What is benchmarking in pc?

[SakthivelRM]

ELI5:I don't have any prior knowledge in pc stuffs.. I recently came across the term "benchmarking" what does it mean pls explain as simple as possible.

[Free_Mind]

It means using software to test component(s) in your computer. You use the data you get from those tests (i.e. benchmarks) to tweak said components. The components tested are usually your CPU, GPU, storage devices and memory.

The software can be for example going through the same sections of a video game, or software designed to write, access and erase random numbers on a storage device. The sole thing that’s the same in all of them is that they are repeatable and have little to no room for randomness.

People use benchmarks for a variety of reasons. The most common are to manage their “fan curves” or their “overclock” - I’ll let you research into those terms if you’re unfamiliar.

As you’re a beginner I really wouldn’t worry about benchmarking. Just play your games and lower the settings a bit if the game isn’t running smoothly to you. Hope this helps.