The Standard Performance Evaluation Corporation (SPEC) has released SPECviewperf 15 for measuring graphics performance representing professional applications. The updated benchmark includes new graphics APIs for DirectX 12 and Vulkan, and diverse workloads for new industry use cases. Supported as well are the latest versions of the software applications represented in the benchmark.
In keeping pace with the evolving graphics industry, the nonprofit Standard Performance Evaluation Corporation (SPEC), which establishes and maintains standardized benchmarks for the latest generation of computer systems, has released the SPECviewperf 15 benchmark. The benchmark measures graphics performance when running professional software applications.
This new benchmark contains usability improvements, including an all-new graphical user interface and updated installation and configuration processes.
SPECviewperf 15 includes new graphics APIs for DirectX 12 and Vulkan, enabling hardware and software vendors, as well as consumers, to measure the 3D graphics performance of systems running DX12 and Vulkan. It also continues to measure the 3D graphics performance of systems running under the OpenGL API. Additionally, the benchmark comprises workloads for new industry use cases. These modern workloads are diverse and easy to install and run, says SPEC, and offer quality, consistent results.
The following new use-case workloads are included in the SPECviewperf 15 benchmark:
• blender-01—An OpenGL benchmark highlighting the use of Blender 3.6 LTS in content-creation use cases.
• unreal_engine-01—A DirectX 12 benchmark highlighting content-creation use cases that rely on Epic’s Unreal Engine 5.4 with advanced rendering technologies such as Lumen, Nanite, and Temporal Super Resolution.
• Enscape-01—A Vulkan benchmark highlighting GPU-accelerated ray tracing as used by the Chaos Enscape 4.0 application in architectural visualization.
The new benchmark supports the most up-to-date versions of the applications represented, so users can determine how these apps will perform on current hardware. The benchmark can run without requiring a license install for the application being reviewed.
The updated workloads based on new versions of the professional applications represented by the benchmark include:
• 3dsmax-08—Updated with traces from Autodesk 3ds Max 2023, including subsets of KitBash3D’s Mission to Minerva model and Materials Kit, based on real-world production data commonly used by game developers and filmmakers.
• catia-07—Updated with traces from the 2022x version of Dassault Systèmes 3DExperience CATIA. Traces from Catia v5 are also included in the workload.
• creo-04—Updated with traces from PTC Creo 9.
• maya-07—Updated with traces from Autodesk Maya 2025; also includes two new models: Apollo and Sol and Solette.
• solidworks-08—Updated with traces from Dassault Systèmes Solidworks 2024.
“The SPECviewperf 15 benchmark suite continues to set the standard for measuring the performance of modern graphics hardware. This latest release highlights today’s most advanced techniques, such as ray tracing and micropolygon rendering, and we’ve continued to update existing workloads to keep pace with updated application versions and new 3D models. End users will also appreciate how improvements to the installation process, benchmark configuration, and the documentation will make it significantly easier for them to benchmark their systems,” said Ross Cunniff, SPECgpc committee chair.
The updated benchmark is available now for download here. It is free for the user community and $2,500 for computer-related product and service vendors.
The predecessor to SPECviewperf 15 is SPECviewperf 2020 v3.1, announced in mid-2022, which included support for the latest Microsoft Windows 11 operating system and much better support for 4K screen resolution. SPECviewperf 15 follows the traditional naming of prior SPECviewperf benchmark releases before SPECviewperf 2020—the previous few before it being SPECviewperf 12, SPECviewperf 12.1, and SPECviewperf 13. SPEC says this return in nomenclature provides more clarity for its benchmark users, as it follows semantic versioning.
SPEC says it will continue expansion of the SPECviewperf benchmark, enabling users to likewise continue to optimize their systems’ performance.
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