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Geekbench 6.4 Adds RISC-V Vector and Broader Arm SME Support

Geekbench 6.4 adds RVV support, broadens Arm SME compatibility, improves CPU feature reporting and topology detection, and remains comparable with 6.3 scores.

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Geekbench 6.4, released on January 28, 2025, adds support for RISC-V Vector Extensions (RVV), broadens Arm SME compatibility, and improves CPU feature reporting and topology detection. Primate Labs says its scores are comparable with Geekbench 6.3, so the update expands CPU coverage without introducing a new score scale.

What changed in Geekbench 6.4?

The release focuses on CPU instruction-set coverage and detection rather than a redesigned benchmark score. The Primate Labs announcement and ServeTheHome’s coverage describe four changes:

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  • RISC-V Vector Extensions: Geekbench 6.4 supports RVV, allowing relevant workloads to use vector instructions on RISC-V processors that implement them.
  • Broader Arm SME compatibility: Geekbench 6.3 required both SME and SME2 for its SME support. Version 6.4 accepts CPUs implementing SME, including processors that implement SME together with SME2.
  • Instruction-set reporting: The CPU Benchmark reports extensions it detects and uses. Examples include AVX2, AVX512, SME, and RVV, giving more context for interpreting a run.
  • Improved CPU topology detection: Detection has been improved, particularly on Linux systems with Arm and RISC-V processors.

What does RVV support mean for RISC-V CPUs?

RVV is the vector-extension family for RISC-V. Vector instructions can process multiple data elements within an instruction, and Geekbench 6.4 can use RVV in workloads designed to take advantage of it. That makes the benchmark more relevant to RISC-V CPUs with RVV than a run that cannot exercise those instructions.

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Support does not mean every RISC-V processor has RVV, or that every workload uses it. The benchmark’s instruction-set report can help show whether RVV was detected and used in a particular run.

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How is Arm SME support different from 6.3?

Geekbench 6.3’s SME support required a CPU to implement both SME and SME2. Geekbench 6.4 accepts SME-capable CPUs without making SME2 a prerequisite, while also supporting CPUs that implement both. This broadens compatibility for Arm processors with SME, including upcoming CPUs.

Are Geekbench 6.3 and 6.4 scores comparable?

Yes. Primate Labs stated, “Geekbench 6.4 scores are comparable with Geekbench 6.3 scores.” Its later release notes also describe Geekbench 6.5, 6.6, and 6.7 scores as comparable with 6.4. Those releases include their own platform, detection, graphics, or stability changes, so a score should still be labeled with the Geekbench version used.

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Comparability is not a guarantee that two runs will produce identical results. For a useful comparison, keep the test conditions as consistent as possible and note the CPU configuration, operating system, firmware, power limits, memory configuration, and background load. These factors can affect benchmark results independently of the Geekbench version.

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Is Geekbench 6.4 a good benchmark for servers?

ServeTheHome characterizes Geekbench as better suited to smaller consumer systems than to servers or high-end workstations. Its concern is that readers seeking the larger-core-count scaling behavior associated with Geekbench 5 may be disappointed. That is ServeTheHome’s assessment of the benchmark’s fit, not a formal restriction from Primate Labs.

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Geekbench 6.4’s improved topology detection can help it identify CPU layouts, particularly on Linux Arm and RISC-V systems. That improvement alone does not establish that the benchmark measures every server workload or scales in the way a server buyer needs. Choose tests that reflect the actual workloads and scaling questions you want to evaluate.

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Should you update to Geekbench 6.4?

Geekbench 6.4 is most consequential if you are testing a RISC-V processor with RVV, an Arm CPU with SME, or a Linux Arm or RISC-V system where topology detection matters. Its instruction-set reporting is also useful when you want to understand which extensions contributed to a CPU Benchmark run.

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For other systems, the main practical point is that Primate Labs intended 6.4 scores to remain comparable with 6.3. When sharing or comparing results, report the Geekbench version and keep test conditions in view rather than treating the version number as the only variable.

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