ShaderToyMark

Many online stores are fitted with the possibility to compare two or more products, helping you pick the better one. This is really helpful for buying a new PC, but the ultimate test is pushing hardware components to the limit. What better way to do so then with benchmarking utilities like ShaderToyMark.

Just as part of the name suggests, this benchmark utility is dedicated to the hardware component that makes stuff look good on your PC, the video board. Moreover, it comes in a light package and requires no installation to run, meaning you can test more computers by running it from a USB Flash drive.

Starting it brings up a pretty compact main window fitted with a few controls. A resolution drop-down menu lets you choose from several presets, while selecting custom makes width and height fields editable so you can write down values. An additional option runs tests in fullscreen, while the last drop-down menu holds three anti-aliasing levels.

No need to say that pressing the Start button initiates the process, but it actually doesn’t. It takes you to one last step, by presenting a shader model and a few general details about the test. It’s only after a little more waiting that you’re suggested to press Space to actually start the simulation.

It’s a good idea to close any other applications you might be running to maximize potential and result accuracy. Once initiated, your video board is put under significant pressure, which you can tell by the number of frames per second displayed, as well as the fluidity of the shader models.

There’s little to no purpose in torturing your video board again, unless you want to try out different resolution settings. In the end, results let you know the score, average FPS rate, and for what time, your video board’s make and model. There’s no possibility to save a log, nor compare your score with others online.

Bottom line is that finding out whether or not a hardware components deserves its price tag is done asking around the web. Testing it out is another thing, which ShaderToyMark tries to tackle, but doesn’t quite succeed as expected. The overall design leaves more to be desired, while results can leave you confused.