3DMark

Gamers may sometimes say that graphics are not all that important, as long as there’s a strong story holding the game together, or some really addictive gameplay mechanics involved. However, they are also the ones who get the cold sweats of anxiety whenever a new CryEngine project is announced, or someone releases a hi-res mod for the latest Grand Theft Auto.

3DMark is probably the most notorious benchmarking tool on the market, at least when it comes to video games performance. Thus, gamers have been using the application to push their computers to the limit for years now, although every new iteration of the software makes the users weep at the sight of miserable scores. Hence, unless you happen to own only the most powerful hardware out there, preferably in triplicate, you won't get too much joy out of the application in question.

Things are quite simple to explain really, because the program is also very easy-to-use by virtually anyone with minimum computer knowledge. There are four benchmark tests to choose from, each one of which is designed to evaluate a particular range of computers and devices. Thus, Ice Storm can help you assess the power of your tablet, Cloud Gate is more suitable for office PCs and notebooks, Sky Diver aims for gaming laptops and mid-range computers, while Fire Strike is the mother and father of all that is sacred: 4K gaming using the latest graphics technologies out on the market.

While these classifications may give you false hope and substantially increase your electricity bill, that doesn’t mean decent scores are not attainable. In fact, with the right piece of equipment, you can unlock a lot of goodies and make a name for yourself out on the Internet. Not only that, but the Steam version of the application also comes with achievements, which only makes the entire thing that much more tempting.

Finally, you might wonder what actually happens on the screen to be worth the CPU cycles, and you would be right to ask. The application tries to render a variety of scenes and special effects, recurring to technologies like DirectX 12, Crossfire/SLI GPU setups, or even the holy grail at the moment: 4K resolutions. As you might suspect, all of these combined make for some really memorable scenes, but they are that much more exciting to watch unfold at a steady framerate, preferably above sixty.

All things being equal, 3DMark truly delivers on its promises and it is by far one of the most complete and demanding benchmarking tools out there. Regardless of whether you own a notebook fit for MS Word and Facebook, or you barely have any spare room left inside the case because of all the GPUs you’ve managed to fit in, the application can make everyone feel like it’s not enough.