diff --git a/.gitlab-ci.yml b/.gitlab-ci.yml
index ddf4e31204ac3d2d7712ed9adfebfe5ddbe9af23..a9aaf82ec1f02981dae6d23e80aaa860c515cb07 100644
--- a/.gitlab-ci.yml
+++ b/.gitlab-ci.yml
@@ -24,6 +24,13 @@ spec:api:
     - ruby
     - mysql
 
+spec:benchmark:
+  script:
+    - RAILS_ENV=test bundle exec rake spec:benchmark
+  tags:
+    - ruby
+    - mysql
+
 spec:other:
   script:
     - RAILS_ENV=test SIMPLECOV=true bundle exec rake spec:other
diff --git a/lib/tasks/spec.rake b/lib/tasks/spec.rake
index 831746815d7acdd9f144e585cfc82fc80aafc62f..3ae5c250694b4939c085363dc7fab2bc6b772497 100644
--- a/lib/tasks/spec.rake
+++ b/lib/tasks/spec.rake
@@ -19,11 +19,20 @@ namespace :spec do
     run_commands(cmds)
   end
 
+  desc 'GitLab | Rspec | Run benchmark specs'
+  task :benchmark do
+    cmds = [
+      %W(rake gitlab:setup),
+      %W(rspec spec --tag @benchmark)
+    ]
+    run_commands(cmds)
+  end
+
   desc 'GitLab | Rspec | Run other specs'
   task :other do
     cmds = [
       %W(rake gitlab:setup),
-      %W(rspec spec --tag ~@api --tag ~@feature)
+      %W(rspec spec --tag ~@api --tag ~@feature --tag ~@benchmark)
     ]
     run_commands(cmds)
   end
diff --git a/spec/benchmarks/models/user_spec.rb b/spec/benchmarks/models/user_spec.rb
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..a08c84ffce469b6c1e6f137a10c5e9ef471914d4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/spec/benchmarks/models/user_spec.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,40 @@
+require 'spec_helper'
+
+describe User, benchmark: true do
+  describe '.by_login' do
+    before do
+      %w{Alice Bob Eve}.each do |name|
+        create(:user,
+               email: "#{name}@gitlab.com",
+               username: name,
+               name: name)
+      end
+    end
+
+    let(:iterations) { 1000 }
+
+    describe 'using a capitalized username' do
+      subject { -> { User.by_login('Alice') } }
+
+      it { is_expected.to iterate_per_second(iterations) }
+    end
+
+    describe 'using a lowercase username' do
+      subject { -> { User.by_login('alice') } }
+
+      it { is_expected.to iterate_per_second(iterations) }
+    end
+
+    describe 'using a capitalized Email address' do
+      subject { -> { User.by_login('Alice@gitlab.com') } }
+
+      it { is_expected.to iterate_per_second(iterations) }
+    end
+
+    describe 'using a lowercase Email address' do
+      subject { -> { User.by_login('alice@gitlab.com') } }
+
+      it { is_expected.to iterate_per_second(iterations) }
+    end
+  end
+end
diff --git a/spec/spec_helper.rb b/spec/spec_helper.rb
index dfe855926c63cee43c8b6b6f8d8da66917f5bd9a..05bb32baa903e2468517d9e5e2ac9357933c0d3d 100644
--- a/spec/spec_helper.rb
+++ b/spec/spec_helper.rb
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ require File.expand_path("../../config/environment", __FILE__)
 require 'rspec/rails'
 require 'shoulda/matchers'
 require 'sidekiq/testing/inline'
+require 'benchmark/ips'
 
 # Requires supporting ruby files with custom matchers and macros, etc,
 # in spec/support/ and its subdirectories.
@@ -32,7 +33,7 @@ RSpec.configure do |config|
   config.include TestEnv
   config.include StubGitlabCalls
   config.include StubGitlabData
-
+  config.include BenchmarkMatchers, benchmark: true
 
   config.infer_spec_type_from_file_location!
   config.raise_errors_for_deprecations!
diff --git a/spec/support/matchers/benchmark_matchers.rb b/spec/support/matchers/benchmark_matchers.rb
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..45a1d49345f3b1837486cd4538a134c7063163a0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/spec/support/matchers/benchmark_matchers.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,42 @@
+module BenchmarkMatchers
+  extend RSpec::Matchers::DSL
+
+  matcher :iterate_per_second do |min_iterations|
+    supports_block_expectations
+
+    match do |block|
+      @max_stddev ||= 30
+
+      @entry = benchmark(&block)
+
+      expect(@entry.ips).to be >= min_iterations
+      expect(@entry.stddev_percentage).to be <= @max_stddev
+    end
+
+    chain :with_maximum_stddev do |value|
+      @max_stddev = value
+    end
+
+    description do
+      "run at least #{min_iterations} iterations per second"
+    end
+
+    failure_message do
+      ips    = @entry.ips.round(2)
+      stddev = @entry.stddev_percentage.round(2)
+
+      "expected at least #{min_iterations} iterations per second " \
+        "with a maximum stddev of #{@max_stddev}%, instead of " \
+        "#{ips} iterations per second with a stddev of #{stddev}%"
+    end
+  end
+
+  # Benchmarks the given block and returns a Benchmark::IPS::Report::Entry.
+  def benchmark(&block)
+    report = Benchmark.ips(quiet: true) do |bench|
+      bench.report(&block)
+    end
+
+    report.entries[0]
+  end
+end