All 3DMark users to gain the test as a free downloadable update; those in the market for 3DMark Advanced can also enjoy 60% off for a limited time.
All 3DMark users to gain the test as a free downloadable update; those in the market for 3DMark Advanced can also enjoy 60% off for a limited time.
During Computex last week benchmarking specialists Futuremark announced their latest addition to the 3DMark benchmarking suite – Sky Diver. This new tool has now been released and is available to all one million and more users of the 3DMark tool set, not just those who have invested in the Advanced Edition.
The Sky Diver DirectX11 test is a slight divergence from the taxing Fire Strike benchmark in that it’s designed for mainstream desktop GPUs, gaming laptops and integrated GPUs; essentially any system that doesn’t quite reach double figure frame rates reliably in Fire Strike. There’s certainly nothing stopping you from running it on your pimped out GTX 780ti system, but it also should provide far greater granularity in the midrange where it’s needed most.
Users who want a little more depth and flexibility from their benchmarking tools can invest in 3DMark Advanced Edition. Currently available from Steam for 60% off, it provides more advanced features and custom setting than are currently available in the basic editions.
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Sky Diver Demo in full
Screenshots: http://www.futuremark.com/benchmarks/3dmark#skydiver
Sky Diver is comprised of a Demo (shown above), two graphics tests, a physics test and a combined test, with the latter two also assessing your CPU performance.
Graphics Test 1 – A forward-lighting rendering methodology,
Graphics Test 2 – Focus on pixel processing; uses compute shader-based deferred tiled lighting
Physics Test – Runs through four levels of work from the lightest and continuing to the heaviest unless the frame rate drops below a minimum level. Utilises CPU.
Combined Test – CPU and GPU are taxed with physics and graphics tests respectively; a compute shader-based deferred tiled lighting is used.
Graphics Test 2 – Focus on pixel processing; uses compute shader-based deferred tiled lighting
Physics Test – Runs through four levels of work from the lightest and continuing to the heaviest unless the frame rate drops below a minimum level. Utilises CPU.
Combined Test – CPU and GPU are taxed with physics and graphics tests respectively; a compute shader-based deferred tiled lighting is used.
Technical details can be found here.
As a rule of thumb, Futuremark make these suggestions for assessing when the Sky Diver or Fire Strike tests are most applicable:
If a system scores less than 2800 in Fire Strike you should run Sky Diver.
If a system scores more than 12000 in Sky Diver, you should run Fire Strike.
*Please note that Sky Diver and Fire Strike scores are not directly comparable.
If a system scores more than 12000 in Sky Diver, you should run Fire Strike.
*Please note that Sky Diver and Fire Strike scores are not directly comparable.
As a pair both Sky Driver and Fire Strike allow the testing of the full range of DirectX11 hardware currently on the market.
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An important note from NVIDIA about driver compatibility
“While testing the 3DMark Sky Diver benchmark, NVIDIA discovered an issue where some of their GPU configurations would render a black screen during benchmarking. NVIDIA has since solved the issue for these configurations and will be including the fix with their next driver installment coming early next week. In the meantime, if you experience this issue with your configuration, please use the 335.23 WHQL driver, available from both NVIDIA.com and GeForce.com.”
Download Desktop 335.23 WHQL for Win7/8.1 x32 and Win 7/8.1 x64
Download Notebook 335.23 WHQL for Win7/8.1 x32 and Win 7/8.1 x64
Download Notebook 335.23 WHQL for Win7/8.1 x32 and Win 7/8.1 x64
3DMark Sky Diver Demo presented by ASUS
ASUS has been revealed as the exclusive sponsor of the 3DMark Sky Diver Demo and through this deal Futuremark are able to offer Sky Diver as a free update. It should be noted though that the Demo is included for entertainment purposes only; Furturemark do not allow companies to sponsor the actual benchmark tests.
Download 3DMark Basic Edition for free:
http://www.futuremark.com/benchmarks/3dmark#windows
Or buy 3DMark Advanced Edition from Steam for only $9.99 (60% off) for a limited time:
http://store.steampowered.com/app/223850/
