SPECviewperf

SPECviewperf is a benchmark suite developed by the Standard Performance Evaluation Corporation (SPEC) to measure the 3D graphics performance of workstation-class hardware when running professional applications. It evaluates how well a graphics subsystem handles the workloads typical of CAD/CAM, digital content creation, and scientific visualization by executing a set of real-world application scenes and recording frame rates.

Test workloads are modeled after widely used professional applications, such as 3ds Max, CATIA, Creo, Maya, SolidWorks, and Siemens NX. Each workload renders a sequence of views and camera motions that emulate an interactive user session. Results are reported as per-workload frame rates and an overall score that combines them according to SPEC’s weighting scheme. The tests are designed to be reproducible by providing a standardized environment, with guidance on driver versions, power settings, and measurement methodology.

Usage and significance: SPECviewperf is widely used by hardware vendors, IT departments, and benchmarking communities to compare graphics performance across GPUs and driver configurations for professional workloads. It is not intended to reflect gaming performance and focuses on professional graphics tasks.

Limitations and considerations: Results depend on software versions, drivers, and system configuration; workloads represent a subset of possible professional tasks and may not capture all real-world use cases. As applications and rendering pipelines evolve, newer SPECviewperf versions update workloads, but some modern tools or APIs may be underrepresented in older iterations.