IT managers and procurement specialists can make their IT budget go further by using vendor-neutral benchmarks, like PCMark 10, to specify PC performance in tenders and RFQs.
PCMark 10 performance benchmarks
PCMark 10 offers several benchmark tests for measuring PC performance. Each one is designed around a specific scenario. You should choose the test that best matches the intended audience for the device being tested.
| PCMark 10 benchmark | The complete benchmark for the modern office. It is the ideal test for organizations that are evaluating PCs for a workforce with a range of performance needs. |
| PCMark 10 Express | A shorter benchmark test focused on basic work tasks. It is a good choice when tendering for PCs for general office use. |
| PCMark 10 Extended | A longer benchmark test covering a wider range of activities. It provides organizations with a complete assessment of system performance beyond typical office work tasks. |
| PCMark 10 Applications | A benchmark for testing the performance of office PCs using Microsoft Office applications. |
Each benchmark produces a score that you can use to compare systems. A higher score indicates better performance. You'll also get detailed results and monitoring charts that provide a deeper understanding of performance during each workload.
When testing systems or components, be sure to use the most appropriate benchmark for the hardware's capabilities and report your results using the full name of the test.
PCMark 10 battery life benchmarks
PCMark 10 introduces a new approach to battery life benchmarking—the Battery Life Profile. Instead of producing a single number, the PCMark 10 Battery Life Profile provides a broad view of battery life across five scenarios that reflect common, real-world activities.
| Modern Office | Measure battery life for common office tasks: writing, web browsing, and video conferencing. |
| Applications | Measure battery life for work tasks using Microsoft Office applications. |
| Video | Measure battery life for video playback. |
| Gaming | Measure battery life with a constant, heavy gaming load to find the lower limit of the battery life profile. |
| Idle | Measure battery life for inactive times between tasks to produce the upper limit of the battery life profile. |
PCMark 10 storage benchmarks
PCMark 10 includes four storage benchmarks for testing and comparing the performance of the latest SSDs and other storage devices.
| Full System Drive Benchmark | A wide-ranging test for modern drives. |
| Quick System Drive Benchmark | A shorter test with lighter workloads for smaller drives. |
| Data Drive Benchmark | A test for data drives and external storage devices. |
| Drive Performance Consistency Test | An extremely demanding test for expert users. |