The new version of 3DMark has arrived

The newest release of 3DMark is here, and it’s not called “3DMark Windows” or “3DMark 2013” or “3DMark Next”… It’s simply called “3DMark”.

Besides pushing the cutting edge of graphical technology (a 3DMark hallmark), the big factor that differentiates this release from prior ones is that it is now available as a unified benchmark tool for a variety of platforms, including Windows RT, iOS, and Android besides the standard Windows 7/8.

Today’s release is for the Windows version, with Android, iOS, and Windows RT coming soon.

The benchmark includes three tests:

Fire Strike – For high performance gaming PCs
Use Fire Strike to test the performance of dedicated gaming PCs, or use the Fire Strike Extreme preset for high-end systems with multiple GPUs. Fire Strike uses a multi-threaded DirectX 11 engine to test DirectX 11 hardware.

Cloud Gate – For notebooks and home PCs
Use Cloud Gate to test the performance of notebooks and typical home PCs. Cloud Gate uses a DirectX 11 engine limited to Direct3D feature level 10, making it suitable for testing DirectX 10 compatible hardware.

Ice Storm – For tablets and entry-level PCs
Use Ice Storm to test the performance of your Windows tablet, ultra-portable notebook or entry-level PC.  Ice Storm uses a DirectX 11 engine limited to Direct3D feature level 9, making it the ideal benchmark for modern portable devices targeting that feature level. You can compare Ice Storm scores from Windows, Windows RT, Android and iOS devices.

So instead of comparing benchmarks as “P6171” and “X1370” we’ll be calling them by the tests that we ran. Here is a screenshot from the “Fire Strike” test. As you can see it shows a temperature chart, which is a nice new feature.

There are three editions of 3DMark: Basic, Advanced, and Professional. Pricing and product info from Futuremark:

3DMark Basic Edition – FREE

• Includes all three tests: Ice Storm, Cloud Gate and Fire Strike.
• Test everything from tablets to gaming PCs.
• Easy to use, no technical know-how needed.
• Free online account to manage your results.

3DMark Advanced Edition – $24.99

• Run each test individually for faster benchmarking.
• Unlock the Fire Strike Extreme preset for extreme hardware.
• Explore your PC’s performance limits with custom settings.
• Use benchmark looping for stability testing and burning in.
• Get in-depth insights with interactive performance graphs.
• Automatically save your results offline.

3DMark Professional Edition -$995.00

• Licensed for business and commercial use.
• Command line automation.
• Image Quality Tool.
• Private offline results option.
• Export results as XML.

Moving forward, all Icrontic benchmark results for hardware we test will include this current version of 3DMark.

The Steam version brings achievements with it as well, so if you’re a badge whore (and who isn’t, really?), the Steam version might be the one for you.

Download away, Icrontians (it’s almost a gigabyte! wow!), and post your benchmarks in our new 3DMark benchmarking thread. There’s a launch sale going on for the Steam version right now; it’s only $18.74 on Steam.