What is PassMark?
Understanding the benchmark scores we use to compare hardware performance.
PassMark Software is an Australian company founded in 1998 that develops benchmarking and diagnostic tools. Their PerformanceTest software has become one of the most widely used benchmarking applications, with over 1.5 million results in their database.
We use PassMark scores throughout this site because they provide standardized, real-world performance data that allows for meaningful comparisons between different hardware generations and manufacturers.
CPU Mark
The CPU Mark score measures overall processor performance through tests that include:
- Integer and floating-point mathematics
- Extended instruction sets (SSE, AVX, AVX-512)
- Encryption and compression algorithms
- Physics simulation calculations
- Single-thread and multi-thread workloads
G3D Mark
The G3D Mark (3D Graphics Mark) measures GPU rendering performance through:
- DirectX 9, 10, 11, and 12 rendering
- OpenGL and Vulkan API tests
- Medium and heavy 3D graphics workloads
- GPU compute operations (CUDA/OpenCL)
How we use this data
Our database integrates PassMark scores for over 3.500 CPUs and 2.000 GPUs. We use these scores to rank components by actual measured performance, enable side-by-side comparisons, and help you find the best hardware for your budget.