How to Benchmark and Monitor Your New PC Using Real Games

Synthetic benchmarks are great, but nothing compares to testing your PC using actual games.

If you’ve just finished building a new system, running a few key titles with built-in benchmarks—or monitoring gameplay performance with tools—gives you real-world insights.

You’ll see how your GPU and CPU behave under true gaming conditions, confirm that thermal performance is solid, and even detect bottlenecks or misconfigurations.

In this guide, we’ll show you how to benchmark your new PC using games, which tools to use for real-time monitoring, and how to interpret the results to optimize your build.

Why Use Games to Benchmark?

Games use a complex combination of CPU, GPU, RAM, and storage. This makes them excellent performance indicators for:

• Frame rate consistency (not just peak FPS)
• GPU and CPU utilization
• RAM usage
• Temperatures and power draw
• Smoothness and stutter

Real games test how well your system handles the loads you actually care about—not just how it performs in artificial benchmarks.

Step 1: Choose the Right Games for Testing

Not every game offers a good performance test. Here are some of the best titles in 2025 for benchmarking:

1. Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty

• Why: Heavy ray tracing, CPU-GPU balance, DLSS 3.5 support
• Test Type: Built-in benchmark and open-world exploration
• Performance Insights: Thermal load, RT performance, DLSS behavior

2. Hogwarts Legacy

• Why: CPU-intensive areas, asset streaming, shader compilation
• Test Type: Open-world traversal through Hogsmeade or Hogwarts
• Performance Insights: Memory usage, game engine stutter detection

3. Call of Duty: Warzone

• Why: High FPS shooter, great for 240Hz testing
• Test Type: Practice lobby or actual BR match
• Performance Insights: Input latency, frame pacing, network load

4. Red Dead Redemption 2

• Why: Demands both CPU and GPU heavily
• Test Type: Built-in benchmark
• Performance Insights: Scene transitions, GPU consistency

5. Forza Horizon 5

• Why: Highly optimized, but still demanding with max settings
• Test Type: Built-in benchmark or open-road driving
• Performance Insights: DX12 performance, VRAM usage

Optional: Add games like Starfield, Spider-Man Remastered, or Assassin’s Creed Mirage to cover different engines and design patterns.

Step 2: Use an In-Game Overlay Tool

To monitor performance as you play, use tools like:

1. MSI Afterburner + RivaTuner Statistics Server (RTSS)

• Shows real-time overlay for FPS, CPU/GPU usage, temperatures, and frametime
• Customize position, font, and graphs
• Logs performance to file

2. CapFrameX

• Advanced FPS analysis
• Records and analyzes frametime consistency
• Useful for comparing hardware configurations

3. NVIDIA FrameView (NVIDIA cards only)

• Lightweight performance logger
• Tracks FPS, power, thermals, and GPU utilization

4. AMD Adrenalin Overlay

• For AMD GPUs, provides FPS, usage, VRAM, temps
• Built into the Adrenalin control panel

Be sure to enable hardware acceleration where needed and run these tools in admin mode for better detection.

Step 3: Monitor Key Metrics

When benchmarking in-game, keep your eye on these metrics:

• Average FPS: Indicates general performance
• 1% Low FPS: Shows how smooth the experience is
• Frametime Graph: Spikes indicate stutters
• CPU & GPU Usage: Near 100% = fully utilized; under 70% may signal bottleneck
• GPU Temp: Should stay under 85°C for most cards
• CPU Temp: Under 90°C under load is generally safe
• VRAM Usage: Watch for 90%+ usage—can cause performance drops

Step 4: Record Results and Compare

After testing 3–5 different scenes or benchmarks, write down:

• Resolution (1080p, 1440p, 4K)
• Graphics preset (Ultra, High, Custom)
• Frame rates (average, 1% low)
• Observations (stutter, lag, artifacts)

If you’re comparing builds or checking thermal behavior, this helps spot cooling inefficiencies or driver issues.

Step 5: Optimize Based on Results

Based on what you observe, make optimizations:

• Low 1% FPS or frametime spikes? Lower shadows, disable background recording (Xbox DVR), or switch to full-screen mode.
• GPU usage too low? Enable resizeable BAR or update BIOS/chipset drivers.
• Thermals high? Reapply thermal paste, increase fan curve, or improve case airflow.
• High VRAM usage? Reduce texture quality or resolution scaling.

Repeat tests after changes to verify impact.

Best Practices for Game Benchmarking

1. Use same test route or benchmark loop for consistent comparison
2. Disable V-Sync and Frame Caps (unless testing latency)
3. Always benchmark at native resolution
4. Keep background apps closed during testing
5. Run three passes and average your results for accuracy
6. Clean GPU drivers before installing a new card (use DDU if needed)

Should You Share Your Results?

Yes! Consider uploading to sites like:

• Reddit’s r/buildapc or r/pcmasterrace
• UserBenchmark (for reference, despite its flaws)
• CapFrameX’s online comparison database

Community insight can help confirm your system is performing on par.

Bonus: How to Spot Underperformance

If your FPS is 20–30% below online averages:

• Check that XMP/EXPO is enabled in BIOS
• Update your chipset and GPU drivers
• Make sure your GPU is in a x16 slot, not x4
• Confirm your PSU is delivering enough power
• Verify your GPU isn’t running at PCIe Gen 3 (vs. Gen 4/5)

Final Thoughts: Make the Most of Your Build

Gaming benchmarks are more than just numbers—they’re proof that your PC is working as it should. By running your favorite titles with overlays and performance tools, you gain a deeper understanding of your build and avoid surprises later.

Don’t skip this step. It only takes an hour to benchmark your most-used games, and doing so gives you valuable data to fine-tune performance, spot issues early, and enjoy your system to its fullest.