Benchmarking your PC is an essential step for anyone who wants to ensure their system runs smoothly, especially when gaming or using high-performance applications. It allows you to evaluate how your hardware performs under specific conditions and helps you make informed decisions on upgrades or configurations. However, many traditional benchmarking tools can provide abstract scores that may not make sense without references or rankings. This is where using popular games as benchmarking tools comes into play. In this article, we will explore some of the top games that can help you assess the performance of your Windows 11 PC, giving you a straightforward way to gauge its power and capabilities.
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1 Fortnite
Fortnite is an excellent choice for benchmarking your PC, and it comes with several advantages. First of all, it’s free to play, making it accessible to everyone. Additionally, as a mainstream title that is well-optimized, it helps you understand your hardware’s capabilities in a real-world gaming environment. Being an online game, Fortnite can also expose issues related to latency and ping.
If your PC can run Fortnite smoothly with decent FPS and resolution, it’s likely capable of handling other well-optimized online games as well. I typically use this game as an introductory test when assessing a new build’s performance.
Although Fortnite lacks a specific built-in benchmarking tool, you can enable the FPS counter to monitor your average framerate during gameplay.
2 Red Dead Redemption 2
For testing the limits of your PC’s CPU and GPU, Red Dead Redemption 2 serves as a perfect benchmark. Unfortunately, if you are only playing Red Dead Online, you won’t have access to the built-in benchmarking tool.
To utilize this feature, switch to Story mode, navigate to Settings, and head over to Graphics where you can enable the benchmarking tool.
The tool renders a sequence of scenes, omitting NPCs, while also measuring performance during dynamic scenes like shootouts or robberies. At the conclusion of the benchmark, it provides a detailed summary, including your peak, average, and lowest framerate.
3 Shadow of the Tomb Raider
If you’re interested in assessing performance using an older AAA title, Shadow of the Tomb Raider is an excellent selection. It features a dedicated benchmarking tool that doesn’t require you to buy the full game—you can download the free demo on Steam.
Released in 2018, it may not reflect performance in the latest games, but it’s a great way to gauge how your PC will fare in older AAA titles. The tool provides detailed performance metrics, including GPU and CPU rendering performance and average FPS.
To access the benchmarking tool, launch the demo, go to Options, select Display, and then Graphics where you can find the benchmark option. The demo is only 15GB, making it convenient compared to the full game with more significant storage requirements.
4 Call of Duty: Warzone
Call of Duty: Warzone offers several advantages for benchmarking, including its free access, realistic graphics, and variety of game modes to assess hardware performance. Since it’s an online game, it provides insights into network latency issues when gaming on Wi-Fi with a laptop.
Similar to Fortnite, I assess performance in Warzone by measuring average FPS and noting any potential issues like screen tearing or slow rendering. I use Windows Game Bar to monitor performance during matches.
If you’re keen to benchmark your system with a cutting-edge game featuring realistic graphics, look no further than the Black Myth: Wukong benchmarking tool available for free on Steam.
The Black Myth: Wukong benchmarking tool tracks your FPS and VRAM usage while rendering various environmental scenes. While it may not include scenes with many NPCs, it can reveal performance issues and help determine optimal game settings.
Another perk is that you don’t need to own the primary game to utilize the benchmarking tool, making it a convenient way to assess your system’s performance with a 2024 title. Additionally, it’s only about 10GB in size, meaning you won’t need to sacrifice too much storage space for the benchmarking tool.
Using these games, you can gain valuable insights into how well your Windows 11 PC performs. While built-in benchmarks often provide the most reliable statistics, testing your PC in competitive online games can give you a more well-rounded perspective on how your setup handles various titles. Furthermore, for those who wish to explore beyond gaming scenarios, there are some excellent free benchmarking programs for Windows worth trying.
Summary: Benchmarking your Windows 11 PC using popular games like Fortnite, Red Dead Redemption 2, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, and Call of Duty: Warzone is a practical way to gauge performance in real-world scenarios. Free tools available on Steam, such as the Black Myth: Wukong benchmarking tool, can also enhance your assessment. Each option provides valuable data to help you understand your system’s capabilities.