In a surprise first for the ages, PassMark has revealed that the average CPU performance on desktops and laptops in 2025 has declined year-on-year. Despite new Intel Arrow Lake and AMD Fire Range Ryzen 9 processors stealing the show in 2025, average performance has dropped for the first time in history.
In PassMark's CPU benchmark graph, which takes the average performance of CPUs on Windows systems, both desktop and laptop processors have seen a downturn for the first time since 2004. Compared to 2024, desktop CPU performance has decreased by 0.5%, while CPUs in laptops have dropped by 3.4% (as noted by Notebookcheck).
The performance test only runs on Windows OS systems and only includes x86 processors submitted, meaning this charts mainly focuses on Intel and AMD chips. Interestingly, even with the latest flagship chips such as the Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX CPU and AMD Ryzen 9 7945HX3D (among other configurations) being the top performing laptop CPUs on PassMark, there is a noticeable overall decline.
In a post on X, PassMark indicates this decrease could be due to users buying cheaper hardware and more power-efficient PCs, along with performance differences when using Windows 11 vs Windows 10. Plus, it also points out that bloatware could be causing issues — something many will be all too familair with when booting up a laptop.
Since these benchmarks come from various PC setups, it may be the case that more upcoming high-powered CPUs have yet to be submitted in 2025. What's more, this data is comparing only the start of 2025 to all of 2024, and PassMark even states that "the first few days or weeks of a new year are less accurate compared to the end of a year."
And, with consumers likely to buy higher-end PC parts during big sales, like Black Friday in November, compared to the start of the year, this could play a part in the current decline. Still, the bechmark website states "we don't remember seeing this effect in past years."
Wait, are CPUs getting slower?
Just because Intel and AMD's high-performing CPUs are showing off incredible power gains over previous chips, that doesn't mean the rest of their Arrow Lake and Fire Range lineup are performing just as well. The overall CPU average may be brought down by lower-end chips. However, there are other factors at play here.
First off, CPUs in desktops and laptops are already incredibly fast, as our list of best laptops can attest. With the release of RTX 50-series GPUs, we can expect to see incredible performance gains. But this is mainly due to AI doing a lot of the legwork in these graphics card, as in our RTX 5090 testing, performance differences aren't as far apart compared to its predecessor.
Instead of delivering faster-performing processors, these chip manufacturers may be focusing more on power efficiency with similar performance.
With this in mind, Intel and AMD may be on the same wavelength. Instead of delivering faster-performing processors, these chip manufacturers may be focusing more on power efficiency with similar performance, leading to less demanding power usage and better battery life.
Second, buyers may be more inclined to grab the latest graphics cards rather than a new CPU right now. This appears to be the case, seeing as trying to buy an RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 isn't easy. Plus, we have yet to see more of Intel and AMD's latest chips in upcoming gaming laptops arrive to the masses, so we could see a bigger spike in that PassMark graph later on in 2025.
While I doubt CPUs are generally getting slower, seeing the might of Intel Core Ultra 9 and AMD Fire Range Ryzen 9000HX chips taking the crown on PassMark, priorities may be lying elsewhere in CPUs this year, including in power efficiency and in AI. As 2025 rolls on, we're sure more benchmarks will paint a better picture.
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