The review process for laptops, desktops, tablets and other computer-like devices consists of two parts: performance testing under controlled conditions in the CNET Labs and extensive hands-on use by our expert reviewers. This includes evaluating a device’s aesthetics, ergonomics and features. A final review verdict is a combination of both those objective and subjective judgments.
The list of benchmarking software we use changes over time as the devices we test evolve. The most important core tests we’re currently running on every compatible computer include: Primate Labs Geekbench 5, Cinebench R23, PCMark 10 and 3DMark Fire Strike Ultra.
A more detailed description of each benchmark and how we use it can be found in our page on how we test computers.
For gaming laptops we run a variety of performance tests, and in the individual product reviews you’ll see more meaningful performance results than the ones we present here. In reviews we provide apples-to-apples results — products from the same pool that you’re trying to choose from, with similar prices and configurations — rather than the fruit salad sampling of results here.
Because these laptops stretch back to 2021 models, two of our most universally consistent benchmark datasets are 3DMark Time Spy and Fire Strike Ultra, which have been in the 3DMark Benchmark Suite and part of our core testing for a long time, and which are more stable as performance measures than in-game benchmarks for comparing hardware. (Game-based benchmarks, like application-based benchmarks, can change as the developers improve their algorithms over time.)
Time Spy measures 1440p performance of games using Windows’ DirectX 12 API — the programming layer that Windows and Xbox game developers use for the heavy lifting of frame rendering — which came out around 2016 and is still being used by game developers. It’s the lowest common denominator of the API, which doesn’t include more recent features like DXR (ray tracing) and more; those are part of the newer DX12 Ultimate, aka version 12.2.
Fire Strike Ultra tests 4K gaming performance for Windows’ DirectX 11 API, circa (roughly) 2009 to 2015. That makes it relatively representative of games created during that period, such as the first few in the Battlefield, Assassin’s Creed and Tomb Raider series.
