How fast does your rig process the sky?
The NINA Benchmark Plugin runs N.I.N.A.'s real image-analysis pipeline (debayer, stretch, star detection and friends) on the same test frames, then scores your machine. Submit your result and see where it lands.
Install from N.I.N.A. → Plugins · source on GitHub
Current best score 126.7 · lower-is-better timings, higher-is-better score
A community project, not officially affiliated with or endorsed by N.I.N.A.
Top scores
How it works
Install the plugin
From N.I.N.A. → Plugins, add the Benchmark plugin in a couple of clicks.
Run the benchmark
It replays the real image-analysis pipeline on identical test frames.
Share your score
Hit Share to post your result and see exactly where your rig lands.
Improving your score
The benchmark is CPU-bound: it replays N.I.N.A.'s real debayer, stretch and star-detection work, so your score mostly tracks how fast your processor crunches frames (the GPU barely matters here). A few things genuinely move the needle:
- Power plan. Set Windows to High performance (or Ultimate Performance) and keep laptops/mini-PCs on AC; battery and power-saver modes throttle the CPU. Each run records your plan, so it's easy to spot the difference.
- Keep it cool. Sustained processing heats the CPU; clear dust, improve airflow and avoid thermal throttling, especially on fanless mini-PCs in a cold-but-enclosed observatory.
- Free up the machine. Close browsers and other apps so all cores are available during the run; don't benchmark mid-capture.
- Enough RAM & current software. Make sure you're not paging to disk on large frames, and keep N.I.N.A. and .NET up to date; pipeline speed-ups land in newer builds.
Re-run after a change and hit Share again to see your new placement.