How we test laptops for graphic design: benchmarking explained

When we test our laptops, we run a series of strict benchmark tests based on real-world workflows so we can guarantee they'll be powerful enough for your graphic design workload.

So what are those benchmarks, and what are the minimum numbers? It’s hard to put a singular firm number as a benchmark threshold for whether or not to buy a certain laptop for graphic design. That said, there are several indicators you can look for as a general guideline. Keep reading to find out more (and see our graphic design laptops guide for our top picks).

Geekbench 6 CPU and GPU tests

• CPU multi-core: At least 10,000
• GPU OpenCL: At least 70,000

Firstly, we run Geekbench CPU and GPU tests on all our laptops and computers we get in for testing, and these tests give us a general idea of a device’s capabilities. For example, the Acer Swift 3 is a budget school laptop, and that scored 4,156 in our multi-core CPU test. That tells us right away that the CPU’s processing speed is not nearly enough to run demanding graphic design software, especially when combined with the GPU test, which tests the device’s graphics performance. Using what’s called the OpenCL test, it scored 7334 points, only slightly more than a powerful mobile phone would.

By contrast, the ASUS ProArt P16, which is made with creative professionals squarely in mind, and is equipped with a discrete graphics card to handle heavy graphic workloads, scored 14,931 points in the CPU multi-core test and a whopping 101,004 points in the OpenCL GPU test.

Of course, most people are going to be somewhere in between those extremes. For example, the ASUS Vivobook Pro 16 scored 12,408 points in the CPU test with 77,026 points in the GPU test, making it a very viable candidate for graphic design.

In general, in my experience, you’ll want the CPU score to hit five figures to be confident that it’s not going to start struggling when you subject it to big files being processed by complex software. A score over 12,000 is very good, and anything over 14,000 means it’s definitely studio-ready.

But just looking at the CPU score isn’t enough to gauge whether it’s a good candidate for your graphic-design needs. For example, the Huawei Matebook X Pro scores a very impressive 13,487 points in the CPU test. But because it only has an Intel Arc Graphics processor for the visual side, the OpenCL GPU score is a relatively tame 36,288, meaning that static image work is probably going to be fine. Still, you'll run into trouble as soon as you need fast graphic processing beyond light to mid-tier gaming or effects-light video editing. What I have found is that discrete graphics cards at the low end of the latest generation (NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 or AMD Radeon RX 7600) will yield results of 70,000-plus points, while the top performers from each maker will go into six figures, even starting to edge close to 200,000 as in the case of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090).

But Geekbench isn’t enough to fully gauge a computer’s capabilities for graphic design, as these tests just measure the processors’ raw grunt. That’s why we use more tests.

Cinebench

• CPU multi-core: At least 800
• GPU: At least 7,500

Cinebench, which is based on Cinema 4D, measures the CPU and GPU performance of a computer by rendering highly-detailed 3D scenes. It gives users a metric to see how their device will handle intense processing loads. Do note that the 2023 version, named r23, uses a different baseline score to the latest version, Cinebench 2024, which outputs lower numbers for the same performance as software maker Maxon has reset the baseline score between versions. That’s why a laptop like the HP Omen Transcend 14 will score over 10,000 points in r23 but only 866 in the 2024 version. I will refer to the 2024 baseline from here on.

For a good 3D-scene-handling laptop, you need a Cinebench multi-core CPU score of at least 800 points, ideally 1,000 and over if you have professional demands to fulfil. Similarly to Geekbench, Cinebench also runs a GPU test, but unlike Geekbench, this test won’t even run in most cases if you don’t have a discrete graphics card. For a good result in terms of graphic-design needs, you need at least about 7,500 points here, where 10,000 points and over tells you that you have a pro-level GPU in front of you.

Pugetbench Photoshop and Premiere Pro

• Photoshop: 6,000
• Premiere Pro: 6,000

One specialised test we use for laptops designed for graphic design and photo/video work is PugetBench. We run a version of Photoshop and Premiere Pro through PugetBench to test the device’s performance. For PugetBench Photoshop, an M2 MacBook Pro will score around 5,000 points in most cases, while a gaming or studio laptop with a GeForce RTX 4090 card will top 11,000 points. A score of 6-8,000 will cover you for most multi-layered Photoshop work. In Premiere Pro, the presence of a graphics card is even more vital. A computer with integrated Intel Arc Graphics, even if it has 32GB RAM on board, will top out at maybe 3,000-3,500 points, while a computer equipped with an RTX 4080/4090 card will top 15,000 if the CPU can keep up. You’re going to want to see a similar 6-8,000 score if you work with video on a regular basis.

Handbrake

We also use Handbrake, where we encode a 10-minute-long 4K video animation to output a 1080p FHD video, and log the time it takes to finish the task. A good laptop will do this in under 6 minutes, a great one for the tasks will take 4 to 4 and a half minutes, and a top-level one (as of writing this), such as the Acer Predator Helios 18 will finish it in around or under 3 minutes.

PCMark 10

• Main test: 6,500
• Digital Content Creation: 7,500

In addition, we run a general PCMark 10 benchmark test, which covers most modern office tasks. The Main test gives you not just a Total score, but also three other headline scores, titled Essentials, Productivity and Digital Content Creation. If you’re looking for a laptop for graphic design, you’ll want to pay particular attention to the last of these four, Digital Content Creation, which runs a variety of real-world graphic-processing tasks through your computer hardware. My experience tells me that a score of 7,000 in that section will be ‘enough’, while scores over 9,000 indicate a computer that’s going to do really well at digital content creation.

We are always and constantly reviewing our own benchmarking methods, as we want to make sure that we are giving you the best possible advice when you’re out there looking for the perfect laptop for graphic design.

To sum up, a laptop’s performance will rely on a number of factors, sometimes even those that are hard or impossible to benchmark, which is why before recommending a laptop to you, we make sure that we, either a team member or expert contributor, has used it in a real-life setting over an extended period of time. But given that proviso, the following list is a general guide to benchmark scores you’ll want to see your desired laptop for graphic design achieve or surpass.

For more on the factors that go into testing, see our guide to laptop displays.