diff --git a/benchmark/assert/deepequal-prims-and-objs-big-array.js b/benchmark/assert/deepequal-prims-and-objs-big-array.js
index d8d2b57331f7ef..dc18d959bbce2b 100644
--- a/benchmark/assert/deepequal-prims-and-objs-big-array.js
+++ b/benchmark/assert/deepequal-prims-and-objs-big-array.js
@@ -1,22 +1,25 @@
 'use strict';
 var common = require('../common.js');
 var assert = require('assert');
+
+const primValues = {
+  'null': null,
+  'undefined': undefined,
+  'string': 'a',
+  'number': 1,
+  'boolean': true,
+  'object': { 0: 'a' },
+  'array': [1, 2, 3],
+  'new-array': new Array([1, 2, 3])
+};
+
 var bench = common.createBenchmark(main, {
-  prim: [
-    null,
-    undefined,
-    'a',
-    1,
-    true,
-    {0: 'a'},
-    [1, 2, 3],
-    new Array([1, 2, 3])
-  ],
+  prim: Object.keys(primValues),
   n: [25]
 });
 
 function main(conf) {
-  var prim = conf.prim;
+  var prim = primValues[conf.prim];
   var n = +conf.n;
   var primArray;
   var primArrayCompare;
diff --git a/benchmark/assert/deepequal-prims-and-objs-big-loop.js b/benchmark/assert/deepequal-prims-and-objs-big-loop.js
index 5f0519bb3b45ad..3c76a586f7d5fb 100644
--- a/benchmark/assert/deepequal-prims-and-objs-big-loop.js
+++ b/benchmark/assert/deepequal-prims-and-objs-big-loop.js
@@ -1,22 +1,25 @@
 'use strict';
 var common = require('../common.js');
 var assert = require('assert');
+
+const primValues = {
+  'null': null,
+  'undefined': undefined,
+  'string': 'a',
+  'number': 1,
+  'boolean': true,
+  'object': { 0: 'a' },
+  'array': [1, 2, 3],
+  'new-array': new Array([1, 2, 3])
+};
+
 var bench = common.createBenchmark(main, {
-  prim: [
-    null,
-    undefined,
-    'a',
-    1,
-    true,
-    {0: 'a'},
-    [1, 2, 3],
-    new Array([1, 2, 3])
-  ],
+  prim: Object.keys(primValues),
   n: [1e5]
 });
 
 function main(conf) {
-  var prim = conf.prim;
+  var prim = primValues[conf.prim];
   var n = +conf.n;
   var x;
 
diff --git a/benchmark/buffers/buffer-read.js b/benchmark/buffers/buffer-read.js
index e50de84b043af7..47affeee79edad 100644
--- a/benchmark/buffers/buffer-read.js
+++ b/benchmark/buffers/buffer-read.js
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 var common = require('../common.js');
 
 var bench = common.createBenchmark(main, {
-  noAssert: [false, true],
+  noAssert: ['false', 'true'],
   buffer: ['fast', 'slow'],
   type: ['UInt8', 'UInt16LE', 'UInt16BE',
          'UInt32LE', 'UInt32BE',
diff --git a/benchmark/buffers/buffer-tostring.js b/benchmark/buffers/buffer-tostring.js
index 948052042d677b..97f5fb12294d2a 100644
--- a/benchmark/buffers/buffer-tostring.js
+++ b/benchmark/buffers/buffer-tostring.js
@@ -3,13 +3,13 @@
 const common = require('../common.js');
 
 const bench = common.createBenchmark(main, {
-  arg: [true, false],
+  arg: ['true', 'false'],
   len: [0, 1, 64, 1024],
   n: [1e7]
 });
 
 function main(conf) {
-  const arg = conf.arg;
+  const arg = conf.arg === 'true';
   const len = conf.len | 0;
   const n = conf.n | 0;
   const buf = Buffer(len).fill(42);
diff --git a/benchmark/buffers/buffer-write.js b/benchmark/buffers/buffer-write.js
index 22383319d9ea30..657cebfacb5723 100644
--- a/benchmark/buffers/buffer-write.js
+++ b/benchmark/buffers/buffer-write.js
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 'use strict';
 var common = require('../common.js');
 var bench = common.createBenchmark(main, {
-  noAssert: [false, true],
+  noAssert: ['false', 'true'],
   buffer: ['fast', 'slow'],
   type: ['UInt8', 'UInt16LE', 'UInt16BE',
          'UInt32LE', 'UInt32BE',
diff --git a/benchmark/common.js b/benchmark/common.js
index 6878d41d1416bc..1ff4b50f8a409e 100644
--- a/benchmark/common.js
+++ b/benchmark/common.js
@@ -154,6 +154,10 @@ Benchmark.prototype._run = function() {
     var j = 0;
     set.forEach(function(s) {
       vals.forEach(function(val) {
+        if (typeof val !== 'number' && typeof val !== 'string') {
+          throw new TypeError(`configuration "${key}" had type ${typeof val}`);
+        }
+
         newSet[j++] = s.concat(key + '=' + val);
       });
     });