Cinebench: Evaluate your computer's hardware capabilities

 

Cinebench 2024 utilizes the power of Redshift, Cinema 4D’s default rendering engine, to evaluate your computer’s CPU and GPU capabilities. Cinebench 2024 is designed to accommodate a broad range of hardware configurations – while it seamlessly supports x86/64 architecture (Intel/AMD) on Windows and macOS, it also extends its reach to Apple Silicon on macOS and Arm64 CPUs on Windows, ensuring compatibility with the latest advancements in hardware technology. Additionally, Cinebench 2024 streamlines the benchmarking process by utilizing a consistent scene file for both CPU and GPU testing. Best of all: It’s free!

 

What Exactly is Cinebench?

 

Cinebench is essentially a cross-platform performance test that utilizes Maxon's own professional Cinema 4D rendering engine. The test measures how quickly your CPU (and sometimes your GPU) can render a complex, photorealistic 3D scene.

The output is a precise numerical score, measured in pts (points). A higher score means your hardware rendered the scene faster.

Because 3D rendering is one of the most thread-intensive and demanding workloads a modern CPU faces, Cinebench provides a true validation of a processor’s speed, stability, and thermal management under sustained load.

 

The Review: Cinebench Pros

 

Cinebench has maintained its position as the top benchmarking tool for a reason. Here’s why we consider it essential freeware:

1. It’s Completely Free

This is the biggest win. Cinebench is easily downloadable directly from Maxon and requires no license or subscription. For enthusiasts and casual users, obtaining a professional-grade benchmark tool at no cost is outstanding value.

2. The Universal Standard for Comparison

If you want to know if a Ryzen 9 7950X is truly faster than an Intel Core i9-13900K, you look at their Cinebench scores. Because almost every major tech reviewer, hardware manufacturer, and enthusiast forum uses Cinebench, the scores are highly comparable across different systems and generations. This standardization makes purchasing decisions much clearer.

3. Real-World Workload Simulation

Unlike some synthetic benchmarks that run abstract calculations, Cinebench simulates a genuine, high-demand, professional task: 3D rendering. This means the score you achieve is highly indicative of the performance you would see in actual video editing, content creation, and animation software. It tests both single-core (critical for responsiveness) and multi-core (critical for heavy processing) performance.

4. Excellent Stress Test and Stability Check

The multi-core test runs the CPU at 100% utilization for several minutes. This sustained load is perfect for:

• Verifying Cooling: If your temperatures spike dangerously high, you know your cooler isn't sufficient.
• Validating Overclocks: If your system crashes during the run, your overclock settings are unstable.
• Checking Laptops: It quickly identifies whether a laptop's cooling system is causing thermal throttling (where the CPU slows itself down to prevent overheating).

5. Simple, Clean, and Accessible

Downloading and running Cinebench takes less than five minutes. The user interface is sparse, featuring only the essential data and a giant "Run" button. It’s one of the most user-friendly benchmarking tools available.

 

The Review: Cinebench Cons

 

While Cinebench is fantastic, it is not without its limitations. Understanding these helps users choose the right tool for the job.

1. Almost Exclusively CPU-Focused

While recent versions (like R23 or R24) sometimes include a GPU test, the primary value and focus of Cinebench remains squarely on the processor. If you are trying to test gaming performance, frame rates, or VRAM stability, Cinebench is the wrong tool. It doesn't stress the graphics card in the same way a dedicated 3D game or dedicated GPU benchmark would.

2. Rendering is Only One Metric

Cinebench tells you how fast your processor is at rendering, but PC performance involves many other factors: file I/O speeds (SSD/hard drive), memory latency, internal bus speed, and networking. A high Cinebench score doesn't guarantee a fast overall system, just a fast CPU.

3. Scores Can Become Obsolete or Misleading

As Maxon updates their underlying rendering engine (e.g., moving from Cinebench R20 to R23/R24), the way the scene is calculated changes. This means scores from different versions are not directly comparable. A score of 10,000 points on R20 is not the same as 10,000 points on R23. You must always ensure you are comparing scores generated on the same version of the software.

4. Minimal System Diagnostics

Cinebench provides the final score and, usually, core temperature data (if your system reports it). However, it lacks deep-dive diagnostic information found in some paid tools, such as detailed power draw history, per-core temperature logging, or memory utilization graphs.

 

Who Can Benefit from Running Cinebench?

 

If you fit into any of the following categories, Maxon Cinebench should be a permanent fixture in your toolkit:

1. The PC Builder / Hardware Enthusiast

This group benefits the most. Cinebench is crucial for validating a new build. Did that expensive CPU cooler you just installed actually make a difference? Run Cinebench, look at the stable score and temps, and you’ll know immediately. It’s also excellent for comparison shopping before you buy a new piece of hardware.

2. The Overclocker and System Optimizer

For those who manually tune their CPU clock speeds and voltages, Cinebench is non-negotiable. Not only does it measure the performance increase from the overclock, but running the multi-core test multiple times in a loop (a common stabilizing method) ensures the settings are safe for continuous, heavy use.

3. The Laptop Buyer and Traveler

Laptop manufacturers frequently sacrifice sustained performance for thin chassis design. Cinebench is the fastest way to detect aggressive thermal throttling. If a laptop boasts a powerful CPU but loses 30% of its performance score on the second or third run, you know cooling is an issue.

4. The Professional Content Creator

If your livelihood depends on quickly churning out video renders or 3D animations, you need maximum CPU speed. Cinebench gives professional users a simple metric to gauge when it's time for a hardware upgrade, ensuring they aren't losing valuable time waiting on renders.

 

The Verdict

 

Maxon Cinebench is arguably the most valuable piece of freeware in the benchmarking landscape. It’s easy to use, trusted by the industry, and provides a highly relevant test of the most demanding performance metric: raw CPU rendering power.

While you shouldn't rely on it to test your gaming rig's FPS, if you are looking to validate a new processor, test system stability, or compare your own machine against the thousands of benchmark scores online, Cinebench remains the undisputed gold standard.

Recommendation: Download the latest version (currently R24) and run it today. Knowing your score is the first step toward optimizing your PC.

  

Website: https://www.maxon.net/en/downloads/cinebench-2024-downloads