Cinebench 2024 utilizes the power of Redshift, Cinema 4D's default rendering engine, to evaluate your computer's CPU and GPU capabilities.

Cinebench is a real-world benchmark that evaluates your computer's hardware capabilities. For over a decade, Cinebench has been a popular tool to evaluate hardware performance and we use it extensively to test the latest CPUs on TechSpot reviews.

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!

How does Cinebench work?

Cinebench 2024 uses Redshift, Cinema 4D's rendering engine, to evaluate your computer's CPU and GPU capabilities. It's great for analyzing how well a CPU manages threads and memory. Cinebench can be configured to render scenes using a set amount of threads, starting with just 1 (essentially just one core of the CPU) all the way up to 256.

Can I use Cinebench to benchmark my CPU and GPU?

Starting with the Cinebench 2024 version, you can test both CPU and GPU effectively.

Does Cinebench support ARM processors?

Yes, Cinebench 2024 supports Apple Arm-powered silicon computing systems as well as Windows Arm and Snapdragon systems.

How long is a Cinebench test?

Normally, Cinebench takes 10 minutes to benchmark your CPU and GPU.

Can the benchmark damage my CPU?

No, Cinebench only measures your CPU performance. It produces a score to compare PC systems. If your temps and voltages are safe, it will not hurt your computer.

Are Cinebench 2024 results comparable to scores from previous versions?

Cinebench 2024 has under gone a back-end overhaul, so Cinebench 2024 results are not comparable to the results from previous versions.

Who is Cinebench intended for?

Anyone who needs to evaluate hardware performance can use Cinebench to run tests. Individuals can evaluate their system, IT administrators can use Cinebench to help make purchase decisions, journalists can use the results in reviewing hardware, and manufacturers can utilize the feedback to optimize their latest products. Cinebench offers a real-world benchmark that incorporates a user's common tasks while using Cinema 4D and Redshift to measure a system's performance.

What are the minimal requirements for Cinebench 2024?

Cinebench 2024's scena has a higher complexity which means its memory footprint has increased threefold. Depending on your CPU configuration Cinebench 2024 will need at least 6.5 - 8.5 GB RAM. The minimum memory requirement is therefore set to 16 GB (while macOS can execute the CPU test also on 8 GB machines – with significant influence of paging – Windows usually has several GB assigned to non-purgeable memory which prevents the execution of Cinebench 2024 on 8 GB machines). GPUs need more memory for efficient operation, and as such, they need 8 GB or more of GPU memory. On Apple silicon, this memory is part of the unified memory system, and therefore Redshift GPU can only run on machines with at least 16 GB.

Cinebench 2024 will not execute on unsupported processors. On systems lacking sufficient RAM to load the test scene, a warning will be displayed, and the CPU and/or GPU benchmark will not be executed.

Features

Main Processor Performance (CPU)

The test scenario uses all of your system's processing power to render a photorealistic 3D scene (from the viral "No Keyframes" animation by AixSponza). This scene makes use of various algorithms to stress all available processor cores.

In fact, Cinebench can measure systems with up to 256 processor threads. This test scene contains approximately 2,000 objects which in turn contain more than 300,000 polygons in total, and uses sharp and blurred reflections, area lights, shadows, procedural shaders, antialiasing, and much more. The result is displayed in points (pts). The higher the number, the faster your processor.

Graphics Card Performance (OpenGL)

This procedure uses a complex 3D scene depicting a car chase (created by renderbaron) which measures the performance of your graphics card in OpenGL mode. The performance depends on various factors, such as the GPU processor on your hardware, on the drivers used. The graphics card has to display a huge amount of geometry (nearly 1 million polygons) and textures, as well as a variety of effects, such as environments, bump maps, transparency, lighting and more to evaluate the performance across different disciplines and give a good average overview of the capabilities of your graphics hardware. The result is measured in frames per second (fps). The higher the number, the faster your graphics card is.

Who Should Use Maxon Cinebench?

Anyone who needs to evaluate hardware performance should add Maxon Cinebench to the test tool arsenal.System administrators can use Cinebench to help make purchase decisions, journalists can use the results in reviewing hardware, hardware manufacturers may utilize the feedback in optimizing their latest products. Any computer owner can evaluate his or her individual system. Unlike abstract benchmarks, which only test specific functions of CPUs or GPUs, Cinebench offers a real-world benchmark that incorporates a user's common tasks within CINEMA 4D to measure a system's performance. For those who have to do a serious amount of testing Cinebench also provides a command line option, allowing users to run automated test procedures.

What's New

Maxon, developers of professional software solutions for editors, filmmakers, motion designers, visual effects artists and creators of all types, is thrilled to announce the highly anticipated release of Cinebench 2024. This latest iteration of the industry-standard benchmarking software, which has been a cornerstone in computer performance evaluation for two decades, sets a new standard for performance evaluation, embracing cutting-edge technology to provide artists, designers, and creators with a more accurate and relevant representation of their hardware capabilities.

Redshift Rendering Engine Integration

Cinebench 2024 ushers in a new era by embracing the power of Redshift, Cinema 4D's default rendering engine. Unlike its predecessors, which utilized Cinema 4D's standard renderer, Cinebench 2024 utilizes the same render algorithms across both CPU and GPU implementations. This leap to the Redshift engine ensures that performance testing aligns seamlessly with the demands of modern creative workflows, delivering accurate and consistent results.

Dual Performance Evaluation: CPU and GPU

Cinebench 2024 reinstates GPU benchmarking, a feature absent from Cinebench for the past decade. The latest version not only evaluates CPU performance; it also provides insights into the GPU's capabilities, reflecting the evolving technological landscape of creative software and workflows.

Wider Platform Compatibility

Cinebench 2024 is designed to accommodate a broader range of hardware configurations. It seamlessly supports x86/64 architecture (Intel/AMD) on Windows and macOS, as well as Arm64 architecture to extend its reach to Apple silicon on macOS and Snapdragon® compute silicon on Windows, ensuring compatibility with the latest advancements in hardware technology. Redshift GPU performance can be evaluated on systems with compatible Nvidia, AMD and Apple graphics processors.

Unified Benchmarking Scene

Cinebench 2024 streamlines the benchmarking process by utilizing a consistent scene file for both CPU and GPU testing. This innovation enables users to discern the advantages of leveraging Redshift GPU, providing a real-world glimpse into the benefits of harnessing cutting-edge graphics hardware for rendering tasks.

Revamped User Interface

Cinebench 2024 introduces a revamped user interface that enhances the user experience and showcases the incredible artistic endeavors achieved with the Redshift render engine in Cinema 4D. This dynamic interface serves as a testament to the potential of the Redshift engine while offering users a more intuitive and visually engaging experience.

Under-the-Hood Enhancements

Beyond the surface, Cinebench 2024 brings forth a host of performance-enhancing features. With a threefold increase in memory footprint compared to Cinebench R23, the software caters to the memory-intensive demands of modern projects. Moreover, a six-fold rise in computational effort and utilization of newer instruction sets ensures a benchmark that resonates with the complexity and sophistication of contemporary creative projects.

Unparalleled Performance Evaluation

It's crucial to note that Cinebench 2024 scores cannot be directly compared to those of its predecessor, Cinebench R23. With the incorporation of Redshift, a different rendering engine, larger memory footprint, and more complex scenes, Cinebench 2024 offers a distinctly enhanced and accurate evaluation of modern hardware capabilities.

Cinebench R23 release notes

  • Cinebench R23 now supports Apple's M1-powered computing systems
  • Cinebench is now based on the latest Release 23 code using updated compilers, and has a minimum runtime activated by default (previously hidden in preferences)
  • Cinebench R23 provides improved benchmark accuracy for current and next generation CPUs to test if a machine runs stable on a high CPU load, if the cooling solution of a desktop or notebook is sufficient for longer running tasks to deliver the full potential of the CPU, and if a machine is able to handle demanding real-life 3D tasks.
  • Users now have the option to directly test the single core performance without manually enabling the "Advanced benchmark" option. The "Advanced benchmark" allows users to set arbitrary minimum runtimes to stress test the hardware for even longer periods of time.
  • Because of the code and compiler changes, Cinebench score values are readjusted to a new range so they should not be compared to scores from previous versions of Cinebench.
  • Cinebench R23 does not test GPU performance.
  • Cinebench R23 will not launch on unsupported processors. On systems lacking sufficient RAM to load the test scene, a warning will be displayed and the CPU benchmark will not be executed.
  • Background tasks can significantly influence measurement and create diverse results. It's always a good idea to shut down all running programs and disable any virus checking or disk indexing but it's impossible to eliminate all background processes. Modern operating systems perform various background tasks that cannot or should not be disabled, even though they could have a minor influence on the results.
  • Test results can vary slightly because it's impossible to disable every background task of the operating system. These tasks are one factor that may have a slight influence on measurements. Also, modern computers and graphics cards dynamically adjust clock speeds based on environmental conditions like power and temperature. For instance, processors will reduce clock speed when running too hot to allow for cooling and prevent damage. With many modern processors, the reverse is also true. They are able to overclock themselves when the temperature is low enough. Therefore, a system freshly started in a relatively cool environment will typically run faster than the same system that has been performing benchmarks for several hours in a heated office.
  • It is also possible to launch MAXON Cinebench with command line options. Please refer to your operating system manual on how to start an application using the command line. After the name of the application enter one of the options listed below. MAXON Cinebench will then be executed, run the specified test, then quit and display the result in the command line console. The result is not saved as a file.
  • The following command line options are available:
    • g_CinebenchCpu1Test=true - runs only the Single Core test procedure
    • g_CinebenchCpuXTest=true - runs only the Multi Core test procedure
    • g_CinebenchAllTests=true - runs all test procedures sequentially
    • g_CinebenchMinimumTestDuration=100 - sets a minimum test duration of 100 seconds
  • To get a proper console log on Windows, you have to add an additional command before the Cinebench executable name. Example:
    • start /b /wait "parentconsole" Cinebench.exe g_CinebenchAllTests=true

Note: Test results can vary slightly because it's impossible to disable every background task of the operating system. These tasks are one factor that may have a slight influence on measurements. Also, modern computers and graphics cards dynamically adjust clock speeds based on environmental conditions like power and temperature. For instance, processors will reduce clock speed when running too hot to allow for cooling and prevent damage. With many modern processors, the reverse is also true. They are able to overclock themselves when the temperature is low enough. Therefore, a system freshly started in a relatively cool environment will typically run faster than the same system that has been performing benchmarks for several hours in a heated office.

Cinebench R23 and Cinebench R20 is still widely used for testing, you can choose and download that by choosing the appropriate version in the download options menu. We also host Cinebench R15 for Windows and Mac for the same reasons.