3DMark 05

Video games can be quite demanding when it comes to performance. This is especially true for the latest games, but even older ones can have a significant impact on computers that haven't been upgraded in a long time. If you want to see how your machine can cope with certain graphics and effects, 3DMark 05 can help you. The software runs a series of tests to find the limits of your CPU and GPU.

3DMark 05 comes in free and paid versions. You can have the software up and running in a minute or two, without making any complicated settings. It works on all modern Windows versions and it doesn't ask for any special tools or services.

Once you run the software, you can start a benchmark test immediately, just by clicking a button on its compact user interface. 3DMark 05 will play a series of 3D-rendered scenes, with different environments and effects. While they are playing, you can see the current frame rate in the lower region of the screen.

The software's paid version lets you make various configurations before starting a test. You can set it to play specific scenes, at a certain resolution, with or without anti-aliasing and so on. Regardless of your settings, the benchmark test will take a few minutes to finish. The scenes will repeat themselves a few times, with different settings, to stress-test your hardware.

The test results are provided in the form of a score. You can save the score on the hard drive, along with other details. Alternatively, you can submit your score online and compare it against others, so you can have a better idea on how good your computer is.

With 3DMark 05, you can find out how well your computer can run games.