diff --git a/.github/workflows/tmp-management-timing.yml b/.github/workflows/tmp-management-timing.yml
index 46bc4f2e7..4e6237356 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/tmp-management-timing.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/tmp-management-timing.yml
@@ -68,6 +68,14 @@ jobs:
           docker pull mlsmaycon/warmed-mysql:8
           docker image inspect mlsmaycon/warmed-mysql:8 --format 'entrypoint={{json .Config.Entrypoint}} cmd={{json .Config.Cmd}} env={{json .Config.Env}}'
 
+      - name: Runner calibration
+        run: |
+          nproc
+          grep -m1 "model name" /proc/cpuinfo
+          time dd if=/dev/zero of=/tmp/calib bs=1M count=256 conv=fsync
+          time sh -c 'for i in $(seq 1 200); do dd if=/dev/zero of=/tmp/calib-$i bs=4k count=1 conv=fsync 2>/dev/null; done'
+          rm -f /tmp/calib*
+
       - name: Build test summarizer
         run: go build -o /tmp/gotestsummary ./tools/gotestsummary
 
diff --git a/management/server/testutil/store.go b/management/server/testutil/store.go
index aac60f7e8..3854c1173 100644
--- a/management/server/testutil/store.go
+++ b/management/server/testutil/store.go
@@ -39,11 +39,12 @@ func CreateMysqlTestContainer() (func(), string, error) {
 		mysql.WithPassword("testing"),
 		// Every test creates and drops a database with about 40 tables, so with
 		// the server defaults the run is dominated by durability work: each
-		// CREATE TABLE creates and fsyncs its own tablespace file and fsyncs the
-		// redo and binary logs. None of it protects anything in a container that
-		// is discarded after the run.
+		// CREATE TABLE fsyncs the redo log, the binary log and the doublewrite
+		// buffer. None of it protects anything in a container that is discarded
+		// after the run. Tables stay in per-table files on purpose: in the shared
+		// system tablespace the cost of every CREATE and DROP grew with the number
+		// of databases the run had already created.
 		testcontainers.WithCmd("mysqld",
-			"--innodb-file-per-table=OFF",
 			"--innodb-flush-log-at-trx-commit=0",
 			"--innodb-doublewrite=OFF",
 			"--skip-log-bin",