Maxon’s Cinebench 2026 is available now, and it isn’t merely a refresh — it’s a deliberate recalibration of how we measure modern CPU and GPU rendering performance, rebuilt on the latest Redshift rendering engine and retooled to reflect new architectures from NVIDIA, AMD and Apple.
Cinebench has been an industry-standard benchmark for content-creation workloads for two decades. Historically used by reviewers, OEMs and enthusiasts to compare single‑ and multi‑threaded CPU performance and, more recently, GPU rendering throughput, Cinebench’s relevance stems from its use of real-world 3D rendering workloads rather than synthetic microbenchmarks. With Cinebench 2026, Maxon replaces the previous rendering core with the latest Redshift rendering engine — the same rendering backbone shipping in Cinema 4D 2026 — and updates the benchmark’s internals to better represent contemporary production workflows. Cinebench 2026 is offered free of charge and ships with expanded platform and hardware coverage: Windows x86-64, Windows ARM64, and macOS are supported, and the GPU compatibility list has been expanded to include the newest consumer and data-center GPUs as well as Apple’s latest M-series SoCs. Maxon clearly states that scores from Cinebench 2026 are not comparable to Cinebench 2024 because of the engine, compiler and scoring changes.
Source: TechPowerUp Maxon Introduces Cinebench 2026
Background
Cinebench has been an industry-standard benchmark for content-creation workloads for two decades. Historically used by reviewers, OEMs and enthusiasts to compare single‑ and multi‑threaded CPU performance and, more recently, GPU rendering throughput, Cinebench’s relevance stems from its use of real-world 3D rendering workloads rather than synthetic microbenchmarks. With Cinebench 2026, Maxon replaces the previous rendering core with the latest Redshift rendering engine — the same rendering backbone shipping in Cinema 4D 2026 — and updates the benchmark’s internals to better represent contemporary production workflows. Cinebench 2026 is offered free of charge and ships with expanded platform and hardware coverage: Windows x86-64, Windows ARM64, and macOS are supported, and the GPU compatibility list has been expanded to include the newest consumer and data-center GPUs as well as Apple’s latest M-series SoCs. Maxon clearly states that scores from Cinebench 2026 are not comparable to Cinebench 2024 because of the engine, compiler and scoring changes. What’s new in Cinebench 2026 (at a glance)
- New Redshift core: Uses the latest Redshift rendering code, aligning Cinebench results more closely with real Cinema 4D 2026 render performance and Redshift improvements.
- Expanded GPU support: Adds consumer NVIDIA Blackwell (RTX 50xx) support and AMD RX 9000‑series (RDNA4) support on Windows; adds NVIDIA Hopper and Blackwell data‑center GPU support.
- Apple M‑series support extended: Official support for Apple M4 and M5 systems is included.
- Windows ARM64 native build: Cinebench 2026 supports Windows on Arm, continuing the platform coverage introduced in recent releases.
- SMT-focused single-core test: A new test mode measures the performance of a single SMT-enabled logical core versus strictly single-threaded execution, intended to reveal how SMT/hyper-threading implementations affect real rendering.
- Score recalibration: Scores are calculated in a new range — Maxon moved the scoring scale upward to avoid confusion with Cinebench 2024 results because the new engine and compiler toolchain produce faster run times on identical scenes.
Technical deep dive: Redshift, compilers and score changes
Why Redshift matters
Redshift is a production-grade GPU-accelerated renderer used by many studios and integrated tightly into Cinema 4D. By moving Cinebench to the newest Redshift codebase, Maxon reduces the gap between a synthetic benchmark and the workloads artists actually run in production. This improves the ecological validity of scores — that is, how well benchmark results predict user experience in Cinema 4D 2026 and Redshift‑based projects.Compiler and platform toolchain changes
The Cinebench 2026 knowledge base notes updates to compiler toolchains (newer Clang/Visual toolchains and Xcode versions), which produce modest performance improvements across CPU and RS‑CPU code paths. Maxon explicitly stated that newer compilers and Redshift optimizations led to faster runtimes for the same scene, prompting a decision to move to a different (higher) score range to prevent direct comparisons with Cinebench 2024. This is a crucial point for reviewers and historical comparisons: raw numbers no longer have the same baseline.“Six times harsher” and what that means
Press coverage and Maxon commentary around the release has described the updated Redshift engine as substantially more strenuous on multi‑threaded tests — one outlet relayed Maxon’s characterization that the new engine is ‘six times harsher’ for multi‑threaded workloads. That description should be interpreted with nuance: it reflects the engine’s different computational profile and increased utilization of GPU and CPU resources, rather than a deterministic multiplication factor across all hardware. Real measured uplift (or penalty) will vary across CPU microarchitectures, memory subsystems, and GPU pairings.Compatibility and hardware support: who’s covered
Cinebench 2026 explicitly expands hardware compatibility to match the state of modern PC and workstation hardware:- NVIDIA: consumer Blackwell (50xx / RTX 5000‑series) and data center Hopper and Blackwell cards are supported.
- AMD: Radeon RX 9000 series / RDNA4 consumer GPUs are supported on Windows.
- Apple: native Apple Silicon support now extends to M4 and M5 SoCs. Maxon also lists macOS builds with pre‑compiled shaders for supported macOS versions.
- Platforms: Windows x86‑64, Windows ARM64 (native), and macOS are supported.
The new SMT measurement: what it is and why it matters
What Cinebench 2026 measures
The Single Core SMT measurement is a new option that runs the single-threaded rendering test on a logical core that still has SMT enabled (i.e., measuring the performance of a hyper‑threaded logical core rather than forcing SMT/hyper‑threading off at the OS or BIOS level). This provides a direct way to observe how SMT interacts with real rendering threads and to quantify the effective single‑threaded performance when SMT is present.Practical implications
- For reviewers: it’s now possible to present a clearer picture of how a CPU’s SMT implementation affects rendering workflows without the extra step of toggling BIOS settings or relying on OS affinity hacks.
- For hardware buyers: the test helps answer a practical question — “If I run my render jobs with SMT enabled, how much single‑threaded headroom am I losing or gaining?” — which is useful for selecting server hardware or workstation CPUs where SMT tradeoffs matter.
- For overclockers and system builders: the measurement is a useful diagnostic for subtle scheduling behavior, thermal headroom and SMT-related performance quirks.
Score comparability: why history is a minefield now
Maxon’s KB and the official announcement both stress that Cinebench 2026 scores cannot be compared directly to Cinebench 2024 results because scale, code paths and compilers changed. This has major implications for benchmarking databases, long‑term score charts and any reviewer or user who expects continuity between versions.- If you maintain a public score database: do not merge 2024 and 2026 numbers in the same leaderboard. Treat 2026 as a new baseline.
- For CPU performance regressions or driver comparisons: retest hardware under Cinebench 2026 rather than attempting to normalize old results.
Practical considerations for testers and labs
Minimum system requirements and resource notes
Maxon’s tech information lists minimum and recommended memory and GPU characteristics for reliable runs. For macOS Apple Silicon GPU tests, Maxon recommends 16 GB of unified memory for GPU runs, while CPU-only tests can run with less memory but may suffer paging effects. For Windows GPU tests, supported AMD/NVIDIA cards typically require 8 GB or more VRAM to participate. These practical minima matter for labs and reviewers running legacy laptops or low‑VRAM testing rigs.Drivers, CUDA and platform toolchains
Cinebench 2026 adds CUDA 12 support and includes Apple Metal performance optimizations; version‑specific driver behavior can materially change results. For reproducible benchmarking:- Use vendor‑approved drivers for the target GPU family (NVIDIA/AMD) and document exact driver versions.
- Keep OS patches and compiler versions consistent across comparative runs.
- For Windows ARM64 testing, ensure drivers and platform support are production‑grade; Windows‑on‑Arm still has ecosystem fragility compared with x86‑64.
GPU-only caveats
Redshift’s GPU renderer still requires GPUs with adequate VRAM and compatible feature sets. Intel discrete GPUs are not supported by Redshift currently, so integrated Intel graphics remain out of the GPU test loop; that’s a continuing gap for some laptop reviewers. If your workflow or comparison set includes Intel Arc or integrated Intel solutions, note that GPU testing coverage in Cinebench will remain limited for those devices.Risks and limitations
1. Non‑comparable historical data
The most immediate risk is misinterpretation: users who compare 2026 numbers with 2024 or earlier will draw wrong conclusions. Reviewers and vendor PR teams should avoid mixing versions in charts or press releases without explicit clarification.2. Platform and GPU gaps
- macOS: Maxon’s KB lists removed macOS AMD GPU support for this release, which creates a blind spot for Mac Pro users relying on discrete AMD cards. This change could upset professional Mac workflows that previously used AMD eGPUs/discrete GPUs for Redshift rendering.
- Intel GPUs: Redshift still lacks Intel discrete GPU support, leaving Intel Arc and integrated Xe‑class devices outside GPU metric coverage. Testers relying on integrated Intel solutions will need to stick to CPU render scores.
3. Memory and VRAM friction
GPU rendering demands have risen. Maxon’s guidance on unified memory minimums for Apple Silicon GPU tests and the VRAM thresholds for Windows GPU tests mean that many older laptops and entry‑level GPUs will be ineligible for GPU tests, limiting broad comparability. This can skew multi‑platform comparisons unless carefully controlled.4. Proprietary engine changes and black‑box effects
While aligning Cinebench to Redshift increases fidelity to Cinema 4D workflows, it also means the benchmark’s internal decisions (memory management, sampling strategies, denoising, OCIO/OIDN versions) tightly couple Cinebench results to a particular renderer’s implementation. That’s good for Cinema 4D parity, but it reduces neutrality for broader cross‑renderer comparisons. Maxon’s KB mentions upgrades to OCIO/OIDN versions and changes to bump mapping, GI convergence and instancing; these changes alter the workload in ways that aren’t strictly transparent from a numbers‑only viewpoint. Exercise caution when extrapolating Cinebench 2026 results to other renderers or entirely different workloads.How reviewers and power users should use Cinebench 2026
- Treat Cinebench 2026 as a new baseline: start fresh comparative tables and include a clear note that the dataset is Cinebench 2026‑based.
- Document everything: OS build, GPU driver version, BIOS/firmware, memory configuration, and whether SMT/hyper‑threading is enabled. The new SMT measurement makes such metadata particularly important.
- For GPU testing: confirm VRAM limits and ensure test systems meet the 8+ GB VRAM (Windows) or 16 GB unified memory (Apple GPU) guidelines to avoid invalid runs.
- When presenting charts: do not mix 2024 and 2026 scores on the same axis without normalization and a clear methodological appendix explaining the recalibration.
Benefits and opportunities
- Closer alignment to production: Because Cinebench 2026 uses the latest Redshift engine, results should correlate better with Cinema 4D 2026 rendering performance — a boon for artists, studios and hardware buyers who care about real workloads.
- Modern accelerator support: Support for Blackwell and RDNA4 lets labs evaluate the very latest consumer cards under a production renderer, helping inform GPU buying decisions for creatives.
- Granular SMT insight: The SMT test is a practical addition for server and workstation evaluation; it allows a clearer empirical look at SMT tradeoffs without BIOS gymnastics.
Conclusion
Cinebench 2026 is not an incremental release — it is a structural relaunch that brings the benchmark forward into the Redshift era and into better alignment with Cinema 4D 2026 workflows. For reviewers, system builders and content creators, Cinebench 2026 offers more realistic signals for modern rendering hardware, including support for NVIDIA Blackwell, AMD RX 9000, data‑center Hopper/Blackwell GPUs and Apple’s latest M‑series SoCs. At the same time, the recalibrated scoring, removal of some macOS GPU pathways and continued gaps (notably Intel GPU support) mean the community must adopt careful methodologies when publishing or comparing results. For anyone maintaining historical score tables, performing cross‑platform comparisons, or validating vendor PR, the practical next step is to rebaseline with Cinebench 2026 on all test systems and to document driver, OS and BIOS configurations in a public appendix. Cinebench 2026 is now available for download from Maxon; expect reviewers to populate new leaderboards and comparisons over the coming weeks — but treat those numbers as the start of a new era, not a direct continuation of the old one.Source: TechPowerUp Maxon Introduces Cinebench 2026
