Got a brand-new gaming PC or laptop in your crosshairs? Don’t rush that all-important decision. While gaming-centric technology is big on looks, with RGB lighting and sharp edges, it’s the internal components that make gaming PCs formidable machines.
The quality of components like your graphics card, processor and cooling system can directly affect your chances of winning a competitive online game or getting the most out of an immersive virtual story. Higher frame rates mean smoother motion, greater precision and a more-responsive feeling game experience. While your CPU and GPU work to render high quality images, the cooling system prevents them from overheating to keep everything reliably smooth.
Many gaming PCs use the same components, whether that’s a top of the line graphics card or powerful new processor. So, how do you know if one system performs better than another? That’s where 3DMark comes in.
What is 3DMark?
Designed by UL Benchmark, 3DMark is a series of tests that puts your gaming hardware to work, assigning a score to show how well your components perform together when processing heavy data and rendering detailed graphics.
3DMark tests are a great way to see what kind of performance you can expect from your processor and graphics card, how your machine stacks up and what kind of frame rates you can expect from the get-go. In fact, there are a number of gamers out there that build ultra-powerful PCs specifically to get to the top of the 3DMark rankings. It’s super-competitive.
It’s not just for fully-fledged gaming rigs with all the bells and whistles (though it takes a particularly special machine to make it to the Hall of Fame list). You could be upgrading your existing PC, building a new one from scratch or looking for the best gaming machine out there – 3DMark scores give a clearer idea of how much better your gaming experience can be.
Whether you’re into big open world explorers or tense battle royales, 3DMark tests are useful indicators for both general CPU and GPU performance, and specific functions. The Time Spy test benchmarks Windows 10 gaming PCs and their capabilities, while the Port Royal test examines your graphics card’s ray tracing capabilities. With dedicated tests for rendering in 4K, Quad HD and Full HD, you can see what kind of frame rates you’ll get when you push your PC to the limit.
UL Benchmarks are totally independent, without sponsorship from manufacturers like Intel, NVIDIA and AMD. These benchmark tests are widely recognised by the gaming community because they are run by regular gamers. Scores are based entirely on the performance of the PC or laptop’s components, and you can really dive into the all-important details and differences between each build.
Head over to 3DMark benchmark results to put any CPU and GPU combo under the microscope. You’ll get the insight you need to choose your dream machine. And once you know what you’re looking for, you’ll find it all, right here, at Currys.