and you can select the benchmark of your choice. Note that the demo version only provides you with three 3DMark benchmarks for free – Time Spy, Fire Strike, and Night Raid.

After clicking on a benchmark, click on Run to start testing your GPU using the said test. You can also click on the ‘Custom run’ option to customize the benchmark (including the resolution, tesselation factor, VSync, etc.) although this feature is only available after upgrading to 3DMark Advanced.

Once the benchmark finishes, you will get the respective scores for your graphics card.
You can visit the 3DMark browser to compare scores to other graphics cards. On this website, enter your system’s GPU and CPU specs, and you will see the average results (revealing how most people have scored with a similar setup). Below is an example of the average score of the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 Super and AMD’s Radeon RX 7800 XT:

3dmark time spy average graphics score benchmark comparision between AMD RX 7800 XT vs NVIDIA RTX 4070 Super graphics cards — 3DMark, the source

You will get a baseline of anticipated performance with your specific system specifications using this average score. Check to see whether your test result is close to or higher than .the mean score in 3DMark's open-access database, your machine is operating at peak efficiency.

The Greatest 3DMark Benchmarks to Use

3DMark Time Spy (1440p) is among the most often used GPU benchmarks available. Additionally, a lot of tests conducted by hobbyists and hardware reviewers utilize it. As previously said, you can get this one for free in the 3DMark Demo.Additionally, even at 4K resolution, 3DMark's Time Spy Extreme ($9.99) is an excellent benchmark to examine the capabilities of your graphic card. It's the same test as Time Spy, except it requires more processing power and runs at a higher render quality. 3DMark Solar Bay benchmark

Photo Credit: 3DMark

Check out 3DMark's Port Royal test ($2.99) for a contemporary benchmark that evaluates performance with the newest advancements in graphics technology. This test is centered on ray tracing and renders at 1440p. This test allows you to evaluate the RT performance of both GPUs objectively, even if the performance of AMD and NVIDIA GPUs differs depending on the game.

Use PugetBench to Compare the Workloads of Content Creators

Firstly, install Creative Cloud (download here) on your system.
Next, go ahead and install Adobe Photoshop, After Effects, or Premiere Pro (depending on what workload you want to benchmark) from the Creative Cloud application.

Observation:Keep in mind that Adobe charges for their suite of content development tools. After this part, we've also covered how to run the Blender benchmark if you're searching for a free option.

Now, download PugetBench for creators from this link. This software will enable you to benchmark the system.
Once downloaded, open PugetBench. On the left sidebar, click on the Adobe software you want to benchmark. For example — I’ve selected Premiere Pro. Then, click on the download assets button. This may take some time and can be slower than expected at times, depending on their servers.
Click on Start Test at the bottom right after the assets are downloaded. Now, don’t touch your PC’s input peripherals because the benchmark will keep running automatically.

The benchmark will be running for a while, measuring several aspects like RAW performance and GPU effects. When it's finished, you'll get the outcome along with a link to the benchmark that your computer will publish to the Puget database.

Utilize Blender Benchmark to Evaluate GPU Capabilities

First, download the official Blender benchmark from the link here.
Extract the file (.zip) and open the benchmark-launcher file.

Keep clicking Next to move past the instructions and select the Blender version to benchmark (the latest is recommended).
Click next again, and the app will tell you that it will benchmark your GPU on a few scenes. It will download them if you are using the software for the first time, and it can take some time.

When you arrive at Benchmark Devices, ensure you select the device as your GPU. You can read our guide on how to check your GPU if needed.
Finally, click on Start Benchmark to begin the Blender benchmark test.

Following the completion of the test, you will get a final median score and a readout indicating how many samples per minute your GPU could handle. You may see the benchmark scores of different systems by visiting Blender's public database.

How to Use MSI Afterburner to Track In-Game FPS

Download and install MSI Afterburner from this link. You will have to extract the files before you can launch the setup.
During the installation process, it will prompt you to install the RivaTuner Statistics Server (RTSS). This software is mandatory to enable the in-game FPS monitoring feature. So, make sure you install RTSS alongside MSI Afterburner when prompted.

Next, launch MSI Afterburner. Then, navigate to Settings > Monitoring.
Here, scroll down until you find Framerate and enable it by clicking the checkmark. You can enable Frametime along with FPS Minimum/Average/Maximum by clicking on the checkmark next to those options. Click on Apply once done.

Next, head over to the On-Screen Display tab. Here, set keyboard shortcuts of your choice to dynamically enable or disable the MSI Afterburner overlay. This overlay will show your system stats, apart from FPS monitoring if you have any enabled it.
Next, go to the Benchmark tab. Click on the empty fields next to “Begin recording” & “End recording”, and press a key on your keyboard to set the said keyboard shortcuts. Make sure to note down where the benchmark results will be stored as well. Click on OK when done.

Now, you can launch a game and press the key that you set in the previous steps to enable the overlay. You can now see your FPS while gaming!
You can also press the key for Begin recording. With this, MSI Afterburner will start logging the FPS numbers. You will start seeing your minimum, average, and maximum FPS at the top left corner. When done with testing, press the key assigned to “End recording”.

Proceed to the file location where the benchmarks are kept. It is found within the install location of MSI Afterburner by default. You will find the FPS benchmark for the specific game that was tested within the text file!

Top Graphically Demanding Games for GPU Benchmarking

Here is a list of several challenging PC games you may play to see how well your graphics card performs in real-world situations. As an example, 2077 Cyberpunk is a game that features RT Overdrive, a ray tracing technical preview.Games grow more GPU-dependent, and even the most powerful GPU at the time of writing, the GeForce RTX 4090, generally has to be tested on 4K. However, since Cyberpunk 2077 is such a demanding game, you can see the RTX 4090 reaching its full capabilities even at 1440p.

Photo Credit:

CD Projekt RedBelow is a list of several PC games that are perfect for testing out your GPU. Moreover, several of them already provide benchmarking.

Cyberpunk 2077
Hogwarts Legacy
Resident Evil 4 Remake
Forza Motorsport
Microsoft Flight Simulator
Red Dead Redemption 2

Even with the greatest GPUs, the FPS in RT Overdrive mode is rather low in the absence of technologies like DLSS, FSR, and XeSS. But take aware that AMD Radeon GPUs don't function well with this higher-quality RT option.The performance of your GPU may be evaluated using a variety of 3DMark benchmarks. Additionally, PugetBench offers great benchmarks for evaluating the performance of your GPU in Adobe's content production software.Using FPS recording software (like Fraps, MSI Afterburner, or GeForce Overlay), you may test your GPU while playing games.You can easily stress test your GPU by running 3DMark benchmarks one after the other. You may also utilize additional programs, such Furmark and MSI Kombustor, to put your graphics card through stress testing.You should never run your GPU beyond 90 degrees Celsius. High-end cards operate at higher temperatures than their mid-range equivalents, while some cards operate colder than others.A GPU may operate at temperatures as high as 80 degrees Celsius, but if it was operating at a lower temperature in the past, its cooling capabilities may have declined with age. The fans on your GPU should be cleaned on a regular basis to maintain the lowest possible temperature.