Review: Futuremark looks beyond the PC with new 3DMark

May 06, 2013

Futuremark is busy these days shaking up their benchmarking business, and the new 3DMark is proof that nothing is off the table. PC, WinRT, Android and iOS support are all planned, although the Windows version is currently the only one available. Visuals are a real improvement over 3DMark 11. 3DMark's version numbers have been ditched from the product name in an attempt to emphasize the new cross-platform nature of the release. This ill-advised gesture is ignored by the faithful and the press alike, including me. Naming gaffes aside, Futuremark has undertaken the long-overdue rework of their flagship product and emerged with a slick package that sheds the weight of past releases and restores the luxurious visuals and sense of style that have been absent from the last few versions. Installation isn't complicated and remains free of add-on traps and other bloatware, although the gigabyte-sized download isn't petite. Make sure you read the latest instructions: In the case of the AMD 7950 in my test system, beta drivers were actually recommended over certified ones. Once installed, it presents you with a window where the three test environments that comprise the suite can be selected for a benchmarking pass. Advanced options let you select custom visual settings, enable demo modes, loop benchmarks for stress testing and view past results. To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Link: http://www.pcworld.com/article/2037024/review-futuremark-looks-beyond-the-pc-with-new-3dmark.html#tk.rss_reviews