diff --git a/lighthouse-core/gather/computed/computed-artifact.js b/lighthouse-core/gather/computed/computed-artifact.js
index 3c7c75a6efa1..3196ebc242e6 100644
--- a/lighthouse-core/gather/computed/computed-artifact.js
+++ b/lighthouse-core/gather/computed/computed-artifact.js
@@ -22,8 +22,34 @@ class ComputedArtifact {
     this.cache = new Map();
   }
 
-  request() {
-    throw new Error('request() not implemented for computed Artifact' + this.name);
+  /* eslint-disable no-unused-vars */
+
+  /**
+   * Override to implement a computed artifact. Can return a Promise or the
+   * computed artifact itself.
+   * @param {!Object} artifact Input to computation.
+   * @return {!Promise|!Object|!Array}
+   */
+  compute_(artifact) {
+    throw new Error('compute_() not implemented for computed artifact ' + this.name);
+  }
+
+  /* eslint-enable no-unused-vars */
+
+  /**
+   * Request a computed artifact, caching the result on the input artifact.
+   * @param {!OBject} artifact
+   * @return {!Promise}
+   */
+  request(artifact) {
+    if (this.cache.has(artifact)) {
+      return Promise.resolve(this.cache.get(artifact));
+    }
+
+    return Promise.resolve(this.compute_(artifact)).then(computedArtifact => {
+      this.cache.set(artifact, computedArtifact);
+      return computedArtifact;
+    });
   }
 }
 
diff --git a/lighthouse-core/gather/computed/critical-request-chains.js b/lighthouse-core/gather/computed/critical-request-chains.js
index 1badc758029b..bd71c2e41eeb 100644
--- a/lighthouse-core/gather/computed/critical-request-chains.js
+++ b/lighthouse-core/gather/computed/critical-request-chains.js
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@ class CriticalRequestChains extends ComputedArtifact {
     return includes(['VeryHigh', 'High', 'Medium'], request.priority());
   }
 
-  getChains(networkRecords) {
+  compute_(networkRecords) {
     // Build a map of requestID -> Node.
     const requestIdToRequests = new Map();
     for (let request of networkRecords) {
@@ -132,20 +132,8 @@ class CriticalRequestChains extends ComputedArtifact {
       };
     }
 
-    return Promise.resolve(criticalRequestChains);
+    return criticalRequestChains;
   }
-
-  request(networkRecords) {
-    if (this.cache.has(networkRecords)) {
-      return this.cache.get(networkRecords);
-    }
-
-    return this.getChains(networkRecords).then(chains => {
-      this.cache.set(chains, networkRecords);
-      return chains;
-    });
-  }
-
 }
 
 module.exports = CriticalRequestChains;
diff --git a/lighthouse-core/gather/computed/pushed-requests.js b/lighthouse-core/gather/computed/pushed-requests.js
index 827931d7f09f..6fcd9bd92de2 100644
--- a/lighthouse-core/gather/computed/pushed-requests.js
+++ b/lighthouse-core/gather/computed/pushed-requests.js
@@ -25,22 +25,15 @@ class PushedRequests extends ComputedArtifact {
     return 'PushedRequests';
   }
 
-  filterPushed(records) {
+  /**
+   * Return list of network requests that were pushed.
+   * @param {!Array<!WebInspector.NetworkRequest>} records
+   * @return {!Array<!WebInspector.NetworkRequest>}
+   */
+  compute_(records) {
     const pushedRecords = records.filter(r => r._timing && !!r._timing.pushStart);
-    return Promise.resolve(pushedRecords);
+    return pushedRecords;
   }
-
-  request(networkRecords) {
-    if (this.cache.has(networkRecords)) {
-      return this.cache.get(networkRecords);
-    }
-
-    return this.filterPushed(networkRecords).then(records => {
-      this.cache.set(records, networkRecords);
-      return records;
-    });
-  }
-
 }
 
 module.exports = PushedRequests;
diff --git a/lighthouse-core/gather/computed/screenshots.js b/lighthouse-core/gather/computed/screenshots.js
index 230f78857f9c..63bc60383b83 100644
--- a/lighthouse-core/gather/computed/screenshots.js
+++ b/lighthouse-core/gather/computed/screenshots.js
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@ class ScreenshotFilmstrip extends ComputedArtifact {
    * @param {{traceEvents: !Array}} trace
    * @return {!Promise}
   */
-  getScreenshots(trace) {
+  compute_(trace) {
     const model = new DevtoolsTimelineModel(trace.traceEvents);
     const filmStripFrames = model.filmStripModel().frames();
 
@@ -49,17 +49,6 @@ class ScreenshotFilmstrip extends ComputedArtifact {
       return result;
     });
   }
-
-  request(trace) {
-    if (this.cache.has(trace)) {
-      return this.cache.get(trace);
-    }
-
-    return this.getScreenshots(trace).then(screenshots => {
-      this.cache.set(trace, screenshots);
-      return screenshots;
-    });
-  }
 }
 
 module.exports = ScreenshotFilmstrip;
diff --git a/lighthouse-core/gather/computed/speedline.js b/lighthouse-core/gather/computed/speedline.js
index 84db67511646..90ae2caa9381 100644
--- a/lighthouse-core/gather/computed/speedline.js
+++ b/lighthouse-core/gather/computed/speedline.js
@@ -29,11 +29,7 @@ class Speedline extends ComputedArtifact {
   /**
    * @return {!Promise}
    */
-  request(trace) {
-    if (this.cache.has(trace)) {
-      return this.cache.get(trace);
-    }
-
+  compute_(trace) {
     // speedline() may throw without a promise, so we resolve immediately
     // to get in a promise chain.
     return Promise.resolve().then(_ => {
@@ -41,7 +37,6 @@ class Speedline extends ComputedArtifact {
       return speedline(trace.traceEvents);
     }).then(speedlineResults => {
       ConsoleQuieter.unmuteAndFlush();
-      this.cache.set(trace, speedlineResults);
       return speedlineResults;
     });
   }
diff --git a/lighthouse-core/gather/gather-runner.js b/lighthouse-core/gather/gather-runner.js
index da9dcf626ac9..50ad1a70cf4b 100644
--- a/lighthouse-core/gather/gather-runner.js
+++ b/lighthouse-core/gather/gather-runner.js
@@ -344,9 +344,7 @@ class GatherRunner {
       const ArtifactClass = require('./computed/' + file);
       const artifact = new ArtifactClass();
       // define the request* function that will be exposed on `artifacts`
-      computedArtifacts['request' + artifact.name] = function(artifacts) {
-        return Promise.resolve(artifact.request(artifacts));
-      };
+      computedArtifacts['request' + artifact.name] = artifact.request.bind(artifact);
     });
     return computedArtifacts;
   }
diff --git a/lighthouse-core/test/gather/computed/computed-artifact-test.js b/lighthouse-core/test/gather/computed/computed-artifact-test.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..8936c378001d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lighthouse-core/test/gather/computed/computed-artifact-test.js
@@ -0,0 +1,57 @@
+/**
+ * Copyright 2016 Google Inc. All rights reserved.
+ *
+ * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+ * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ * You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ * limitations under the License.
+ */
+'use strict';
+
+/* eslint-env mocha */
+
+const assert = require('assert');
+
+const ComputedArtifact = require('../../../gather/computed/computed-artifact');
+
+class TestComputedArtifact extends ComputedArtifact {
+  constructor() {
+    super();
+
+    this.computeCounter = 0;
+  }
+
+  get name() {
+    return 'TestComputedArtifact';
+  }
+
+  compute_(_) {
+    return this.computeCounter++;
+  }
+}
+
+describe('ComputedArtifact base class', () => {
+  it('caches computed artifacts', () => {
+    const testComputedArtifact = new TestComputedArtifact();
+
+    const obj0 = {};
+    const obj1 = {};
+
+    return testComputedArtifact.request(obj0).then(result => {
+      assert.equal(result, 0);
+    }).then(_ => testComputedArtifact.request(obj1)).then(result => {
+      assert.equal(result, 1);
+    }).then(_ => testComputedArtifact.request(obj0)).then(result => {
+      assert.equal(result, 0);
+    }).then(_ => testComputedArtifact.request(obj1)).then(result => {
+      assert.equal(result, 1);
+    });
+  });
+});