3DMark06 is a fundamental tool for every PC user interested in 3D graphics and performance. 3DMark06 will measure your PC's 3D performance in next generation games, reliably compare the latest high end gaming hardware, and show you amazing real-time 3D graphics.

By using 3DMark06 and the Online ResultBrowser web service, you will get:

The 3DMark score - a globally recognized and comparable measurement of the 3D performance of your PC.

SM2.0 Score - a new comparable measurement of the 3D ShaderModel 2.0 performance of your PC.

HDR/SM3.0 Score - a new comparable measurement of the 3D ShaderModel 3.0 & HDR performance of your PC.

CPU Score - a comparable measurement of the CPU performance of your PC.

A comparison of your machine and the fastest PCs on the planet.

An educated estimate as to how much better your system will perform with certain upgrades.

A view into the next generation of real-time 3D graphics.

3DMark06 is concentrated on measuring the performance of the latest DirectX 9 generation of 3D hardware using the technology of next generation games. Earlier 3DMark versions have usually been launched with the introduction of a new Microsoft DirectX version and with the introduction of a new generation of hardware. This has somewhat limited how much 3DMark has utilized the new hardware features. At the time of this writing, DirectX 9 was introduced nearly three years ago, and there is now DX9 generation hardware available from the very high end to value and mobile parts. 3DMark06 can fully utilize 100% of the features of DirectX 9. In fact, DirectX 9 hardware with support for ShaderModel 3.0 is required to run all the tests of 3DMark06, resulting in the ultimate tool for DirectX 9 hardware performance comparison. DirextX 9 graphics cards limited to ShaderModel 2.X are still capable of running most of the tests, and getting a perfectly valid and comparable 3DMark result.

3DMark06 highlights:

Two HDR/SM3.0 graphics tests, requiring DirectX 9 hardware with support for SM3.0, 16 bit floating point textures and 16 bit floating point blending.

Two SM2.0 graphics tests, requiring DirectX 9 hardware with full SM2.0 support.

Two completely new CPU tests, both supporting threading and multiprocessors, requiring DirectX 9 hardware with SM2.0 support.

Feature tests focusing on key characteristics of graphics performance.

The 3DMark06 demo the ultimate display of real-time 3D graphics featuring an original sound track.

A wide range of benchmark settings and professional tools for image quality inspection, texture filtering quality testing, automated batch runs and a lot more.

A mini-game based on the CPU test for users to run the game-engine used in the CPU test.
Note: The results and final score of 3DMark06 are not comparable with any previous version of 3DMark.

Requirements:
- DirectX®9 compatible graphics adapter with support for Pixel Shader 2.0 or later, and graphics memory of 256 MB or above.*
- Intel® or AMD® compatible processor running on 2.5 GHz or above.
- 1GB system memory or more.
- 1.5GB of free hard disk space.
- Windows®XP operating system with the latest Service Pack and updates installed.
- DirectX 9.0c (December 2005) installed (download) with the latest updates.
-Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 installed, for some 3DMark functionality (download).
- Microsoft Excel 2000, 2003 or XP for some 3DMark functionality.
- Microsoft DirectX 9.0c (December 2005) System Development Kit (download) is required to run the image quality test using the reference rasterizer.
- * In order to run the HDR/SM3.0 graphics tests, a DirectX 9 compatible graphics adapter with support for Pixel Shader 3.0, 16 bit floating point textures and 16 bit floating point blending is required.

It is possible that 3DMark06 will run on PCs that do not meet the requirements above, but the benchmark performance may be seriously affected. For example, insufficient video memory will result in texture swapping - this will cause fluctuations during the tests, reducing the reliability of the generated scores.

The primary features in 3DMark06 Basic Edition (Free)

Two SM2.0 graphics tests, using DirectX 9 SM2.0 features extensively.

Two HDR/SM3.0 graphics tests, using DirectX 9 SM3.0 features and floating point extensively.

Two multiprocessor CPU tests focusing on CPU intensive tasks in 3D games.

An exciting and awe-inspiring 3DMark demo, pushing your system to its limits.

System Info utility, which provides an in-depth analysis of the status and features of the components in your PC.

Access to the Online Result Browser for global comparison of PC performance.

3DMark06 v1.2.1 changes:

Fully compatible to Windows 8

SystemInfo component updated to 4.15

OpenAL installer updated to latest version