3DMark is celebrating its 25th anniversary
The 3DMark99 was released 25 years ago.
3DMark is a well-known software for GPU enthusiasts. It is a reliable tool for testing graphics card performance, comparing it with others and sometimes even breaking world records. The 3DMark software has a long and rich history of interesting tests. It has been on the market for 25 years now.
The first version of 3DMark was 3DMark99, which came out in October 1998. It supported Windows 95/98 systems and used Direct 6.0. The software was later updated to the MAX version, and then it followed the updates of DirectX and the rapid development of graphics cards.
3DMark99 was released on October 26th 1999, Source: 3DMark
Some older benchmarks are still in use today, such as 2006 or 2011 versions, which are easy to work with and convenient to use as a scale by graphics card manufacturers. Gamers, however, are more interested in the latest updates to the 3DMark suite, which does not have any number anymore, as the company now releases feature tests as DLCs instead of separate releases.
3DMark releases
- 3DMark99 – October 1998
- 3DMark99 MAX – March 1999
- 3DMark2000 – December 1999
- 3DMark2001 – March 2021
- 3DMark2001 SE – February 2002
- 3DMark03 – February 2003
- 3DMark05 – September 2004
- 3DMark06 – January 2006
- 3DMark Vantage – April 2008
- 3DMark11 – December 2010
- 3DMark (suite) – 2013 to this day
- FireStrike – 2013
- TimeSpy – 2016
- Port Royal – 2019
- Speed Way – 2022
The most recent update called Speed Way is an advanced benchmark using DirectX12 Ultimate API with ray tracing support. Even the latest graphics cards can struggle with this benchmark at higher resolutions. It is worth noting that the latest 3DMark software is now discounted by 75% to $8.74 on Steam. This is the Advanced Edition with all popular and feature tests included. However, gamers can still download free edition which includes both TimeSpy and FireStrike benchmarks.
Those who would rather check the older 3DMark tests, the company has released all of them for free. You can find the links and product codes directly from this website. Just bear in mind that the older benchmarks will not work on newer systems without patching or applying compatibility settings.
