If you hadn't already noticed, there's a new AMD Radeon HD on the block and with it comes different variants from different vendors.
One of the things fun about getting a new video card is testing it against benchmarks. Just a week ago 3DMark 11 finally released, supporting DirectX 11, DirectCompute, tessellation, multithreading and depth of field. The application consists of six tests--four focused on graphics, one physics and one combining CPU and GPU workloads--and a 720p audio visual demo.
Naturally, 3DMark 11 requires DirectX 11, a DirectX 11 compatible video card, and Windows 7 or Vista. Other minimum requirements include a 1.8 GHz dual-core Intel or AMD CPU, 1 GB of system memory, 1.5 GB of HDD storage, and a Windows Vista / Windows 7 compatible sound card.
Micro-Star International is bundling together the newly launched MSI R6970-2PM2D2GD5 and R6950-2PM2D2GD5 graphics cards with a free Advanced Version of 3DMark 11 (on specially marked packages). Read more about these cards here.
MSI has given us 15 software keys for the $19.95 Advanced Edition of 3DMark 11, which includes an entry-level PC benchmark preset, a performance PC benchmark preset, an extreme PC benchmark preset, custom benchmark settings and more.
We're giving away all 15 keys to our readers. All you have to do to qualify is be a fan of the Tom's Hardware Facebook page. Just be sure to "Like" our page by December 23, 2010 and you're automatically entered! If you're already a fan of us on Facebook, then just keep your fingers crossed that you'll be randomly selected!