How to turn device refresh chaos into strategic wins with smart data

IT leaders face pressure to show real results from every hardware investment. With AI PCs reshaping workforce productivity, device selection is no longer a tactical choice. It can make or break your users’ workflows.

Choosing the right AI-powered devices requires trustworthy data. While performance claims are everywhere, evidence of real-world impact is scarce. Without solid data and testing, you risk overprovisioning, budget overrun, or inadvertently slowing people down.

For IT directors and procurement leaders, the need to get it right has never been more pressing. The goal isn’t just to keep up with the latest innovations; it’s to ensure every device improves productivity, security, and cost efficiency.

The importance of data-driven AI device refreshes

AI-powered devices promise transformational gains in productivity, but not all are created equal. Performance, compatibility, and total cost of ownership (TCO) fluctuate across models and manufacturers. Make the wrong choice and your hardware could bottleneck innovation, expose your environment to risk, or waste IT spend.

Avoiding this requires validation, no matter the size of your rollout. As AI workloads become the norm, you need to align your refresh not just with today’s requirements, but also tomorrow’s opportunities.

However, our device experts have uncovered a critical problem. When you use devices in real-world conditions, they often fail to deliver on their AI promises. Compatibility issues and inconsistent performance lead to missed expectations and wasted spend.

When marketing claims and real-world experiences exist in separate realities, how can you get the information you need to make data-driven decisions that avoid buyer’s remorse?

How can a tool like BenchSmart help you avoid AI workload pitfalls? SHI Field CTO Dave Gruver, Sr. Director – End User Compute Adam Reiser, and Sr. Account Executive Jim Joseph discuss.

Measure AI workload metrics with BenchSmart by SHI

Smarter device selection starts with smarter measurement. BenchSmart, our industry-leading benchmarking suite, empowers you to focus on how devices handle your AI workloads.

Across OEMs and silicon platforms, BenchSmart evaluates CPU, GPU, and NPU performance under actual AI tasks, including voice transcription, image generation, and chat response. It tracks metrics like tokens per second, power draw, and battery degradation to ensure your device refresh is grounded in operational reality.

Your environment is unique, as are the metrics you prioritize. BenchSmart helps identify the best-fit devices for your use cases, rather than relying on generic benchmarks or vendor claims. This fosters greater productivity, reduced downtime, and a procurement process that’s defensible and data-backed.

Unlock flexibility across multiple OEMs

One size rarely fits all, especially as you demand greater flexibility and choice from your AI-powered devices. BenchSmart enables side-by-side comparisons of devices with identical specs from different OEMs. Our tool reveals performance variances that affect AI workloads, security stack compatibility, and heat management. With BenchSmart, you can find the right mix for your unique workloads and user profiles, rather than boxing yourself in with a single vendor’s device specs.

Make the most of your next device refresh

When the success of your AI workloads is at stake, you need to ensure the devices you select won’t crumble under pressure. With BenchSmart by SHI, you can validate AI-powered devices across OEMs and silicon platforms, confirming that your next device fleet can handle your workloads, security tools, and mobility needs without bottlenecks.

By leveraging our data-driven processes and benchmarking tools, you can move forward with confidence knowing every procurement decision is informed, defensible, and primed to unlock the productivity gains their organizations need.

NEXT STEPS

BenchSmart says goodbye to guesswork and puts devices to the test with real-world workloads and use cases. Add unparalleled data to your device refresh toolkit by leveraging BenchSmart today.