The world's leading brand in motherboard and graphics cards, MSI and the renowned system performance testing software company Futuremark, together release a new generation of 3D performance testing software 3DMark; the overclocking heat wave will again sweep the globe. MSI is the exclusive sponsor of the Fire Strike demo, the showpiece of the new 3DMark and a stunning demonstration of what high performance DirectX 11 gaming PCs can do.

MSI will bundle selected MSI graphics cards and motherboards with the 3DMark Advanced Edition during the coming winter season. To celebrate the launch of 3DMark and the bundle, MSI starts the 'MSI 3DMark Challenge', an overclocking competition based on MSI's top-overclocking motherboard MSI Z77 series.

Futuremark released the newest installment to its 3DMark franchise. It's the first 3DMark to lack a version name, making it a "reboot" of sorts. For starters, the new 3DMark is a collection of three independent benchmark suites, each with its own demos, game tests, physics tests, and combined tests, and scoring.

Among the three suits are "Ice Storm," designed for tablets, mobile devices, and entry-level desktops, which needs nothing more than a DirectX 9.0c GPU to get going; "Cloud Gate," for notebook and home desktops, which needs a DirectX 10 feature-level GPU; and "Fire Strike," an over-the-top suite designed for today's gaming desktops, which can make even the fastest graphics cards sweat (for example, our GTX 680 in the screenshots below). The physics tests of each of these can benefit from having multiple cores and advanced instruction sets. TechPowerUp is a premier launch partner, hosting downloads on behalf of Futuremark. Grab yours below.DOWNLOAD: 3DMark (2013)

Futuremark's next big installment of the 3DMark franchise is set for a February 4th release, according to the developer. The Windows PC version of the suite, which includes the Fire Strike DirectX 11 and Cloud Gate DirectX 10 game tests, in addition to various feature-tests, will be released on the 4th. The company did not give out release dates for its Android, iOS, and Windows RT versions. In the run up to its release, Futuremark kept enthusiasts interested by timely release of teaser images and videos of its two game tests, starting with Fire Strike in early December, and Cloud Gate, a couple of weeks later. The new 3DMark faced several delays, given that the first reveal of Fire Strike dates back to June 2012. Yet Futuremark is hopeful the new 3DMark will reach out to many more users thanks to its relaxed system requirements.

AMD posted its first major release of the Catalyst software suite for this year, Catalyst 13.1 WHQL. Much along the lines of its 12.11 "Never Settle" driver, the new 13.1 WHQL brings performance enhancements for a boatload of games, targeting Radeon HD 7000 series GPUs based on the Graphics CoreNext (GCN) architecture. We know that AMD is yet to unlock the full potential of GCN, and 13.1 WHQL appears to be a step in that direction. In addition to performance enhancements and fixes, AMD introduced a new 3D settings and profile management user interface within Catalyst Control Center (CCC).

DOWNLOAD: AMD Catalyst 13.1 WHQL for Windows 8/7/Vista 64-bit, Windows 8/7/Vista 32-bit, Windows XP 32-bit, Windows XP 64-bit

A slice of the change-log follows.

If you're waiting for Futuremark's next big graphics benchmark app as eagerly as we are, we'll both have to put up with more teasers before its January 2013 launch. Here's one for the week. After posting pictures and a video of the hardware-intensive "Fire Strike" DirectX 11 game test two weeks ago, and following up last week with pictures of its more forgiving DirectX 10 game test titled "Cloud Gate," Futuremark posted its trailer this week. Unlike with Fire Strike, for which Futuremark urged viewers to watch the video at 1440p (2560 x 1440, original) resolution, Cloud Gate is recorded at 1080p (1920 x 1080), probably because variations of this test will be used in several other form-factors, such as notebooks and all-in-one desktops. Watch the teaser video after the break.

Leading mainboard and graphics card maker MSI and the world's best system benchmarking software developer Futuremark have partnered up to jointly announce the newest version of the 3D benchmarking program 3DMark. The new version of this 3D benchmarking utility supports Windows, Windows RT, Android and iOS platforms, and has an all new user interface that will provide enthusiasts with a rich and novel user experience.

The 3DMark series has long been acclaimed among gamers for its original visual design and wide range of special effects. 3DMark 11 in particular has been the No.1 choice for testing graphics card performance since it was released in 2010, and remains the benchmarking utility of choice for enthusiasts today. Due to the previous successful cooperation on 3DMark 11, MSI has partnered with Futuremark again to release the next generation of the world renowned 3DMark benchmarking utility.

Following last week's reveal of next-generation 3DMark game test "Fire Strike," which is designed to make even the fastest consumer graphics setups sweat, Futuremark revealed screenshots of its second game test, titled "Cloud Gate." Going with Futuremark's "one benchmark for all platforms" strategy, Cloud Gate is designed to test DirectX 10 hardware capabilities. It uses DirectX 11 engine that's limited to feature level10_0. The lighter game test will be able to put notebook GPUs and entry-level DirectX 11 desktop GPUs to test.

Cloud Gate will see Futuremark's artists going back to space-opera mode, something we missed in 3DMark 11. Screenshots reveal what appears to be a giant machine hovering over a moon, with its parent gas-giant in the background. Perhaps it's a terraforming machine? An ion-drive spacecraft scooping up fuel? The test appears to make use of several of D3D10's illumination and bloom effects. In related news, Futuremark told us that the new 3DMark won't make it to the markets this year, and instead it will be launched for Windows PC (x86) platform in January, 2013. The Android, iOS and Windows RT versions will launch after a little more beta testing and approvals from their respective app stores.More screenshots follow.

Kontron launched today the feature-packed, yet highly cost-efficient, embedded Flex-ATX motherboard KTA75/Flex based on the new AMD Embedded R-Series Accelerated Processing Unit (APU) and the AMD A75 controller hub. It is designed for graphics intensive and highly parallel embedded computing applications and provides outstanding, long-term stability and reliability due to its sophisticated board layout with long-term stable solid capacitors and a high-quality selection of components.

With its integrated discrete-class AMD Radeon HD 7000 Series Graphics it delivers leading edge 3D/HD graphics and accelerated processing capabilities together with the ability to drive up to four displays simultaneously, either as independent displays, or as a single large surface. This makes the long-term available Kontron KTA75M/Flex an ideal solution for applications requiring high graphics and/or parallel computing performance in markets such as industrial automation, medical, and POS/POI, digital signage as well as gaming.

Futuremark announced that its upcoming version of 3DMark is undergoing its final stage of testing, and is polished enough to give the rest of us a glimpse of. The company released a trailer video, which was recorded at 2560 x 1440 pixels, and can be watched at that resolution. A couple of screenshots were also released. The screenshots and trailer revealing one of the upcoming 3DMark's game tests entitled "Fire Strike," which makes your GPU(s) crunch through tessellation, dynamic particle illumination and shadowing, smoke simulation using grid-based fluid dynamics, volume ray casting with shadows and a wide variety of post processing effects including depth of field, blooms, distortions and various lens effects.The trailer video follows.

Futuremark has announced that the next version of 3DMark, its popular benchmarking software, will offer cross platform testing capabilities on Windows, Windows RT, Android and iOS devices. With three all new tests Futuremark says 3DMark can be used with the full range of hardware from smartphones and tablets, to notebooks and home PCs, to the latest high-end, multi-GPU gaming desktops. Futuremark expects to launch the new 3DMark before the end of the year.

3DMark is well known in PC circles as the go-to benchmark for testing the latest Windows gaming PCs and video cards. Today Futuremark announced that the next version of 3DMark will also be available on Android, iOS and Windows RT devices. Futuremark says 3DMark scores will be directly comparable across platforms providing valuable insight into the performance differences between competing devices and operating systems.

Vince "k|ngp|n" Lucido is one of the world's most well known Overclockers today. So in October 2012, EVGA put his skills to the test and challenged him to crush the competition and sweep the board for 3DMark 11 scores. Armed with an assortment of EVGA GeForce GTX 680 Classified, EVGA X79 Classified Motherboard, EVGA SuperNOVA NEX1500 Classified power supplies, and enough Liquid Nitrogen to turn Taipei into a deep freeze; Vince was able to smash three brand new 3DMark 11 World Records*. In fact, EVGA along with k|ngp|n were the first to reach over 17,000 points on a single graphics card!

World Records:

• 3DMark 11 Performance (Single Card) - P17,047
• 3DMark 11 Performance (2-Way SLI) - P25,380
• 3DMark 11 Extreme (4-Way SLI) - X17,384

Futuremark is proud to announce that Acer Incorporated, Intel, Qualcomm Incorporated and SingTel-Optus have joined its Benchmark Development Program to create a new 3DMark gaming benchmark for Android-based tablets and smartphones. The Futuremark Benchmark Development Program gathers input and expertise from the world's best and most technologically advanced companies to create industry standard benchmarks for performance measurement. 3DMark for Android is expected to be released later this year.

Jukka Makinen, Futuremark CEO said, "For more than 10 years, we have worked with the world's leading PC hardware manufacturers to create 3DMark and PCMark. As a result, Futuremark benchmarks are the industry standard for PC performance measurement used by hundreds of press publications and millions of end-users. As we bring 3DMark to a new OS for the first time, we are excited to expand our cooperation to include Acer, Intel, Qualcomm and SingTel-Optus, technology leaders who will bring unparalleled insight, experience and vision to the development of 3DMark for Android."

GIGABYTE TECHNOLOGY Co. Ltd., a leading manufacturer of motherboards and graphics cards, today announced the GIGABYTE Classic Challenge, its latest overclocking competition hosted on HWBOT.org. Open until August 15th 2012, the GIGABYTE Classic Contest combines two classic stages, great prizes and a small twist.

Overclockers are asked to compete on two classic benchmarks 3DMark 01 and Super Pi 32M with a GIGABYTE X79S-UP5 motherboard and a GIGABYTE X79-UP4 up for grabs. The twist? Simple. If one entrant has the raw talent to claim both stages, GIGABYTE will also award a bonus prize of a forthcoming GIGABYTE F2A85X-UP4.

Futuremark today released its first trailer for the next version of 3DMark. Designed for measuring the gaming performance of everything from tablets and notebooks to high-end desktop gaming systems, the next 3DMark for Windows will be the world's first unified graphics benchmark allowing testing of DirectX 9, DirectX 10 and DirectX 11 capable hardware through the DirectX 11 API. Expected to be released after the launch of Windows 8, this new 3DMark will also be compatible with Windows 7 and Windows Vista. The new trailer provides a preview of the DirectX 11 test and is now available online and in high definition for the first time at 3DMark.com.

The fierce MSI MOA (Master Overclocking Arena) 2012 EMEA Qualifier competition has ended successfully on June 14; European overclocking experts from a total of 16 countries competed in the event and have broken world records for 3DMark11 and 3DMark03 eight consecutive times. The top five scores of the winners of EMEA Qualifier competition are Xtreme Addict (Poland), T0lsty (Ukraine), ryba (PurePC.pl) (Poland), Aristidis (Greece) and Smoke (Russian Federation); the winners will team up and advance to the MOA 2012 World Overclocking Finals, and head to Taiwan to compete in the world-class "Steel World" competition.

During this skirmish, the competitors' first choice MSI HD 7970 Lightning graphics card ranked number 1 for both 3DMark11 and 3DMark03; the Polish contestant Xtreme Addict's 3DMark11 P score: 16055 marks and the Ukraine contestant T0lsty's 3DMark03 score: 214000 marks won the competition's first place for each single graphics card event respectively,. Which just goes to show that the contestants are completely fired up to march towards the worldwide Grand Final! After the EMEA Qualifier, another shot at 3DMark11 P score of 16259 marks resulted in a new WR by Polish overclocker: ryba (PurePC.pl).

The latest product from HIS Digital, HIS 7970 X, set a new overclock world record. 4 x HIS 7970 X at 1480/1910MHz achieved 84669 marks on 3Dmark Vantage record. The 4 HIS 7970 X cards performed to its best with HKEPC OC Lab's sophisticated "Tin Shui Wai" System. According to John Lam, the Team Captain as well as a renowned overclocker, "Tin Shui Wai" is a LN2 Chilled Water Cooling System, modified from "Kingpin F1" to provide the most stable Subzero Cooling for 4 Way HIS 7970 X Crossfire".

Besides the sophisticated overclocking equipment, it was the sleek and sophisticated design and vivid LED lighting of the system that captured the attention of industry experts. The System uses green as its main colour, spiced with blue LED light giving it a perfect blend of Extreme OC and Lan Party elements. The unbeatable OC performance and the flashy design of "Tin Shui Wai" System gained much attention from visitors and media during the demonstration at Computex, Taipei. For more information, visit this page.

Round 3 of the MSI MOA (Master Overclocking Arena) qualifiers starts on June 15 and allows the top overclockers in the Asia-Pacific region to battle it out for a ticket to Taiwan. During the qualifiers, which have seen many new records so far, the overclocking experts from the Asia-Pacific region compete for eight tickets to the MOA 2012 grand finals to become the master of the "Steel World" competition!

The annual overclocking competition MOA (Master Overclocking Arena) 2012 held by the world's leading mainboard and graphics card manufacturer MSI, has held regional qualifier competitions since April to select powerhouse overclockers to compete in the annual worldwide Grand Final. After the Americas regional qualifier and the EMEA regional qualifier have successfully ended, the Asia-Pacific regional qualifier battle is about to begin; the competition will go on from June 15 to July 12, overclockers can participate in the competition with any model of MSI mainboard and graphics card, but is limited to a single CPU and GPU.

The first round of the annual MOA (Master Overclocking Arena) 2012 Americas Qualifier, held by the world-renowned mainboard and graphics card manufacturer MSI, ended successfully on May 10. There were overclocking experts from eight countries in the America region who competed in this event; the top three winners were Splave from the U.S., Rbuass and gnidaol from Brazil. The winners will advance into the World Final and are free to pick any member for their team to battle for the master position of the MSI Master Overclocking Arena Grand Final! For complete coverage and results of the event, please visit the MOA 2012 Americas Qualifier website.

Celebrating its 5th anniversary, MSI's Master Overclocking Arena (MOA) joins the most stable Military Class III components with record-breaking overclocking performance. Themed "Steel World", MSI has forged the first evolution starting with the American Regional Qualifiers on the world-class overclocking community website HWBOT.org on April 13, 2012.

The American Regional Qualifiers this year consist of three stages: 3DMark11, 3DMark03 and SuperPI 32M. Each with a different point scheme. There will be no model limitation on MSI mainboards and graphics cards, however entries are limited to single CPU and GPU setups. A cut-off elimination will be applied on May 4th (75% of the contest period) after which the qualifiers will continue with only the best 15 overall participants.

As the leading brand in enthusiastic graphics market, Gainward, again, introduces its Phantom series for GeForce GTX 680 - Gainward GeForce GTX 680 Phantom. The Gainward GTX 680 Phantom, continue the elegant design of the first generation, delivers much better performance than the previous design. The most important is the Gainward GeForce GTX 680 Phantom comes with factory over-clocked setting - 1150MHz boost clock (1084MHz base clock) and 3150MHz (DDR6300) memory clock.

It is really a "silent monster", the fastest GTX 680 in the market and extreme cool under gaming environment. Under 3D benchmark, it is 12.6% higher than reference board (3DMark 2011 Xscore). While in gameplay, it is around 10% higher. To compare with the competing GPU in red camp, it performs 27.7% higher in 3DMark 2011 Xscore and exceeds amazingly 32% in hot titles gaming performance.

Later this year, AMD will unveil its second-generation accelerated processing units (APUs) in the FM2 package, based on its brand-new "Piledriver" CPU and "Graphics CoreNext" GPU architectures. Among these, the part that is designed keeping overclockers in mind is the A10-5800K, which features an unlocked base clock multiplier, four x86-64 cores, 3.80 GHz (nominal) and 4.20 GHz Turbo Core clock speed, and AMD Radeon HD 7660D graphics. Find out more about the lineup here.

INPAI got its hands on an A10-5800K APU, and supporting socket FM2 motherboard, and wasted no time in comparing it to the current-generation A8-3850. INPAI put the two chips through SuperPi 1M, to measure single-thread performance, and 3DMark 06, to measure embedded-GPU performance. In SuperPi, A10-5800K crunched SuperPi 1M in 23.775 s, the A8-3850 did the same in 26.039 s. With 3DMark 06, the A10-5800K scored 9396 points, while the A8-3850 scored 6223. The inference that can be drawn out of this little test is that Trinity has significantly faster graphics, not so much CPU (taking into account A10-5800K cores were clocked over 30% higher than those of the A8-3850).

LucidLogix (Lucid), a developer of GPU virtualization software, and Futuremark, the world leader in performance benchmarking software, today announced that Futuremark's range of 3DMark gaming benchmarks is being updated to detect systems using Lucid's HyperFormance and Virtual Vsync performance technologies, which are available in the Virtu MVP virtualization software and other Lucid solutions.

Futuremark's 3DMark benchmark works by measuring the process of rendering frames of 3D graphics. Lucid's Virtu MVP HyperFormance and Virtual Vsync features are designed to improve responsiveness through the intelligent reduction of redundant rendering tasks. While 3DMark scores may increase when turning on Virtu MVP features, scores from systems with and without MVP technology are not directly comparable because of its effect on the rendering process from CPU to GPU to display.

An Expreview community member ran benchmarks comparing the performance of the Intel HD 4000 graphics embedded into its upcoming 22 nm "Ivy Bridge" Core i5-3570K, comparing it to the integrated graphics of Core i5-2500K, and discrete graphics NVIDIA GeForce GT 240. These tests are endorsed by the site. The suite of benchmarks included games that aren't quite known to be very taxing on graphics hardware by today's standards, yet are extremely popular; games such as StarCraft II, Left4Dead 2, DiRT 3, Street Fighter IV. Some of the slightly more graphics-intensive benchmarks included Far Cry 2 and 3DMark Vantage. All benchmarks were run at 1280 x 720 resolution.

The Intel HD 4000 graphics core beats the HD 3000 hands down, with performance leads as high as 122% in a particular test. The chip produces more than playable frame-rates with Left4Dead 2 and Street Fighter IV, both well above 50 FPS, even DiRT 3 and Far Cry 2 run strictly OK, over 30 FPS. StarCraft II is where it produced under 30 FPS, so the chip might get bogged down in intense battles. A mainstream discrete GeForce or Radeon is a must. On average, the graphics core embedded into the Core i5-3570K was found to be 67.25% faster than the one on the Core i5-2500K.

If you thought the overclocking and benchmark feats we reported on a few days ago here and here were impressive, wait until you see what four cards can do. Overclocking champion Shamino over at Kingpin Cooling has set four 3DMark and one Unigene benchmark record:

Welcome to the first TechPowerUp news post of 2012! Read on for a couple of impressive overclocking feats with the HD 7970 graphics card.

It looks like the new AMD Radeon HD 7970 could be a bit of a dark horse and a lot more potent than its stock specifications would suggest - excellent for creating a competitive graphics card market. The reviews at stock speeds show the flagship HD 7970 to be around 10-15% faster than NVIDIA's flagship GTX 580, which doesn't seem all that impressive since the GTX 580 has been on the market for over a year now. However, what the reviews haven't really shown, is what kind of an overclocking monster the HD 7970 is. It definitely looks like AMD could have easily beaten the GTX 580 by a much bigger margin than they did, had they wanted to and it makes one wonder why they didn't.

VR-Zone have spent the New Year weekend overclocking this beast, having reached a whopping 1.26 GHz core clock speed with their HD 7970 - and decent benchmark improvements to go with it. Also, with the fan at 100%, the card never got above a very comfortable 68 degrees centigrade while running Furmark, which is amazing considering how this test is specifically designed to heat a graphics card to the max - but please see the update at the bottom of the article. The stock cooler may be noisy, but it's certainly very effective: an excellent result which will prolong the working life of the card.