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3DMark™2000 Read Me
Build 335a
INTRODUCTIONYou have successfully installed MadOnion.com/3DMark2000. We hope that 3DMark™2000 will help you in testing Your cutting PC edge hardware.
This document contains important information about using 3DMark2000. Please read it through carefully before running 3DMark2000.
GENERAL INFORMATION3DMark2000 is a benchmark that focuses on testing 3D performance of modern 3D accelerators in a "real world" environment. As most users will use their 3D accelerator for playing games, 3DMark focuses on these types of applications in most of its results.
The 3DMark product line is the most comprehensive benchmark platform available for testing future game performance. The input from our BETA program, game developers and users allows us to predict what is going to be important for future game playing. We are delighted to introduce 3DMark2000 as the next stage of benchmarking. 3DMark2000 pushes the performance barrier yet again and moves benchmarks to the next Millennium.
3DMark2000 is also a powerful tool for improving your 3D performance and it helps you make informed decisions when choosing new hardware.
TROUBLESHOOTING Q&AIMPORTANT NOTE:
3DMark2000 Benchmark Results are incompatible with results from the previous versions of 3DMark. You should not compare the results of different versions.DirectX 7
3DMark2000 requires DirectX 7. You can download it from http://www.microsoft.com/directx/download.asp or through the "Windows Update" function in Windows 98.Minimum Requirements to use 3DMark:
Additional Recommendations for Testing:
- Intel® Pentium® processor with MMX Technology or compatible. Minimum 166 MHz
- 64 MB of memory
- Microsoft Windows 95, 98 or Windows 2000 Professional
- Microsoft DirectX 7
- A DirectX 7 compatible 3D accelerator & drivers
- 128 MB of system memory
- Free hard disk space for Image Quality pictures
- Windows 98 or newer.
OFFICIAL TESTING GUIDELINESPlease go to http://www.madonion.com/support for up to date support and FAQ information plus current list of problems or compatibility issues with the program.
3DMark2000 Support
If you have problems running 3DMark or have any related questions, please take the following steps:
1. Read the 3DMark2000 Frequently Asked Questions atMadOnion.com/support. We have answered the most common questions and it is likely you will find an answer from there.
2. Make sure you have Microsoft DirectX 7 installed and working. If you don't have it yet, download it from Microsoft.
3. If 3DMark doesn't run correctly with your 3D accelerator card, install the most recent display drivers. 3DMark requires DirectX 7 compatible display drivers. At 3DMark2000 release time, not all manufacturers have public, stable DirectX 7 drivers.
4. If you have still problems with the display drivers, please contact your 3D accelerator card manufacturer's support department.
5. If the problem persists, feel free to contact us at support@MadOnion.com. Please include at least the following information to the problem description if possible:
- 3DMark project file (.3dp) as a file attachment. Create a project file doing the following: 1. Start 3DMark 2. Choose New Custom Benchmark 3. Save a text format project file (Save As… in the File menu).
- Where in 3DMark the problem occurs
- Detailed description of how the problem or bug can be reproduced
All benchmark tests run with VSync disabled to eliminate the refresh rate dependencies along different test environments. However, older display card drivers might not support this feature. Take care that you observe whether VSync is disabled or not.
In order to get accurate and repeatable results please adhere to the following:
Official Testing Requirements are:
- Compare 3D accelerators using the same CPU and CPU Optimization setting on all accelerators (unless you are also comparing a Hardware T&L accelerator).
- Compare 3D accelerators using the the same resolution, color depth, texture resolution, z-buffer format, buffering mode and refresh rate settings.
- Compare CPUs using the same system configuration (where possible). If you would like to obtain a CPU score please make sure you select the CPU software DLL from display settings.
- Stop all other programs. Under the 32-bit Windows operating systems, other tasks can preemptively run during the tests, thus affecting the results. You will want to eliminate as many of these types of tasks as possible, such as PerfMon or System Agent or other tasks from your StartUp folder. This action also maximizes your available memory.
- Disable any network connections and file sharing. Background network activity may affect results.
- Restart the computer before running the benchmark.
- Run the tests at least three times to verify that the results are reproducible. Follow a standard testing procedure each time you run the tests.
Additional Recommendations for Testing:
- We recommend using Triple Buffering even when VSync is turned off.
- We recommend that you use the same monitor and monitor settings for all tested 3D accelerators.
- We recommend that you test 3D accelerators on a "clean" system only. You should use a program like "Norton Ghost" (http://www.ghost.com) to restore a clean system for every 3D accelerator.
- We recommend testing CPUs with the fastest available 3D accelerator, in the lowest possible resolution.
These measures will help to ensure that your results are consistent.
3DMARK2000 BENCHMARK RESULTS ARE INCOMPATIBLE WITH ANY PREVIOUS VERSIONS OF 3DMARK. YOU SHOULD NOT COMPARE THE RESULTS OF DIFFERENT VERSIONS AGAINST EACH OTHER.