How to benchmark a PC?

Hey guys,

 

I wanted to know how do people normally test the performance of a PC? For example, I want to know how good my laptop is compared to my friend's laptop. What is the most basic ways to check and test a computer for its specs and performance? Thanks

Real life/gaming performance, with the same game and the same conditions.

Synthetic benchmarks.  unigine valley, futuremark, and passmark are just a couple examples.

For checking specs, I use CPU-Z and GPU-Z.

Thanks. Will definitely check out those programs you mentioned.