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Written by Mavke
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Thursday, 30 September 2004 |
Well it seems like every site related to some hardware reviews has put a 3DMark05
review up. So also Elite
Bastards has gotten a review up. Ask your average gamer or hardware
enthusiast to name a benchmark - Any benchmark. Chances are the name that will
escape their lips will be 3DMark. Since the release of 3DMark99 almost six years
ago, this benchmark has cemented itself in the psyche of most as the pinnacle of
consumer 3D graphics for its time, each release bringing more and more lifelike
graphics, far beyond that seen in the games of its day, to its awed users. Today
sees the launch of a new version of 3DMark - 3DMark05.
Is this the benchmark to revive confidence in FutureMark and synthetic
benchmarking? Today we'll be taking a look to see just what the latest revision
in the 3DMark dynasty has to offer.
 3DMark05 Review
In a sense, it's hard to judge 3DMark05,
simply because of its forward-looking nature - Without some kind of time
machine, we can't really comment on just how accurate an indicator of future
performance it will be. Judging by past history, FutureMark rarely fail to get
this side of things wrong, but only time will tell.
Due to this, we
really have to look instead at 3DMark05
from the point of view of the functionality and scope that it offers - And in
these areas, it is unsurpassed. As you can see from our performance analysis
here, the sheer number of testing configurations available is dizzying - Almost
any function of a modern GPU can be tested to some extent here, from relative
shader profile performance to the performance hit when using full precision. Add
in to that the new graphing options, the AA and AF analysis tool, the
functionality to assist with image quality comparisons (which FutureMark tell me is likely
to be expanded upon in the first patch), and you have a complete package for
synthetically measuring the performance of DirectX 9 capable GPUs.
Of
course, much of this is looking at 3DMark05
from a reviewers perspective - But, 3DMark is after all the self-titled "Gamer's
Benchmark", so what does it offer gamers? Well, if you're after eye candy to
impress your friends, 3DMark05 is undoubtedly it. Sure, you can't play it, but we
all want to show off our best hardware from time to time, and this benchmark
(and the demo mode in particular) is 100% guaranteed to make jaws hit the
floor.
As a benchmark however, 3DMark05
will likely get a mixed welcome from the community - While some will appreciate
the goals and aims of the benchmark, others will no doubt be looking for more of
an overall system benchmark and will want to look elsewhere (Although before
criticising 3DMark05, and indeed, 3DMark03, they should take a step back
and think - 'Why would you want to make a benchmark CPU limited on its
release?'). At the end of the day, it's all about personal preference and what
you want to benchmark. Reviewer or gamer, if you want to push your video card to
the limit and are looking for a synthetic test to do so, you really can't go far
wrong with 3DMark05.
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