Has the CPU market reached saturation point?

According to Tom's Hardware , the latest results from the hardware performance benchmarking platform PassMark show that the average performance of CPUs in desktop and laptop computers is declining. This is an unprecedented phenomenon in the company's two decades of tracking. Notably, the decline in laptops reached 3.4%, while desktop CPUs also recorded a slight decrease of 0.5%.

The CPU performance chart for desktops saw a significant jump in 2023 but has since shown no substantial growth, while laptop CPUs have also shown signs of stagnation since 2024.

PHOTO: SCREENSHOT FROM TOM'SHARDWARE

Specifically, the average score for laptop CPUs in 2024 reached 14,632 points from over 100,000 test samples, but this number dropped to only 14,130 points in 2025. In the desktop computer segment, the score also decreased from 26,436 to 26,311, although the decrease was smaller. This decline occurred even as AMD, Intel, and Qualcomm continuously introduced new processor lines promising improved performance.

The cause of this phenomenon remains unclear. One hypothesis put forward by PassMark is that users are trending towards buying more energy-efficient devices, leading to lower average scores. Another factor could be the impact of Windows 11, as many people are switching from Windows 10 to the newer version, potentially reducing overall performance due to changes in the operating system. Some previous versions of Windows 11 have been noted to cause performance drops in gaming tasks, suggesting that the operating system may not be well optimized for the new processors.

After a period of strong growth from 2020 to 2023, CPU performance is showing signs of stagnation, especially in desktops, with no significant improvement from 2024 to the present.

PHOTO: SCREENSHOT FROM TOM'SHARDWARE

Furthermore, the pace of processor innovation in recent years has shown signs of slowing down. While 2023 saw significant leaps forward thanks to the AMD Ryzen Threadripper Pro 7995WX and Ryzen 9 7945HX3D, 2024 and early 2025 have not seen similar breakthroughs. New processors like the Intel Core Ultra 275HX only offer a 6.8% performance increase over the previous generation, while the AMD Ryzen 9000 series and Intel Arrow Lake Core Ultra 200S have failed to meet expectations.

PassMark also mentions the possibility that the increasing prevalence of bloatware may contribute to reduced performance, but this remains a hypothesis without concrete evidence.

Currently, it's impossible to say whether this decline is temporary or a sign that processors have reached their development limits. As 2025 progresses and newer CPU models are tested, the data may change. However, if this trend continues, it could be a sign that CPU saturation is truly approaching.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/thoi-ky-bao-hoa-cua-cpu-da-den-185250213105818429.htm