3DMark06 Under the Magnifying Glass

Final Thoughts

Futuremark has made a very comprehensive 3D graphics benchmark. There are a lot of things that can be tested on the graphics subsystem and the entire system. We have tried to show you the guts of this new benchmarking suite as we feel there is value in it.

For graphics benchmarking, we think that the addition of the CPU test takes the benchmark into a less favorable position than previous versions, as the graphics subsystem cannot be tested by itself to produce a final score. The weighting of the score is also less favorable, as we pointed out when comparing older and new hardware.

We feel it would make more sense to have three scoring systems: one for graphics alone, one for the CPU and other subsystems, and a final overall score. Most users only look at the 3DMark score, but this is not a pure comparison of the graphics subsystem; a percentage of that score is now determined by the system. Although real world games are not much different, they do not have the luxury of pulling out each system component and making an analysis of it as a stand alone benchmark can.

Overall, we think this is a fine product to gain perspective on a gamer's system, but is a little beyond what those of us interested in pure graphics performance are looking for. That said, we have high hopes for what Futuremark has in store for us and the gaming community with the release of the DirectX 10, as well as what the company will come up with to test physics, as that aspect of gaming develops.