Steel Nomad Released: UL’s New Cross-Platform GPU Benchmark
As the developer of the 3DMark benchmarking software, UL recently released new cross-platform non-ray tracing GPU benchmarks, Steel Nomad and Steel Nomad Light, and analyzed the test frequency and score changes of the Time Spy project over the past eight years. The results show that the Time Spy project has been run approximately 48 million times, with scores increasing from around 5000 points to 14000 points, indicating that GPU performance has improved by about 1.8 times over these eight years.
The statistical chart released by UL shows significant score improvements in the Time Spy project during the launch of the RTX 30 series/RX 6000 series GPUs in 2020 and the RTX 40 series/RX 7000 series GPUs in 2022. Due to the substantial enhancement in GPU performance, UL believes that the testing pressure of Time Spy is no longer sufficient to cope with future GPU performance, leading to the introduction of the Steel Nomad series. According to UL, this project runs at native 4K resolution and employs more advanced graphics technology to exert greater testing pressure, approximately three times that of Time Spy and seven times that of Fire Strike. UL also provided the frame generation times for low, medium, and high-tier GPUs across the three projects, showing that regardless of the GPU type, Steel Nomad’s frame generation time is significantly higher than that of Time Spy and Fire Strike.
UL stated that Steel Nomad and Steel Nomad Light, along with the existing Speed Way, Port Royal, Solar Bay, and Wild Life Extreme, now constitute the 3DMark GPU testing system. The names of the previous versions have been updated, with the original 3DMark Basic Edition renamed to 3DMark Demo Edition, 3DMark Advanced Edition to 3DMark, and 3DMark Professional Edition to 3DMark Enterprise Edition. To celebrate the launch of the Steel Nomad series, the 3DMark PC version will enjoy a 75% discount for one week, while the mobile version will be available for free download.
