Saratoga (CA) - Futuremark today released a new version of its 3DMark benchmark software. The new version 3DMark06 integrates more extensive use of Shader Model 3, including High Dynamic Range rendering, and makes use of the capabilities of dual-core processors. For the first time, the benchmark offers separate tests for CPUs and graphics in an effort a universal performance evaluation tool for PC.

If you have just recently bought a screaming new graphics card, it is very likely that its features exceed the obstacles set in last year's 3D benchmark parcours of 3DMark05. As with every version of 3DMark, the software answers recent and upcoming advances and features of gaming hardware and software. Tero Sarkinnen, executive vice president of sales and marketing at Futuremark said that the company has taken "a massive investment" to support new features and create a "dependable testing tool."

The most visible change in 3DMark is the option for the user to be able to choose between graphic and overall PC testing. Users who do not focus just on 3D speed, but rather on other performance aspects of their system, now have another benchmark option to create a comparable test result with 3DMark06.

Further enhancements in 3DMark06 include more complex Shader Model (SM) 2.0 tracks and High Dynamic Range SM 3.0 tests, which, according to Futuremark, run polygonal counts found in games two years out in the future. Despite these additions, users of SM 2.0 graphics cards will still be able to run the benchmark and receive a "comparable" score, Futuremark said. In a conversation with TG Daily, Sarkinnen explained that the challenge of each new generation of 3DMark06 is to identify the direction where game developers are heading. "We are heading so much closer to photo-realism," he said. While the industry still has quite some work to do to achieve that goal, Sarkinnen believes that SM 3.0 heavy use of post-processing and High Dynamic Range are the tools for the immediate future to provide games are more realistic look and feel.

3DMark06 also is the first benchmark from Futuremark that uses Ageia's physics library PhysX. While industry sources currently indicate that dedicated physics boards will become available late in Q2 of this year, the 3DMark06 does not yet support such devices. Instead, the library is used in two complex and threaded tests that aim to reveal the advantages of a dual-core processor. "In addition to using real-time physics, both CPU tests also employ multi-threaded artificial intelligence algorithms. By combining the results of the two CPU tests and four graphics tests, 3DMark06 enables users to get a 3DMark score which reflects the overall gaming performance of their PC," Futuremark stated.

Sarkinnen mentioned that Futuremark considers Ageia's physics engine as "significant" and pays attention to the development of the market. He declined to comment when physics processing capability through a dedicated board may become a feature of 3DMark.

According to Futuremark, AMD, ATI, Dell, Imagination Technologies, Intel, Microsoft, Nvidia, S3, SIS, Velocity Micro and XGI contributed to the development of the new benchmark and were provided with equal access to the software. Sarkinnen explained that the companies were able to indirectly influence the development of the software by providing feedback to Futuremark. He promised that 3DMark06 is fair to all hardware developers and their products: "The key is to implement new features, but not to over-emphasize specific functions," he said. "Also, we do not use just one or two, but a whole bunch of different shaders, which allows us to test the hardware of all manufacturers."

The basic version of the benchmark is available as a free, 580 MB download from Futuremark's website. The "advanced" version of the benchmark is available for $20. Minimum system requirements are a 2.5 GHz Intel or equivalent AMD processor, a DirectX 9 graphics card with SM 2.0 capability and at least 256 MB of memory. The benchmark occupies about 1.5 GB of hard disk space, requires 1 GB of system memory, as well as Windows XP with most recent service packs and DirectX 9 version c.