'Almost 48 Million' 3DMark TimeSpy benchmarks have been run since 2016

3DMark Steel Nomad is here, and it's free for all users. Check out our news story to see the 4K and Light versions of the new benchmark in action running on a GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER. Steel Nomad is the new Time Spy, a non-raytracing benchmark designed to push PC gaming hardware while showcasing modern visual effects and rendering technologies.

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UL Solutions, the developers and publishers behind 3DMark, confirm that the new 4K 3DMark Steel Nomad benchmark is "roughly three times heavier for your PC than Time Spy, and almost seven times heavier than Fire Strike." Like 3DMark Time Spy, it's a cross-platform benchmark with support for Windows and Windows-on-Arm using the DirectX 12 and Vulkan APIs, Android using Vulkan, and iOS using Metal.

Alongside the launch of Steel Nomad, UL Solutions announced that since Time Spy debuted in 2016, the benchmark has been run almost 48 million times (runs from results submitted online). We also learn that average GPU performance has quadrupled in the eight years since Time Spy debuted.

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This chart covers Average 3DMark Time Spy Scores captured over eight years. The average score increases from around 4000 to around 14000. The new average is equivalent to a GeForce RTX 4060 Ti or Radeon RX 7700 XT in GeForce and Radeon terms.

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"We're not fully retiring Time Spy just yet, but we suggest you use our latest benchmarks to get the best benchmarking experience on modern hardware," UL Solutions writes. "Steel Nomad is a non-raytraced, cross-platform GPU benchmark that uses graphics technologies just like your favorite new game titles, and it improves upon Time Spy with more modern implementations of graphics technologies."

This chart showcases how Steel Nomad is "roughly three times heavier for your PC than Time Spy," with frame times comparing high-end GPUs from 2016 to mid-range and high-end GPUs from 2024.

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Steel Nomad is a definite stress test for your GPU, as you can see performance hovers at around 65-70 FPS on our GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER. The good news is that the Steel Nomad Light benchmark, which runs at 1440p and has fewer high-end effects, is designed to run on mid-range and entry-level hardware, including portable gaming handhelds.

To celebrate the launch of Steel Nomad, 3DMark is currently 75% off - available from UL Solutions and over on Steam.