Benchmark test: UL 3DMark Steel Nomad with 25 tested cards
UL’s 3DMark is now a widely used benchmarking suite for measuring the gaming performance of various computing devices, including desktop computers, laptops, tablets and smartphones. It is compatible with multiple operating systems such as Windows, Windows on Arm, MacOS, iOS and Android. Additionally, a full version for Linux is currently in development, with an early access command-line version already available to reviewers. These include specific benchmarks such as 3DMark Steel Nomad, Wild Life Extreme and Wild Life. Gurus can compare the latest GPUs using tests like 3DMark Speed Way and Steel Nomad to compare gaming performance with ray tracing enabled and disabled. For mobile devices, 3DMark provides tools to evaluate the peak and sustained performance of Android smartphones and iPhones through benchmarking and stress testing. The tool is equally effective in checking new device categories such as gaming handhelds with benchmarks such as Steel Nomad Light and Solar Bay. Additionally, Steel Nomad Light allows users to compare the performance of a PC with that of a smartphone.
3DMark’s stress tests are particularly useful for evaluating device stability, cooling efficiency, and thermal throttling. Additionally, the software includes a storage benchmark specifically designed to analyze the real-world gaming performance of the latest solid-state drives (SSDs).
Steel Nomad
Steel Nomad uses advanced graphics technology similar to that of the latest video games. Based on the widely used 3DMark Time Spy benchmark, it operates at 4K resolution and integrates new features such as volumetric skies and procedural grass. Additional graphical enhancements, including volume lighting, ambient occlusion and depth of field, enhance the sun-scorched desert scenery, especially when viewed with HDR.
On your right is Steel Nomad and on the right is the output rendering of Steel Nomad Light. For systems with less power: Steel Nomad Light offers an alternative. Set on a moonlit night by a vast lake, this version is downscaled to 1440p resolution and simplifies or omits the most powerful graphics technologies for better performance on portable devices.
System requirements for 3DMark Steel Nomad Light in bullet points:
- operating system: Windows 11 or Windows 10, 64-bit (version 21H2)
- processor: 1.8GHz dual-core with SSSE3 support
- System memory: 8GB RAM
- graphic:
- DirectX 12 Feature Level 12.0 capable GPU
- Shader model 6.0
- Graphics memory:
- 6GB VRAM
- Note: Systems with integrated GPUs require at least 16 GB of system RAM as the GPU shares this memory.
- storage: 1.5GB free storage (shared with Steel Nomad Light)
For systems with integrated GPUs:
- Additional system memory requirements: At least 8GB of system RAM due to sharing with GPU.
Subtests
The Steel Nomad stress test is designed to assess the stability of PC gaming performance over extended periods of time. This test, conducted over a 20-minute period, is designed to allow the device’s temperature to stabilize and reflect a typical gaming session. This approach helps identify performance variations that are due to thermal conditions. Users are advised not to run any previous benchmarks or games immediately before starting the stress test to prevent residual heat from affecting the results. After completing the stress test, the software provides a comparative analysis between the lowest and highest performance values recorded during the session. Additionally, it provides data on how performance adjusts over time and highlights any necessary performance throttling to maintain safe operating temperatures.
Explorer mode, formerly known as interactive mode, offers users the ability to freely navigate the benchmark scene. This mode allows adjustments to rendering settings and post-processing modifications, making it easier for users to optimize images or capture high-quality screenshots. It also contains elements reminiscent of the various benchmarks developed over the last 25 years.
VS. mode provides a competitive benchmarking platform where users can compare their Steel Nomad scores to those of friends, entries from the 3DMark Hall of Fame, or systems equipped with the latest gaming hardware. This feature is particularly useful for tracking a gaming PC’s performance changes over time, providing a dynamic way to measure and understand hardware efficiency in a comparative context.
I would like to emphasize again that the benchmark is not ray tracing compatible, so it is pure rasterized rendering based on DirectX 12 and Vulkan. On the next page we test 25 cards and you can see the results.