As with previous versions, 3DMark03 scores will initially range between a 1000 and 5000 3DMarks. They are
scaled such that an entry-level system will score approximately 1000 and a high-end system, at the time of
3DMark03 product release, will score approximately 5000. An entry-level system is approximately one with a
DirectX 8 graphics card and a CPU corresponding to 1 GHz. A high-end system roughly has a DirectX 9
graphics card and a CPU corresponding to 3 GHz. Of course, with time, the high scores are expected to keep
increasing. For example, for 3DMark2001 the best score immediately after the launch was close 5000, and
today’s high scores are over 20,000 3DMarks.
Each of four game tests generates a frame-rate (in frames per second) that is used to calculate the overall
score. The formula for calculating the overall 3DMark03 score is:
3DMark03 score = (Game Test 1 frame-rate x 7.3) +
(Game Test 2 frame-rate x 37) +
(Game Test 3 frame-rate x 47.1) +
(Game Test 4 frame-rate x 38.7)
This formula has been obtained by running the benchmark on a number of high-end systems. The results for
each system are weighted such that game test 4 gives 20% of the total score and game tests 1, 2 and 3 are
equally weighted to give the remaining 80%. Hence, game test 1, 2 and 3 each give 26.6% of the total score.
The weights are averaged across all the systems used to generate the weights in the formula. Note that this
weighting can be very different on low-end systems.
In 3DMark03, we have separated the measuring of CPU performance into a separate test and score. This score
has a different range than the 3DMark score, in order to prevent confusion between these two total scores. It is
balanced to give a CPU Score of 500 to high-end systems at launch time. The formula for calculating the CPU
score is:
CPU score = (CPU Test 1 frame-rate x 4.6) +
(CPU Test 2 frame-rate x 27.5)
This formula is obtained using the same approach, with the two game tests weighted so that each contributes
50% to the final score.
The table below shows sample scores on three PC configurations. Two systems have the same graphics card,
and two have the same CPU. Note that the CPU score rises significantly for the more powerful CPU. The overall
3DMark score is less affected by the CPU, but depends more on the graphics card.
Conclusion
Over the last four years, 3DMark has become a trusted standard in 3D graphics benchmarking. Futuremark’s
latest version, 3DMark03, continues the tradition of providing an easy-to-use tool for benchmarking nextgeneration
3D graphics technology. This time, powered by the latest DirectX 9 features and supporting graphics
hardware, we showcase 3D graphics likely to be seen over the next year and a half. More importantly we provide
a neutral and transparent benchmarking tool to allow the user to evaluate the capabilities of the latest hardware.
We have added new functionality, such as the 3D sound test, a set of new feature tests and much-improved
image quality tools, to allow the user to isolate performance of key parts of 3D graphics usage. As graphics
hardware becomes more powerful, especially with new sophisticated shader support, stunning 3D graphics will
become accessible to more applications. We believe 3DMark03 will serve as a highly dependable tool for the
benchmarking professional in this new environment.
