3DMark 1.4.8

Not sure how your old machine could handle that great new game that just came out? Do you want to give your new computer a spin and see how well it fares? Do you just want to see cool 3D animations? The answer to all these questions is: Get 3DMark! You will never look at your video card the same way again.

Hold on to your framerate

With the free version of 3DMark is able to run all of the demos and tests (as long as your computer is capable to), but you will not have access to custom settings and offline test results. That being said, you will get to experience test with a live frame counter and you will be able to access your results on the Futuremark webpage.

The main screen will invite you to either upgrade (for $25) or run the primary tests. The latter will begin running all of the test sets in order, beginning with the lightest and going upwards. Each set contains a demo (with sounds), two graphics tests and one physics test.

Alternatively, you could go to Benchmarks and select to run a set individually. Here you can also find previews of the demos.

The Custom screen is mainly a showcase section. Nothing here is accessible unless you upgrade. Speaking of which, the entire application reminds you and teases you to get the Advanced Edition, that if this would have been a regularly used app, I would personally remove it right away. But since you would only use it from time to time, for example after upgrading your hardware or after having your system cleaned, then it's no real nuisance.

The Results screen is also a teaser but you will ind a button that opens up a browser window with your test results. That's nice.

Besides assigning scores, 3dMark will also display your PC specifications and show a graph of how well your computer is doing among all of the tests that have been uploaded. The website is also a good resource for CPU and GPU scores, that can help you form an opinion in case you're ready for a hardware upgrade.

You can still configure some aspects like whether you want sound during demos or what resolution you want the tests to be run at.

Features

• 4 different benchmark tests
• Graphics & physics testing
• Online score and comparisons

Pros

• Tests are conceived to be compatible with different kinds of computers
• Kickass animations!

Cons

• The free version only accounts for giving a score

Conclusion

3DMark has a long history of being the top choice for a gamer's benchmark, well it was probably the only choice anyway...