Futuremark - Finnish company, which develops software for testing system components (benchmarks). The most famous product is the software developers 3DMark, which evaluates the performance of the iron in the schedule.
Test Futuremark
Since this article we are talking about graphics cards, the test system will be exactly in 3DMark. This benchmark will rate the graphics system, guided by the number of points. Points are calculated according to the original algorithm, created by programmers. Since it is not clear how the algorithm works, the points accumulated during testing, the community calls a "parrot". However, the developers have gone further: based on the results of audits brought coefficient of performance graphics adapter relation to its price, but talk about it later.3Dmark.
- Because testing is performed directly on the user's computer, we need to download the program from the official site of Futuremark.
Official site
- On the main page, there is a system called «3DMark» and press button «Download now».
- Archive containing weighs a little less than 4GB, so you'll have to wait a bit. After downloading the file, you must unzip to a convenient location and install the program. Installation is extremely simple and requires no special skills.
- Running 3DMark, we see the main window containing information about the system (disk storage, processor, video card), and a proposal to run a test «Fire Strike».
This benchmark is new and designed for high-end gaming systems. Since the test computer has a very modest resources, we need something simpler. Select the menu item "Tests".
- Here we are a few options for testing the system. Since we downloaded from the official website of the basic package, not all of them will be available, but what is, is enough. «Sky Diver» Let us choose.
- Further, in the test window, just click the button "Start".
- The download will start and then run the scene benchmark in full-screen mode.
After playing the video, we are waiting for four tests: two graphic, one physical and the last - combined.
- Upon completion of the test, a window opens with results. Here we can see the total number of "parrots", scored by the system, and also familiarize themselves with the results of the tests separately.
- If you wish, you can go to the developers website and compare the performance of your system with other configurations.
Here we see our result with the assessment (better than 40% of the results) and the comparative characteristics of other systems.
Productivity index
Why do you need all these tests? First, in order to compare the performance of its graphic system with other results. This allows you to determine the power of the video card, the effectiveness of overclocking, if it occurred, and also introduces the element of the competition.
On the official site there is a page on which the results of the benchmarks represented by users are posted. It is on the basis of this data that we can estimate our graphic adapter and find out which GPUs are the most productive.
Link to Futuremark statistics page
Ratio price - performance
But that's not all. Futuremark developers, based on the collected statistics, brought the coefficient about which we talked earlier. On the site, it is called "Value for Money" ("Price of Money" in Google Translation) and is equal to the number of points scored in the 3DMark program divided by the minimum price of the camcorder selling. The higher this value, the more profitable purchase from the point of view of the cost of the productivity unit, that is, the more, the better.
Today we discussed how to test the graphics system using the 3DMark program, and also learned what such statistics are going to.