I have just received an email from Tero Sarkkinen, Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Futuremark. He likes to share Futuremarks point of view on the recent creditability as an independent and meaningful benchmark application. Note: Please don't get yourself fooled by websites that want to show you exclusive Pro version stuff. The scenes and demo are the same. You just get full control over the benchmark display configuration, including resolution, colour palette, anti-aliasing and texture filtering as well as image quality analysis and batch run functionality and access to ORB Pro. Some M$ Excel export function is included as well but that is it. The interest in the recent 3DMark03 release has been phenomenal. We see the active discussion being a testimony to the importance of having neutral performance assessment tools available to independent media and consumers. In light of the interest, we feel that it is important to re-iterate the design process of 3DMark03 and other our products. Our role as a benchmark developer is based on the fact that the computer industry and consumers need independent and neutral performance metrics. These tools should become publicly available as soon as new technologies arrive, in order to enable true apples-to-apples comparisons. They also should be easy to use that consumers themselves can run them to verify the results. All Futuremark benchmark products are built in co-operation with our Beta Program partners, which consist of the major technology manufacturers (detailed information of the Beta Program is available from http://www.futuremark.com/betaprogram/). In order to make sure that all new technologies are measured in a correct and impartial manner, we work with all beta members who have equal access and opportunity for participating in the benchmark development. A white paper is available that describes 3DMark03 in technical detail. It describes what is being measured, how it is measured and why. 3DMark03 is an accurate tool for analyzing the performance of current generation 3D accelerators. The white paper is publicly available for download from: http://www.futuremark.com/companyinfo/3dmark03_whitepaper.pdf. We will continue to support the previous product, 3DMark2001, as a solid measurement tool for benchmarking the previous generations of 3D accelerators. 3DMark03, as well as all other Futuremark benchmarks, are developed with uncompromising integrity and do not favor or discredit any particular manufacturer. We will gather all comments, concerns from all of our constituents worldwide. We will address all issues and/or concerns in the weeks and months ahead. Tero Sarkkinen
Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing