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A new 3DMark benchmark is designed to compare the 3D performance of different systems more reliably. For over 25 years, the 3DMark benchmark has been measuring the 3D performance of graphics cards and integrated GPUs in numerous versions in order to compare them with each other. The Finnish software division of the testing organization Underwriters Laboratories (UL) developed the new 3D scene Steel Nomad for the 3DMark, which was released in 2013. It is intended to replace the previous sub-ratings Time Spy and Time Spy Extreme, which are over seven years old and can no longer properly depict the performance of modern high-end graphics cards.
Steel Nomad only uses raster graphics without ray tracing graphic effects, which so far only selected game titles have used due to the high hardware requirements. In order to be able to compare different devices and platforms with each other, the scene runs on Windows and Windows-on-Arm. A macOS version is also planned for this year and in the future Steel Nomad will also be available for Android, iOS and Linux. The demanding 3D scene is intended to utilize high-end graphics cards and therefore requires at least 8 GB of system and 8 GB of graphics memory under Windows. Computers with graphics integrated into the processor require 16 GB of RAM because the CPU and iGPU share the RAM.
In contrast to the standard version, the light version of 3DMark Steel Nomad plays in the dark.
(Image: c’t [Screenshot])
Light version also for Android and iOS
For weaker hardware such as notebooks and mini PCs with iGPU as well as smartphones and tablets, UL offers the slimmed-down version Steel Nomad Light. Starting tomorrow, Tuesday (June 21, 2024), this will be available not only for Windows (ARM + x86) but also for the Android and iOS versions 3DMark for download ready. A version adapted for macOS is expected to follow later this year, but the iOS app should also run on Macs with Apple M1 and newer. UL is also working on a Linux version. Compared to Steel Nomad, the light version uses half the video memory amount of 4 GB under Windows, but also requires at least 8 GB of installed RAM.
Depending on the operating system, different 3D interfaces are used: Under Windows, Steel Nomad (Light) uses Microsoft’s DirectX 12 and the OpenGL successor Vulkan, under macOS and iOS on Apple Metal and under Android and Linux also on Vulkan.
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First benchmarks
We were able to conduct independent testing in Steel Nomad and Steel Nomad Light with a pre-release version. On powerful graphics cards like the GeForce RTX 4080 Super, the benchmark runs at over 60 fps; on inexpensive 200-euro cards like the Radeon RX 6600, the frame rate drops to below 15 fps. The point value results from the average frame rate × 100, so that a GeForce RTX 4080 Super achieves 6630 points.
The less demanding Light variant not only offers higher frame rates, but also a different evaluation metric. Here the point value is calculated as 135 times the average frame rate across the scene. For example, a Radeon RX 6600 with an average of 52.35 fps achieves 7067 points.
Steel Nomad and Steel Nomad Light are available as a free update for all 3DMark editions, including users of the free version.
(chh)