According to Tom’s Hardware the unexpected downturn contrasts with the consistent gains seen in previous years, raising questions about the impact of recent chip releases and operating system transitions.
The most significant decline was observed in laptop CPU performance. In 2024, PassMark recorded an average score of 14,632 across 101,316 samples. However, in 2025, the average score fell to 14,130 points from 25,541 samples, marking a 3.4 per cent decrease.
Desktop CPU performance also saw a decline, though more modest. The average result in 2024 was 26,436 points across 186,053 samples, while in 2025, the figure was a 0.5 per cent drop --26,311 points over 47,810. While minor, such a decline is a kick in the nadgers for those who expect things to improve.
The plateau in CPU performance is further reflected in the results for top-tier processors. PassMark’s data shows little to no uplift in benchmark scores for both desktop and laptop CPUs over the past three years.
The last significant performance surge occurred in 2023 with the introduction of AMD’s Ryzen Threadripper Pro 7995WX, which led to a 58.6 per cent increase in top desktop CPU benchmark scores.
Similarly, AMD’s Ryzen 9 7945HX3D delivered a 69.9 per cent boost in laptop performance. However, no subsequent chip has made a comparable impact, and Intel’s recent Core Ultra 275HX has only provided a 6.8 per cent improvement in mobile CPU performance.
Despite recent AMD, Intel, and Qualcomm launches, anticipated performance gains have not materialised. Enthusiasts have expressed disappointment with the AMD Ryzen 9000 series (excluding the X3D chips) and Intel’s Arrow Lake Core Ultra 200S processors, which failed to deliver significant productivity improvements.
PassMark speculated on X that a shift towards more affordable, lower-powered machines might influence benchmark scores. Another potential factor is the transition from Windows 10 to Windows 11, with the latter having been reported to impact gaming performance negatively as Intel and AMD work to optimise their hardware for the new OS.
