New 3DMark launched: let's test again

I hate to tell you this, but your forum signature is outdated. Yes, lurking beneath your PC specs, Carl Sagan quote and 'Kirby dance' ASCII art, that 3DMark 11 score is now old, worthless, useless, and irritating information. Futuremark yesterday launched the new version of its graphics benchmark, see, and everyone previously enthralled by your 3DMark score no longer cares.

The new version, named simply 3DMark, packs three new shiny showcase scenes ranging from DirectX 9 tech to DX11 to test your hardware's muscle. Muscle you can then flex impressively at strangers on the beach. The initial release is only for Windows but Futuremark has Windows RT, Android, and iOS versions coming too, so you can compare scores across platforms.

As ever, it comes in three flavors: a free version with fewer options to tweak; a $25 Advanced edition for dedicated tweakers; and a $995 one for businesses. Grab the 970MB free Basic edition here at Shacknews.