How We Test Laptops: Benchmarks, Thermals and Everyday Use

At bestlaptop.pro we benchmark dozens of laptops every year. This article explains our testing methodology so readers understand the data behind our reviews and can make informed buying decisions.

Our testing goals

We aim to produce repeatable, comparable results across a wide range of devices. Our tests focus on CPU and GPU performance, thermal behavior, battery life and real-world productivity to reflect actual user experiences.

"Benchmarks are one piece of the puzzle. Real-world workflows and long-term thermals reveal how a laptop performs day-to-day."

Benchmarks we run

• CPU: Cinebench R25 multi-core and single-core tests to represent rendering and single-threaded tasks.
• GPU: 3DMark and real-game FPS captures at 1080p and 1440p.
• Storage: CrystalDiskMark to measure sequential and random I/O.
• Web browsing: JetStream and Speedometer to reflect web-app performance.

Thermals and sustained performance

Short benchmark runs show peak performance, but sustained loads reveal thermal limits. We run a 30-60 minute CPU+GPU stress test to observe clock behavior, TDP consistency and throttling points. We log skin temperatures and fan noise levels during these tests.

Battery testing

Battery tests include mixed productivity, video playback and gaming where appropriate. We set screen brightness to standard levels (150 nits for productivity) and report both light-use and heavy-use scenarios to help readers understand expectations.

Real-world tasks

Beyond synthetic measures, we run real tasks like compiling a medium-size codebase, exporting a 4K timeline in Premiere, and a multi-tab web browsing session with Slack and video calls. These tasks help illustrate latency, thermals and user-facing behavior.

Why we include subjective observations

Numbers don't tell the whole story. We note build quality, keyboard feel, touchpad responsiveness and speaker quality — all of which have significant impact on user satisfaction.

How to interpret our scores

We normalize benchmark metrics into a 0–100 scale for CPU, GPU and display sections to enable side-by-side comparisons. Look at sustained GPU/CPU scores for long-session users; peak scores matter when you need short burst performance.

Continuous improvement

We update our methodology periodically to reflect new workloads and industry changes. For example, we added ML inference tasks to reflect growing reliance on on-device AI features in 2025–2026.

Transparency

We publish raw benchmark data and test conditions alongside our reviews so technically inclined readers can reproduce results or compare them against other devices.

Final note

Our testing methodology is designed to balance scientific rigor with practical relevance. If you have a specific workflow you'd like us to include in future reviews, let us know in the comments — we regularly adapt to reader feedback.