Cinebench R24 is the most widely used free CPU benchmark for enthusiasts and professionals. Developed by Maxon (the company behind Cinema 4D), it renders a photorealistic 3D scene using all available CPU threads, producing a score that reflects real-world rendering workload performance. This guide covers how to run it correctly, what the scores mean, and how to use it for diagnosing thermal throttling and tuning results.
Why Cinebench R24?
Cinebench has been the de-facto CPU benchmark for years because:
- It’s free and available in the Microsoft Store or from maxon.net
- It’s reproducible — results are consistent and comparable across systems
- It stresses all cores equally — unlike lightly-threaded benchmarks
- It reflects real workloads — the rendering engine is the same used in Cinema 4D production
- It’s short — a multi-core run completes in 60–180 seconds
Cinebench R24 replaced R23 in 2024, bringing a more demanding workload that better stresses newer high-core-count CPUs. R24 scores are not comparable to R23 scores.
Installation
- Open the Microsoft Store and search “Cinebench” — install the free version by Maxon.
- Or download directly from maxon.net/cinebench.
- No registration required — launch immediately.
Running the Benchmark Correctly
Before Running
- Close all background applications: Browsers, Discord, streaming software, and especially anything using CPU resources.
- Disable boost software temporarily: MSI Afterburner, EVGA Precision X — they can interfere with measurement.
- Ensure adequate cooling: The benchmark will push your CPU to sustained maximum load.
- Let your system idle for 2 minutes: Allow temperatures to return to ambient.
Single-Core Test
- Open Cinebench R24.
- In the top-right dropdown, select CPU (Single Core).
- Click Run — the benchmark renders a scene using only one thread.
- Duration: approximately 60–90 seconds.
- This test measures your CPU’s best single-core performance — important for gaming and single-threaded apps.
Multi-Core Test
- Select CPU (Multi Core) from the dropdown.
- Click Run — all CPU threads render simultaneously.
- Duration: 60–120 seconds depending on core count.
- This measures total rendering throughput — relevant for video encoding, 3D rendering, compilation.
Minimum Duration Test (For Sustained Performance)
Cinebench R24 added a Minimum Duration setting that runs the benchmark for a defined time period (e.g., 10 minutes) and takes multiple samples. This is invaluable for detecting thermal throttling:
- Click File → Preferences → set Minimum Test Duration to 10 minutes.
- Run Multi-Core.
- If your score drops from the first sample to later samples, your CPU is throttling (temperature or power limit).
Understanding and Comparing Scores
Reference Score Table (Approximate — Multi-Core, Single-Core)
| CPU | Multi-Core | Single-Core |
|---|---|---|
| AMD Ryzen 5 7600 | ~18,000 | ~1,850 |
| AMD Ryzen 7 7700X | ~24,000 | ~1,950 |
| AMD Ryzen 9 7900X | ~34,000 | ~2,000 |
| AMD Ryzen 9 7950X | ~54,000 | ~2,000 |
| Intel Core i5-13600K | ~28,000 | ~2,050 |
| Intel Core i9-13900K | ~60,000 | ~2,200 |
| Intel Core i9-14900K | ~62,000 | ~2,250 |
| Intel Core Ultra 9 285K | ~58,000 | ~2,100 |
| AMD Ryzen 9 9950X | ~62,000 | ~2,200 |
Scores vary based on cooling, power limits, BIOS settings, RAM speed, and OS state. These are representative of well-configured systems.
What Score Is “Good”?
- Single-Core > 1,800: Excellent gaming CPU responsiveness
- Multi-Core > 20,000: Good for video editing and creative work
- Multi-Core > 50,000: Professional-tier rendering performance
If your multi-core score is significantly lower than reference for your CPU, troubleshoot with the steps below.
Diagnosing Low Scores
Check for Thermal Throttling
Run a 10-minute Minimum Duration test while monitoring with HWiNFO64:
- Look for Package Power Limit Throttling flag = Yes
- Watch CPU Package Temperature — if it hits 100°C (Intel) or 95°C (AMD) consistently, throttling is occurring
- Compare first-run score vs 5th-run score — a drop of 10%+ indicates sustained throttle
Fixes:
- Repaste CPU with quality thermal compound (Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut or similar)
- Improve case airflow
- Check cooler contact pressure and mounting
Check Power Limits
Many pre-built PCs and some motherboards apply conservative power limits:
BIOS → CPU Power settings → PL1 and PL2 values- Intel i9-13900K stock: PL1 = 125W, PL2 = 253W
- If PL1 is set to 65W or 88W, the CPU can’t sustain full boost in multi-threaded workloads
Check XMP/DOCP Is Enabled
Memory speed impacts Cinebench scores, especially on AMD platforms:
- DDR4 3200 MHz: Baseline AMD performance
- DDR5 6000 MHz: Up to 15% better multi-core scores on Ryzen 7000 vs DDR5 4800 MHz
Using Cinebench for Tuning Validation
Cinebench is the standard tool for validating overclock and PBO2 tuning results:
Before/After OC Workflow
- Run multi-core 3 times at stock → record average score
- Apply your OC/PBO2 settings
- Run multi-core 3 times → compare averages
- Any gain > 3% is meaningful (within margin of variance)
Variance and Consistency
Cinebench R24 has lower variance than R23 (typically ±1–2% run to run). If you’re seeing ±10% variance, something is actively throttling or boosting inconsistently — this is a symptom to investigate, not ignore.
Cinebench R24 vs Other Benchmarks
| Benchmark | Workload Type | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Cinebench R24 | 3D rendering | CPU multi-core throughput |
| CPU-Z Bench | Synthetic math | Quick validation |
| Blender BMW | Full render scene | Real-world creative work |
| HandBrake | Video encoding | Encoder throughput |
| Prime95 | Stress testing | Stability, not performance scoring |
| AIDA64 | Memory bandwidth | Memory subsystem analysis |
For a complete picture, pair Cinebench R24 with Blender (open-source, free) and a gaming test like 3DMark CPU Profile.
Exporting and Sharing Results
Cinebench R24 has a built-in Submit to Leaderboard option — create a free Maxon account to submit your score publicly and compare against similar systems.
For local reference, screenshot the results panel which shows:
- Score value
- CPU model
- Core/thread count
- Timestamp
Conclusion
Cinebench R24 should be in every enthusiast’s toolkit. It’s quick, accurate, and universally recognized for CPU comparison. Use it as your baseline before and after any hardware or software change — cooling upgrades, driver updates, BIOS changes, or Windows reinstalls. A single 10-minute run with HWiNFO64 logging alongside it tells you nearly everything you need to know about your CPU’s performance health.