Profiling Windows

Overview

GameBench Studio Pro allows you to profile Windows applications running on the same machine where the desktop app is installed. This is useful for analyzing the performance of Windows games and applications.

Prerequisites

Before profiling Windows applications, ensure you meet the Requirements for Windows target profiling.

Starting a Windows Profiling Session

Step 1: Launch Studio Pro Desktop

1. Open Studio Pro Desktop on your Windows machine
2. Log in to your GameBench account

Step 2: Select Windows Target

1. In the main interface select Windows as target device
2. Ensure you have administrator privileges to run the background process (right-click and “Run as administrator” if needed)
3. Choose the application you want to profile from the list of running processes

Step 3: Record Session

Follow the recording process as explained in the Getting Started guide to configure and start your profiling session.

During Profiling

Using Hotkeys

While profiling, you can use the following hotkeys (configurable in Settings):

• F11 - Start/Stop profiling
• F9 - Add a marker

Background Process Overhead

When profiling Windows applications, GameBench runs a background process that collects performance data from your system. This process has minimal impact on system performance:

CPU Impact

The overhead is designed to be minimal and consistent, ensuring that your performance measurements remain accurate and meaningful for comparison purposes.

• Typical overhead: 1-2% additional CPU usage
• Peak overhead: Up to 4% during intensive data collection periods

Overhead was measured on aa laptop with Intel Core i7-9750H (2.6 GHz).

Memory Impact

• RAM usage: Approximately 60MB additional memory consumption

GPU Impact

• Indirect impact: Screenshot capture uses Windows system APIs which may briefly utilize GPU resources

Stopping Profiling

Manual Stop

1. Press F11 or click the “stop button” in the interface
2. Wait for the session data to be processed
3. The session will automatically sync to your GameBench account

Getting Help

If you encounter issues not covered here:

1. Check the Troubleshooting section
2. Contact support at support@gamebench.net
3. Include your Studio Pro Desktop version and Windows version in your support request

Best Practices

1. Close unnecessary applications to reduce system load
2. Plan your test scenario - know what you want to measure
3. Use markers liberally to identify important events
4. Avoid system-intensive tasks not related to your target application