diff --git a/src/RESPite.Benchmark/BenchmarkBase.cs b/src/RESPite.Benchmark/BenchmarkBase.cs
index 6e08b0515..92c399232 100644
--- a/src/RESPite.Benchmark/BenchmarkBase.cs
+++ b/src/RESPite.Benchmark/BenchmarkBase.cs
@@ -50,6 +50,12 @@ public enum PipelineStrategy
     public bool Loop { get; }
     public bool Quiet { get; }
     public int ClientCount { get; } = 50;
+
+    // the number of connections in use; implementations that create their connections eagerly override
+    // this with the number they ACTUALLY created, rather than the number the flags asked for -- so that
+    // a banner cannot report a connection topology that the implementation did not actually deliver
+    public virtual int ConnectionCount => Multiplexed ? 1 : ClientCount;
+
     private int _operationsPerClient;
     public int OperationsPerClient(int divisor = 1) => _operationsPerClient / divisor;
 
@@ -486,7 +492,7 @@ private async Task RunAsyncCore<T>(
         else
         {
             Console.Write(
-                $"====== {name}{description}{auxReason} ====== (clients: {ClientCount:#,##0}, ops: {TotalOperations(divisor):#,##0}");
+                $"====== {name}{description}{auxReason} ====== (clients: {ClientCount:#,##0}, conns: {ConnectionCount:#,##0}, ops: {TotalOperations(divisor):#,##0}");
             if (Multiplexed)
             {
                 Console.Write(", mux");
diff --git a/src/RESPite.Benchmark/OldCoreBenchmarkBase.cs b/src/RESPite.Benchmark/OldCoreBenchmarkBase.cs
index a124d9e4b..958ee65d3 100644
--- a/src/RESPite.Benchmark/OldCoreBenchmarkBase.cs
+++ b/src/RESPite.Benchmark/OldCoreBenchmarkBase.cs
@@ -9,15 +9,28 @@ namespace RESPite.Benchmark;
 
 public abstract class OldCoreBenchmarkBase : BenchmarkBase<IDatabaseAsync>
 {
-    private readonly IConnectionMultiplexer _connectionMultiplexer;
-    private readonly IDatabase _client;
+    private readonly IConnectionMultiplexer[] _connectionMultiplexers;
+    private readonly IDatabase[] _clients;
     private readonly KeyValuePair<RedisKey, RedisValue>[] _pairs;
 
     public OldCoreBenchmarkBase(string[] args) : base(args)
     {
-        // ReSharper disable once VirtualMemberCallInConstructor
-        _connectionMultiplexer = Create(Port);
-        _client = _connectionMultiplexer.GetDatabase();
+        // a multiplexer is one connection per endpoint by design, so "each client has a separate
+        // connection" means a multiplexer each; +m is the documented opt-out, sharing a single one
+        var connectionCount = Multiplexed ? 1 : ClientCount;
+        _connectionMultiplexers = new IConnectionMultiplexer[connectionCount];
+        for (var i = 0; i < connectionCount; i++)
+        {
+            // ReSharper disable once VirtualMemberCallInConstructor
+            _connectionMultiplexers[i] = Create(Port);
+        }
+
+        _clients = new IDatabase[ClientCount];
+        for (var i = 0; i < ClientCount; i++)
+        {
+            _clients[i] = _connectionMultiplexers[i % connectionCount].GetDatabase();
+        }
+
         _pairs = new KeyValuePair<RedisKey, RedisValue>[10];
 
         for (var i = 0; i < 10; i++)
@@ -26,6 +39,8 @@ public OldCoreBenchmarkBase(string[] args) : base(args)
         }
     }
 
+    public override int ConnectionCount => _connectionMultiplexers.Length;
+
     protected abstract IConnectionMultiplexer Create(int port);
 
     protected override async Task OnCleanupAsync(IDatabaseAsync client)
@@ -40,10 +55,13 @@ protected override async Task OnCleanupAsync(IDatabaseAsync client)
 
     public override void Dispose()
     {
-        _connectionMultiplexer.Dispose();
+        foreach (var connectionMultiplexer in _connectionMultiplexers)
+        {
+            connectionMultiplexer.Dispose();
+        }
     }
 
-    protected override IDatabaseAsync GetClient(int index) => _client;
+    protected override IDatabaseAsync GetClient(int index) => _clients[index];
     protected override Task DeleteAsync(IDatabaseAsync client, string key) => client.KeyDeleteAsync(key);
 
     public override async Task RunAll()
diff --git a/src/RESPite.Benchmark/Program.cs b/src/RESPite.Benchmark/Program.cs
index a0797b787..287f6ba52 100644
--- a/src/RESPite.Benchmark/Program.cs
+++ b/src/RESPite.Benchmark/Program.cs
@@ -53,7 +53,8 @@ private static async Task<int> Main(string[] args)
                 {
                     if (benchmarks.Count > 1 || isFirst)
                     {
-                        Console.WriteLine($"### {bench} ###");
+                        Console.WriteLine(
+                            $"### {bench} (clients: {bench.ClientCount:#,##0}, conns: {bench.ConnectionCount:#,##0}) ###");
                         isFirst = false;
                     }