One piece of software that we think will make system administrators’ and PC geeks’ lives a whole lot easier is BlackHole. It not only helps you benchmark your system along with multiple parameters, but it does it all without much fuss.
How to Download Black Hole Benchmark
You can download the program after you click on the Download button located at the bottom of this review.
The Program Review
Outside of being both useful and easy to use, it is an elegantly simple piece of software that provides tangible, actionable data for both professional-grade applications as well as everyday consumer use.
Best of all is that it is free.
There are some drawbacks, however, such as its Windows XP and above exclusivity.
In this article, we’re going to talk about the software from a usability standpoint as well as tell you about its features and why we think you should download it if you are in the market for an efficient and stable PC performance benchmarking solution.
In terms of functionality, BlackHole is a single-thread or multi-thread performance benchmarking tool for Windows XP and above systems.
It gauges performance along with a number of parameters and can even do so according to user-specified inputs.
At the end of it all, the app provides you with a score that gives you a way to gauge your system’s performance in comparison with others.
Some people might think that this score is gimmicky, but it is actually based upon reams of data and information from comparable and widely divergent systems.
Being able to compare your computer and the test you ran with those of other systems not only gives you a fair comparison from a macro view but also lets you drill down into the micro details of a solution for your needs.
Benchmarking is about more than just testing a system’s ability to handle stress and this app makes it much easier for admins to make executive decisions when it comes to upgrades and where.
As far as usability goes, the software does favor people who know what they’re doing – or at least what they want to get out of the test.
That means that some of the options are a bit obscure but, overall, the presentation is clean and straightforward. As far as accessing what you want to do or need, that’s quite readily available.
More advanced options might take some time or study to figure out what is going on with the app or what the score generated means to you.
That’s another aspect that might confuse people and that is the scoring system.
While BlackHole makes it quite apparent what sources it is drawing from and how it is arriving at your computer’s score, it is still a somewhat strange process that, again, favors an end-user that knows what they are doing.
Beyond that, it’s a great app and should fulfill most of your needs in a benchmark test.
There are some current issues with four-thread tests but, aside from that, user reports are generally glowing and full of praise.
As the standard in this category, BlackHole is regularly updated and supported by a huge community of users which ensures that it will continue to be relevant for years to come.
