Regression
A regression is a measurable drop in performance versus a previous baseline on the same hardware, caused by a software, driver, firmware, or hardware change.
Also known as performance regression
Measured by SystemCheck
Part of the four-stage run: a 60-second sustained CPU load reporting throughput, decay and consistency; a memory stage reporting bandwidth and latency; a calibrated GPU raster load reporting frame time, pacing and decay; and a path tracer reporting samples per second. The paragraphs below say which metric carries this term.
Regressions arrive quietly. A driver update, a Windows feature update, a BIOS revision, a new background security agent, or an accumulating dust layer each cost a few percent, and the machine gets slower over months without any single moment where it obviously broke.
Catching them requires a stored baseline and a repeatable test. The size of the drop matters too. A change smaller than your machine's run-to-run variance is not a regression, it is noise, and chasing it wastes time. Establish variance first, then treat drops beyond it as real.
SystemCheck's saved reports make this practical. Compare CPU throughput, decay, and consistency against a stored baseline, and check the backend and measurement revision fields to be sure you are comparing like with like. A drop concentrated in decay rather than peak throughput points at cooling or power; a drop across the board points at software or driver.
Related terms