Futuremark releases its PCMark 7 to better reflect the latest hardware

BENCHMARKING OUTFIT Futuremark has updated its PCMark benchmarking suite claiming it accurately tests the latest hardware.

Futuremark, which is known for its 3DMark graphics benchmark, also develops the general system-wide PCMark benchmarking suite. Now the firm claims that its latest Windows-based PCMark 7 takes into account features such as hardware acceleration for transcoding video and solid state drives (SSDs), and uses real applications and games to generate a system score.

One particular area Futuremark highlighted with PCMark 7 was its characterisation of SSDs. Referring to a feature in PCMark 7 that allows users to compare scores of systems with and without SSDs, the firm said, "Tests that use the storage workloads take this into account, and comparing the scores between systems with an SSD and without will give you an accurate estimate of the difference in performance for your complete system, not just that one isolated component."

Although no benchmark can be perfect, Futuremark has enjoyed considerable success with 3DMark and PCMark thanks to its relatively simple interface and the fact that people can simply get away with clicking one button and getting a number after a few minutes. That simplicity was touted by Jani Joki, director of PC products and services at Futuremark, who said, "A benchmark is a highly complex and sophisticated piece of software, yet PCMark 7 is easy to use and requires no specialist knowledge or set up". Words that reminded us of the old adage that a fool with a tool is still a fool.

PCMark 7 is available in three versions, including a free version that has a limited number of tests from the benchmarking suite. For those who want access to the all various workloads designed to show particular areas of system performance, the price is £25. µ