In the second part of this series, we presented some initial tests to illustrate how CPU and graphics can affect different types of performance in a PC workstation. In this third part, we focus down on one particular, industry-standard benchmark that puts a workstation through a range of tests with popular 3D modelling and design applications.

SPECviewperf from the Standard Performance Evaluation Corporation has been the most popular test of professional 3D graphics for many years. In this article, we put our smorgasbord of CPU and graphics combinations through every single test from SPECviewper 12.02. Some of the results may surprise you.