diff --git a/ext/testlib/configuration.py b/ext/testlib/configuration.py
index 4e2b6951d1..48fd2a0754 100644
--- a/ext/testlib/configuration.py
+++ b/ext/testlib/configuration.py
@@ -215,6 +215,10 @@ def define_defaults(defaults):
                                                       os.pardir))
     defaults.result_path = os.path.join(os.getcwd(), '.testing-results')
     defaults.resource_url = 'http://dist.gem5.org/dist/develop'
+    defaults.resource_path = os.path.abspath(os.path.join(defaults.base_dir,
+                                            'tests',
+                                            'gem5',
+                                            'resources'))
 
 def define_constants(constants):
     '''
@@ -569,8 +573,8 @@ def define_common_args(config):
         Argument(
             '--bin-path',
             action='store',
-            default=None,
-            help='Path where binaries are stored (downloaded if not present)'
+            default=config._defaults.resource_path,
+            help='Path where resources are stored (downloaded if not present)'
         ),
         Argument(
             '--resource-url',
diff --git a/tests/.gitignore b/tests/.gitignore
index 7c78cf7703..6e620f5d30 100644
--- a/tests/.gitignore
+++ b/tests/.gitignore
@@ -1,7 +1,2 @@
 .testing-results
-gem5/cpu_tests/benchmarks
-gem5/fs/linux/arm/*.tar.bz2
-gem5/fs/linux/arm/binaries
-gem5/fs/linux/arm/disks
-gem5/test-progs
 gem5/resources
diff --git a/tests/gem5/cpu_tests/test.py b/tests/gem5/cpu_tests/test.py
index a21c4b9656..44f0574890 100644
--- a/tests/gem5/cpu_tests/test.py
+++ b/tests/gem5/cpu_tests/test.py
@@ -51,10 +51,7 @@ valid_isas = {
     'riscv': ('AtomicSimpleCPU', 'TimingSimpleCPU', 'MinorCPU', 'DerivO3CPU'),
 }
 
-if config.bin_path:
-    base_path = config.bin_path
-else:
-    base_path = joinpath(absdirpath(__file__), 'benchmarks', 'bin')
+base_path = joinpath(config.bin_path, 'cpu_tests')
 
 base_url = config.resource_url + '/gem5/cpu_tests/benchmarks/bin/'
 for isa in valid_isas:
diff --git a/tests/gem5/fixture.py b/tests/gem5/fixture.py
index fc6aee8f78..94f3581343 100644
--- a/tests/gem5/fixture.py
+++ b/tests/gem5/fixture.py
@@ -223,7 +223,7 @@ class MakeTarget(Fixture):
 
 class TestProgram(MakeTarget):
     def __init__(self, program, isa, os, recompile=False):
-        make_dir = joinpath('test-progs', program)
+        make_dir = joinpath(config.bin_dir, program)
         make_fixture = MakeFixture(make_dir)
         target = joinpath('bin', isa, os, program)
         super(TestProgram, self).__init__(target, make_fixture)
diff --git a/tests/gem5/fs/linux/arm/test.py b/tests/gem5/fs/linux/arm/test.py
index 89e9e65b3b..80a2af69e9 100644
--- a/tests/gem5/fs/linux/arm/test.py
+++ b/tests/gem5/fs/linux/arm/test.py
@@ -91,7 +91,7 @@ arm_fs_long_tests = [
 tarball = 'aarch-system-201901106.tar.bz2'
 url = config.resource_url + "/arm/" + tarball
 filepath = os.path.dirname(os.path.abspath(__file__))
-path = config.bin_path if config.bin_path else filepath
+path = joinpath(config.bin_path, 'arm')
 arm_fs_binaries = DownloadedArchive(url, path, tarball)
 
 for name in arm_fs_quick_tests:
diff --git a/tests/gem5/hello_se/test_hello_se.py b/tests/gem5/hello_se/test_hello_se.py
index c7cf7fe529..abae3cf10e 100644
--- a/tests/gem5/hello_se/test_hello_se.py
+++ b/tests/gem5/hello_se/test_hello_se.py
@@ -82,11 +82,7 @@ os_length = {
     'sparc' : constants.long_tag,
 }
 
-if config.bin_path:
-    base_path = config.bin_path
-else:
-    base_path = joinpath(absdirpath(__file__), '..', 'test-progs', 'hello',
-        'bin')
+base_path = joinpath(config.bin_path, 'hello')
 
 urlbase = config.resource_url + '/test-progs/hello/bin/'
 
diff --git a/tests/gem5/insttest_se/test.py b/tests/gem5/insttest_se/test.py
index 4009d69f05..519b349fed 100644
--- a/tests/gem5/insttest_se/test.py
+++ b/tests/gem5/insttest_se/test.py
@@ -43,10 +43,7 @@ supported_os = {
     'sparc' : ('linux',)
 }
 
-if config.bin_path:
-    base_path = config.bin_path
-else:
-    base_path = joinpath(absdirpath(__file__), '..', 'test-progs')
+base_path = joinpath(config.bin_path, 'insttest')
 
 urlbase = config.resource_url + '/test-progs/insttest/bin/'
 for isa in test_progs:
diff --git a/tests/gem5/m5_util/test_exit.py b/tests/gem5/m5_util/test_exit.py
index 0a0dc1621c..98c3fbd179 100644
--- a/tests/gem5/m5_util/test_exit.py
+++ b/tests/gem5/m5_util/test_exit.py
@@ -47,11 +47,7 @@ m5_exit_regex = re.compile(
 r'Exiting @ tick \d* because m5_exit instruction encountered'
 )
 
-if config.bin_path:
-    path = config.bin_path
-else:
-    path = joinpath(absdirpath(__file__), '..',
-                    'test-progs', 'hello', 'bin', 'x86', 'linux')
+path = joinpath(config.bin_path, 'test-progs', 'hello', 'bin', 'x86', 'linux')
 filename = 'm5_exit'
 url = (config.resource_url + '/test-progs/m5-exit/bin/x86/linux/m5_exit')
 test_program = DownloadedProgram(url, path, filename)
diff --git a/tests/gem5/m5threads_test_atomic/test.py b/tests/gem5/m5threads_test_atomic/test.py
index 88dafe2d3f..6bb4eafa40 100644
--- a/tests/gem5/m5threads_test_atomic/test.py
+++ b/tests/gem5/m5threads_test_atomic/test.py
@@ -38,11 +38,7 @@ cpu_types = (
     # 'TimingSimpleCPU',
 )
 
-if config.bin_path:
-    base_path = config.bin_path
-else:
-    base_path = joinpath(absdirpath(__file__), '..', 'test-progs',
-                         'test_atomic', 'bin')
+base_path = joinpath(config.bin_path, 'pthreads', 'sparc64')
 
 binary = 'test_atomic'
 url = config.resource_url + '/test-progs/pthreads/sparc64/' + binary