:UserBenchmark
{{Short description|Computer benchmark program and website}}
{{Infobox website
| name = UserBenchmark
| logo = UserBenchmark.png
| type = Computer hardware ranking charts
| products = Computer benchmarking tool
| url = {{URL|https://www.userbenchmark.com}}
}}
UserBenchmark is a computer benchmarking website that provides users with performance scores for various hardware components.{{cite web |last1=Mukherjee |first1=Ritoban |title=Best benchmarks software of 2025 |url=https://www.techradar.com/best/best-benchmarks-software |website=www.techradar.com |access-date=8 May 2025 |date=25 February 2025}} It offers user-submitted reviews and dedicated tools to evaluate and compare the performance of individual components based on system tests. Its controversial opinions and perceived biases in its computer hardware rankings against AMD products have drawn criticism in the tech press.{{Cite web |last=Nasir |first=Hassam |date=2025-03-12 |title=UserBenchmark bashes AMD GPUs and claims they lack real-world performance |url=https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/gpus/userbenchmark-bashes-amd-gpus-and-claims-they-lack-real-world-performance |access-date=2025-03-16 |website=Tom's Hardware |language=en}}
Features
UserBenchmark is a website which offers a benchmarking program to run on the user's PC and then allows them to upload the results on the website. The website provides performance comparisons for CPUs, GPUs, SSDs, HDDs, RAM, and USB drives.{{Cite web |last=Connatser |first=Matthew |date=2024-02-17 |title=Controversial benchmarking website goes behind partial paywall — Userbenchmark now requires a $10 monthly subscription [Update] |url=https://www.tomshardware.com/software/controversial-benchmarking-website-goes-behind-paywall-userbenchmark-now-requires-a-pound10-monthly-subscription |access-date=2025-01-08 |website=Tom's Hardware |language=en |archive-date=2025-01-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250110111554/https://www.tomshardware.com/software/controversial-benchmarking-website-goes-behind-paywall-userbenchmark-now-requires-a-pound10-monthly-subscription |url-status=live }} It works on a similar concept to 3DMark, another system benchmarking tool.
As UserBenchmark allows users to upload their hardware score results to the website, it makes it a source of unreleased hardware leaks. Leaks have been discovered for AMD{{cite web |last1=Mujtaba |first1=Hassan |title=Mysterious AMD Radeon RX GPU Based on Navi 21 & 8 GB GDDR6 Memory Spotted |url=https://wccftech.com/mysterious-amd-radeon-rx-gpu-based-on-navi-21-8-gb-gddr6-memory-spotted/ |website=www.wccftech.com |access-date=8 May 2025 |date=5 August 2021}}, Intel{{Cite web |last=Deakin |first=Daniel R. |date=2022-08-17 |title=Intel Raptor Lake engineering samples produce mind-boggling results on UserBenchmark |url=https://www.notebookcheck.net/Intel-Raptor-Lake-engineering-samples-produce-mind-boggling-results-on-UserBenchmark.641230.0.html |access-date=2025-01-08 |website=Notebookcheck |language=en |archive-date=2025-01-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250124154535/https://www.notebookcheck.net/Intel-Raptor-Lake-engineering-samples-produce-mind-boggling-results-on-UserBenchmark.641230.0.html |url-status=live }} and NVIDIA{{cite web |last1=btarunr |title=NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Surfaces on Userbenchmark, Rocks 19Gbps Memory Clock |url=https://www.techpowerup.com/271062/nvidia-geforce-rtx-3080-surfaces-on-userbenchmark-rocks-19gbps-memory-clock |website=www.techpowerup.com |access-date=8 May 2025 |date=16 August 2020}} hardware.
In 2024, UserBenchmark required a $10 per year fee to allow usage of the program during periods of high use. Some people, without subscriptions, may be able to make use of free open testing slots. To test with the open free slots, non-subscribers must finish "a 3D captcha minigame" with the objective of shooting 13 ships to the ground.{{Cite web |last=Connatser |first=Matthew |date=2024-02-17 |title=Controversial benchmarking website goes behind partial paywall — Userbenchmark now requires a $10 monthly subscription [Update] |url=https://www.tomshardware.com/software/controversial-benchmarking-website-goes-behind-paywall-userbenchmark-now-requires-a-pound10-monthly-subscription |access-date=2025-01-08 |website=Tom's Hardware |language=en |archive-date=2025-01-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250110111554/https://www.tomshardware.com/software/controversial-benchmarking-website-goes-behind-paywall-userbenchmark-now-requires-a-pound10-monthly-subscription |url-status=live }}
Controversies
In July 2019, UserBenchmark updated how it calculates the effective speed index{{Cite web |title=What is the effective CPU speed index? - Answers - UserBenchmark |url=https://cpu.userbenchmark.com/Faq/What-is-the-effective-CPU-speed-index/55 |access-date=2025-01-08 |website= UserBenchmark.com |archive-date=2024-11-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241120100933/https://cpu.userbenchmark.com/Faq/What-is-the-effective-CPU-speed-index/55 |url-status=live }} on its website's CPU hardware rankings, drastically affecting the ranking positions of CPUs, which penalized AMD processors.{{Cite web |author1=Matthew Connatser |date=2019-07-28 |title=Updated: Userbenchmark Responds to Criticism Over Score Weighing Revisions |url=https://www.tomshardware.com/news/userbenchmark-benchmark-change-criticism-amd-intel,40032.html |access-date=2025-01-08 |website=Tom's Hardware |language=en |archive-date=2024-12-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241225230428/https://www.tomshardware.com/news/userbenchmark-benchmark-change-criticism-amd-intel,40032.html |url-status=live }} This resulted in backlash on social media, with some hardware enthusiast boards banning links to the UserBenchmark website.{{Cite web |last=eTeknix.com |date=2020-04-22 |title=UserBenchmark Gets Banned From 3 Huge Reddit Groups |url=https://www.eteknix.com/userbenchmark-gets-banned-from-3-huge-reddit-groups/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240523145532/https://www.eteknix.com/userbenchmark-gets-banned-from-3-huge-reddit-groups/ |archive-date=2024-05-23 |access-date=2025-01-08 |website=eTeknix |language=en-GB}}
UserBenchmark has been accused of bias against AMD.{{cite web | title=Notorious UserBenchmark is already throwing shade at AMD's new Ryzen 7 5800X3D | url=https://www.neowin.net/news/notorious-userbenchmark-is-already-throwing-shade-at-amd039s-new-ryzen-7-5800x3d/ | access-date=2025-01-15 | first=Sayan | last=Sen | website=neowin.net | archive-date=2025-02-12 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250212192240/https://www.neowin.net/news/notorious-userbenchmark-is-already-throwing-shade-at-amd039s-new-ryzen-7-5800x3d/ | url-status=live }}