Variable-Rate Shading (VRS) is a new feature in DirectX 12 that allows developers to improve performance by selectively reducing the level of detail in parts of the frame where there will be little noticeable effect on image quality.

Today, we're adding a new VRS feature test to 3DMark to help you compare differences in performance and image quality when using Tier 1 Variable-Rate Shading.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1zoGmhVB1U

Shading rate refers to the number of pixel shader operations called for each pixel. Higher shading rates improve accuracy but are more demanding for the GPU. Lower shading rates improve performance at the cost of visual fidelity.

With Variable-Rate Shading, developers can vary the shading rate within a single frame. Tier 1 VRS lets developers specify the per-draw shading rate, allowing different shading rates for each draw call. Tier 2 hardware can additionally support VRS within each draw call.

By using VRS to lower the shading rate for parts of the frame that are in deep shadow, far from the camera, or peripheral to the player's focus, for example, a game can run at a higher frame rate with little perceptible loss in visual quality.

3DMark feature tests are special tests designed to highlight specific techniques, functions or capabilities. The 3DMark VRS feature test is designed to help you compare differences in performance and image quality when using Tier 1 Variable-Rate Shading.

The test runs in two passes. VRS is disabled on the first pass of the test to provide a baseline for comparison. Variable-Rate Shading is enabled for the second pass. The test then reports the average frame rate for each pass and calculates the performance gained with VRS.

The VRS feature test also offers an interactive mode that lets you change Variable-Rate Shading settings on the fly to see how they affect the frame rate and image quality.

The VRS feature test is available now as a free update for 3DMark. Please note that you need Windows 10 version 1903 or later and a DirectX 12 GPU that supports Tier 1 VRS, such as an NVIDIA Turing-based GPU or an Intel Ice Lake CPU, to run this test.

https://steamproxy.net/steamstore/app/223850/3DMark/

We're adding a new feature test to 3DMark today in anticipation of upcoming hardware that will support the next-generation PCI Express 4.0 interface.

PCI Express (PCIe) is a standard interface that provides high-bandwidth communication between devices in a computer. Next-generation PCI Express 4.0 interfaces provide up to twice the bandwidth of PCI Express 3.0. With more bandwidth, games can transfer more data, reduce loading times, and support more complex scenes. The first motherboards and graphics cards to support PCIe 4.0 are expected to arrive this summer.

3DMark feature tests are special tests designed to highlight specific techniques, functions or capabilities. The 3DMark PCI Express feature test is designed to measure the bandwidth available to your GPU over your computer’s PCI Express interface.

The test aims to make bandwidth the limiting factor for performance. It does this by uploading a large amount of vertex and texture data to the GPU for each frame. The result of the test is the average bandwidth achieved during the test.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhCT-Tdp-_w
In real-world use with today's rendering pipelines, a PC’s gaming performance is unlikely to be limited by PCIe bandwidth. Nevertheless, the increase in bandwidth that PCIe 4.0 brings is sure to open up new possibilities with future hardware.

The 3DMark PCI Express feature test offers an accurate and reliable way to compare bandwidth across PCIe generations and measure the performance of different hardware configurations.

The PCI Express feature test is available now in 3DMark Advanced Edition.

https://steamproxy.net/steamstore/app/223850/3DMark/

We're thrilled to announce that we've added an exciting new graphics technology to 3DMark in the form of the new NVIDIA DLSS feature test, available now.

3DMark feature tests are specialized tests for specific technologies. The NVIDIA DLSS feature test helps you compare performance and image quality with and without DLSS processing.

The test is based on the 3DMark Port Royal ray tracing benchmark. Like many games, Port Royal uses Temporal Anti-Aliasing. TAA is a popular, state-of-the-art technique, but it can result in blurring and the loss of fine detail.

DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling) is an NVIDIA RTX technology that uses deep learning and AI to improve game performance while maintaining visual quality.

Check out the video and images below to see a comparison of TAA and DLSS in the new 3DMark feature test.



The NVIDIA DLSS feature test runs in two passes. The first pass renders Port Royal with DLSS disabled to measure baseline performance. The second pass renders Port Royal at a lower resolution then uses DLSS processing to create frames at the output resolution. The result screen reports the frame rate for each run.

DLSS is a proprietary NVIDIA technology, so naturally, you must have an NVIDIA graphics card that supports DLSS, such as a GeForce RTX series, Quadro RTX series or TITAN RTX, to run the test. You must also have the latest NVIDIA drivers for your graphics card.


Open the image in a new tab to see it full size.

DLSS uses a pre-trained neural network to find jagged, aliased edges in an image and then adjust the colors of the affected pixels to create smoother edges and improved image quality. The result is a clear, crisp image with quality similar to traditional rendering but with higher performance. You can read more about DLSS and what it means for game developers on the NVIDIA website.


Open the image in a new tab to see it full size.



We're celebrating Chinese New Year—and the sixth anniversary of 3DMark's original release—with a special week-long sale. From now until February 11, 3DMark Advanced Edition is 85% off.

https://steamproxy.net/steamstore/app/223850/3DMark/

If you purchased 3DMark before January 8, 2019, you can unlock the NVIDIA DLSS feature test by purchasing the Port Royal upgrade DLC. You can read more about 3DMark updates and upgrades here[benchmarks.ul.com].

https://steamproxy.net/steamstore/app/496103/3DMark_Port_Royal_upgrade/

We're thrilled to announce that 3DMark Port Royal—the world’s first dedicated real-time ray tracing benchmark for gamers—is now available.

You can use Port Royal to test and compare the real-time ray tracing performance of any graphics card that supports Microsoft DirectX Raytracing—including multi-GPU systems.



Real-time ray tracing promises to bring new levels of realism to in-game graphics. Port Royal uses DirectX Raytracing to enhance reflections, shadows, and other effects that are difficult to achieve with traditional rendering techniques.

As well as benchmarking performance, 3DMark Port Royal is a realistic and practical example of what to expect from ray tracing in upcoming games—ray tracing effects running in real-time at reasonable frame rates at 2560 × 1440 resolution.

3DMark Port Royal was developed with input from AMD, Intel, NVIDIA, and other leading technology companies. We worked especially closely with Microsoft to create a first-class implementation of the DirectX Raytracing API.

Port Royal will run on any graphics card with drivers that support DirectX Raytracing. As with any new technology, there are limited options for early adopters, but more cards are expected to get DirectX Raytracing support in 2019.



Port Royal is available now. It is not possible to run Port Royal in the 3DMark Demo. To run Port Royal, you'll need the Windows 10 October 2018 Update and a graphics card with drivers that support Microsoft DirectX Raytracing.

From today onward, Port Royal is included in the price when you buy 3DMark from Steam.

https://steamproxy.net/steamstore/app/223850/3DMark/

If you already own 3DMark, you can unlock Port Royal by purchasing the Port Royal upgrade. You can read more about 3DMark updates and upgrades here[benchmarks.ul.com].

https://steamproxy.net/steamstore/app/496103/3DMark_Port_Royal_upgrade/

3DMark Port Royal is the world’s first dedicated real-time ray tracing benchmark for gamers. Today, we're excited to confirm the release date and pricing and to share a new video that shows the Port Royal demo scene from start to finish.



Port Royal will be coming to 3DMark on January 8. It will not be available in the 3DMark Demo.

If you already own 3DMark, you will be able to unlock Port Royal by purchasing the Port Royal upgrade, available January 8 for USD $2.99. You can read more about 3DMark updates and upgrades here[benchmarks.ul.com].

From January 8 onward, Port Royal will be included in the price when you buy 3DMark from Steam.




Real-time ray tracing promises to bring new levels of realism to in-game graphics. Port Royal uses DirectX Raytracing to enhance reflections, shadows, and other effects that are difficult to achieve with traditional rendering techniques.

As well as benchmarking performance, 3DMark Port Royal is a realistic and practical example of what to expect from ray tracing in upcoming games—ray tracing effects running in real-time at reasonable frame rates at 2560 × 1440 resolution.

3DMark Port Royal was developed with input from AMD, Intel, NVIDIA, and other leading technology companies. We worked especially closely with Microsoft to create a first-class implementation of the DirectX Raytracing API.

Port Royal will run on any graphics card with drivers that support DirectX Raytracing. As with any new technology, there are limited options for early adopters, but more cards are expected to get DirectX Raytracing support in 2019.