What is a GPU stress test, and which ones are best?
What is the best GPU stress test?
When it comes to stress testing your GPU, there are a number of tests you can carry out. These tests are great if you have any slightly dated components, and you want to ensure that they are still running as they should.
If you have recently overclocked your GPU, you will want to run a graphics card stress test to ensure that it is capable of running at higher speeds with stability.
There are a few different graphics card testers that we would recommend. Always remember that when you are running these tests, you will want to keep a close eye on the temperature of the GPU to ensure that it remains safe and stable.
One of the most popular GPU stress tests is the Heaven & Valley Benchmarks. It is great for both overclocking and general stability testing.
3DMark is another useful stress test. This tool can be used on many electronics, such as PCs and tablets. It measures stress alongside other aspects, such as temperature and clock speeds.
How long should I run a GPU stress test?
The amount of time that you should run a GPU stress test depends on the type of stress test you want to carry out.
The longer the stress test is carried out for, the more extensive the test will be. If you are looking to carry out a basic GPU stress test to get an idea of how your GPU is performing, this can be done in 30 minutes.
If you want to get a better idea of how stable your GPU is, you should carry out the stress test for at least an hour.
If you feel that you need to carry out an extensive check, you can choose to run the GPU test for 24 hours. This is something that you should just do on the odd occasion, rather than regularly.
Running the stress test for 24 hours will ensure that the GPU can reach its highest specifications for a long time. Having the test run for a longer period will help you to get a clearer idea of how well the GPU runs and copes with the stress over a longer period.
Is FurMark bad for your GPU?
When it comes to stress tests, FurMark is one tool that does not always receive the best rep.
Given this, many gamers choose to avoid it completely as a precaution.
While FurMark is not inherently bad, unlike other GPU stress tools, it does tend to add extra stress on the GPU that is not always necessary. While some GPUs will be able to cope with this, others may not be able to.
Given this, FurMark may potentially cause the graphics card to overheat, which can cause irreparable damage to the GPU. If you do want to use FurMark, it is a tool that you should use only for a very short period, rather than for a few hours. Definitely a god GPU stress and stability test.
Can you test a GPU without a PC?
No, unfortunately, there is no way of testing a GPU without using a PC. This is because the GPU needs to have a source of power in order for it to run, as well as a PCIe lane to receive and send instructions.
If you want to find out benchmarking or stress test results of a GPU and cannot run it on a PC, it is always best to check the manufacturers’ website to see if they have any testing results.
In addition to this, there are many websites that are dedicated to testing this.
How long should you run Heaven benchmark?
When you are using Heaven to benchmark your GPU, it does not need to run for a long time. On average, gamers will tend to run Heaven for around 1-2 hours. This will enable them to sufficiently learn how well their GPU copes under stress. There is no real need to run it for any longer than this.
If you are looking to carry out a short test, this will take only around 30 minutes to do. However, it is not always necessary to carry out long tests, and 15 minutes is often enough time for you to gather all the information that you need.
The best GPU benchmarking software
If you’ve been working for weeks to build your own PC, or you’ve spent plenty of time trying to speed up an existing graphics card, you want a tool to test how fast it is — and how it compares to the competition. Benchmarks will give you plenty of data to help you compare and contrast your graphics card’s capabilities with friends and strangers around the world, as well as give you an idea of how it might perform in certain games.
Contents
- 3DMark
- Superposition
- FurMark by Geeks3D
- GFXBench 5.0
- PassMark PerformanceTEST
- Using in-game benchmarks
Here are some of the best GPU benchmarking applications you can use today.
Note: Benchmarks can be synthetic or real-world. Synthetic benchmarks run your GPU through a preset test designed to mimic intensive gaming, etc., to see how it performs and spit out a score at the end. Real-world benchmarks are more focused on monitoring ongoing performance while you’re gaming and are typically either in-game benchmarks that use scenes from actual gameplay or a piece of live-played game with the frame rate and other elements recorded separately. This list focuses primarily on synthetic tests, but if you want to stress your graphics card in real games, here are the best games to benchmark your GPU, and gorgeous games to show off what your card can do.
3DMark
Futuremark
3DMark is a 3D rendering benchmarking app developed by UL (after it acquired the original developer, Futuremark).
It’s been a useful tool for testing GPU performance for over 20 years and the latest version is better than ever. It comes with several gaming-focused benchmarks, from the iconic but aging Time Spy to the ray-tracing-centric Port Royal. All of them will put your graphics card through its paces at various pre-defined, and customizable settings, as well as test your CPU and overall system gaming performance.
When you get to the end of a benchmark run, you’ll get a useful scoresheet along with a report on what your estimated frame rate may be for various games. You can also run a looped benchmark to gather more data over time; a more useful tool than a snapshot when you’re focused on stability (they also keep a log of legacy benchmarks if you want to experiment with old hardware).
3DMark is also very popular, which is a built-in advantage for benchmarking software: Comparing your own GPU scores to others with similar GPUs and rigs allows you to see just where your performance currently falls and how effective your overclocking efforts have been.
3DMark’s built-in comparison options are particularly good for this kind of rigorous optimization. While the software is priced at $30, Steam does have a demo you can try out with some limited benchmarking options.
Superposition
Unigine
Don’t feel like paying for your benchmarking software? Superposition, using the Unigine engine, is one of the best free options available for testing performance and stability, with a global leaderboard you can check when you want to push your overclocking efforts even further. It also includes several useful modes, including a free roam option with a set of mini-games, ongoing GPU temperature, and clock monitoring, and tests specifically for virtual reality (VR) gaming (which aren’t always easy to find for free).
While the base version of the Superposition software is free, there are paid versions if you want the ability to post on the leaderboard yourself, run looped tests, and more.
FurMark by Geeks3D
Geeks3D
FurMark’s lightweight benchmarking app gets its name from rendering highly demanding 3D fur, which it uses to see just what a GPU can handle.
This option is most useful for stress tests, such as testing what a new GPU can put up with before you start tweaking. It can provide a variety of useful data, from temperature and clock speed to fan speed and GPU load. You can also select a temperature alert to sound an alarm when your GPU reaches a certain temperature, ideal for checking your overheating limits. Just be careful using stress tests like these when your GPU is already overclocked.
GFXBench 5.0
Geekbench
GFXBench 5.0 is a capable GPU benchmarking app with excellent platform compatibility: You can run tests across Windows, MacOS, iOS, and Android, making it useful for a wide variety of comparisons. But if you’re primarily interested in seeing which are the best graphics card, you’ll enjoy the straightforward scoreboard here: Just find your GPU model, or choose a test from the drop-down menu to see how GPUs have performed in the past.
Likewise, the GFXBench 5.0 app itself doesn’t have much of a learning curve, making it easy to run a simple test for performance, stability, render quality, and power consumption.
It’s a particularly handy option for mobile gaming tests, although the desktop versions of the software can still provide plenty of useful information.
PassMark PerformanceTEST
Passmark
PassMark’s software is a great graphics benchmark that offers both a standard suite of tests and an advanced suite, depending on what specifically you are testing for. The standard options include 2D and 3D testing for basic tasks or modeling software, while the advanced testing options are more gamer-friendly, with tests that run through fogging, lighting, blending, texturing, resolution, color depth, and more. Overall, it’s a great pick for a wide variety of testing situations, with a bold, colorful interface that makes it easy to check your numbers. While the app does come with pricing tiers, there’s a free trial you can try out first.
When you’re through, PassMark also offers a complete suite of comparison tools you can use to see how your performance numbers match other users.
Using in-game benchmarks
A number of games also offer in-game benchmarking tools that you can use to check performance without the need to download third-party software. We even have a list of our favorite games to benchmark your GPU. But if you want to know how your GPU plays in a certain game, you may need to test it yourself and record your frame rate while playing.
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Video card test online
The presence of a powerful, high-speed video card on the computer is a mandatory attribute of the high performance of a modern PC. A good video card from a well-known brand (usually Nvidia, AMD, Intel), with a high bus width, with a decent amount of video memory, with a sufficient number of pixel, shader, and vertex pipelines is a necessary tool that allows you to enjoy all the richness of the possibilities of modern games.
And when there is a need to check the capabilities of the video card available on the computer, network and stationary tools will provide invaluable assistance here, allowing you to conduct both an online video card test and a deeper stationary check of your computer’s graphics card. In this article I will tell you how to test a video card online, what network services will help us with this, and also what auxiliary programs we can use. nine0003
Content
- Video Card Check online — available capabilities
- Test video cards NVIDIA
- Compare video cards online
- We check the 3DMARK
- Consider the basic version of the program for Windows OS.
- Download the product by clicking on «Download now» next to the version of «Basic Edition», unpack the archive, install and run this program.
- After the launch, the «Sky Diver» test for gaming and medium PCs is available to us (other tests are paid, and are available in the full version of the product).
- To activate it, click on «Start».
- The test will last a few minutes, including a demonstration of various graphic effects on the screen, and at the end of the test you will see the result with a certain number of points scored by your system. nine0008
- To get started with FurMark, download and install this program on your computer. nine0008
- After launching it, check the boxes next to the necessary options (or leave it as is), and then click on the big button «BURN-IN Test».
- A message will appear warning that the system may become unstable during the test.
- To start the test, press the «Go» button and observe the result.
- To use this tool, click on the «Start» button, type dxdiag in the search bar and press enter.
- After a few seconds, the DirectX Diagnostic Tool window opens.
- Click on the «Display» tab, and you can view the main characteristics of your video adapter, as well as make sure that there are no problems with your GPU.
- Maximum useful information
- Comparative performance assessment in 3D Mark
- Stress Testing for Stability
- AIDA64 System Stability Test
- OCCT GPU: 3D
- Name — under what name the card is defined in the current operating system.
- GPU is the code name for the graphics chip of a video card.
- Revision — GPU revision (NVIDIA only).
- Technology — technological process.
- Die size — core area.
- Release date — GPU release date.
- Transistors — the number of transistors in the chip.
- BIOS version — video BIOS version. nine0008
- Subvendor is the manufacturer of the final product (in our example, NVIDIA is the processor manufacturer, Gigabyte is the video card manufacturer).
- Device ID — identifiers of the GPU and chip manufacturer.
- ROPs/TMUs — number of rasterization/texturing units.
- Bus interface — PCI-e bus interface.
- Shaders — the number and type of pipelined (shader) processors.
- DirectX Support — Supported version of DirectX.
- Pixel Fillrate — pixel rendering speed. nine0008
- Memory type and bus width — video memory type and bus width for data exchange between memory and GPU.
- Memory size and Bandwidt — video memory size and bus bandwidth.
- Driver version — video driver version and operating system.
- GPU clock and memory — the current clock frequency of the system bus and memory.
- Default clock — the same without overclocking.
- Multi GPU (SLI/Crossfire) — support and use of video collaboration technologies. nine0008
- Computing — support for computing technologies.
- Check type — infinite or limited in time (auto).
- Duration.
- Periods of inactivity at the beginning and end of the test.
- DirectX version.
- Screen resolution.
- Shader complexity (the higher, the stronger the heat).
- FPS limiter (frames per second).
- Advanced: Full screen mode and limiting memory usage.
9000 Checking a video card online — available options
There are practically no services on the network that allow you to conduct deep testing of video cards of user PCs. Only a test of Nvidia video cards is available on the website of the specified manufacturer, which allows you to check the capabilities of a custom Nvidia video card to run a number of games, as well as several network services that allow you to compare the capabilities of two video cards online.
Therefore, in this article I will talk about both these network sites and programs that allow you to conduct a detailed test of the capabilities of your video card (3D Mark, FurMark, DirectX, etc.). nine0003
Testing our video card on various platforms
In order to see which video card is installed on your computer, you need to go to a brief instruction.
Testing nVidia video cards
On the site Nvidia.ru there is an opportunity to test an Nvidia video card for its compliance with the requirements of a number of modern games. To implement this, you must have java.com/en/download/ installed on your computer, and you must also have a fairly high-speed Internet. nine0003
To use the capabilities of this test, go to the specified Nvidia.ru resource, select the game you need for testing in the list, and click on the «Find out now» button located next to it. The system will test the video card online and give you the result.
We check the capabilities of our video card using Nvidia.
ru
We compare video cards online
On the site gpuboss.com it is possible to get detailed characteristics of a video card online and compare it with another. To implement this, go to the resource gpusboss.com, in the lines «GPU One» and «GPU Two» specify the model of the first and second cards, and then click on the «Compare» button (compare). nine0003
The system will search the data and give you an extended comparison result of the specified cards.
We compare the capabilities of video cards online using the resource gpuboss.com
We check video cards 3DMark
3DMark is one of the most popular stationary programs for conducting a detailed test of the capabilities of your video card. Many of the results of video card checks that you find on the net are made with the help of this program.
The program exists in several variations, has versions for different operating systems (Windows, Android, iOS), there is also a version of the program specifically for DirectX 11.
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At the end of the test, your system will receive a score in the form of a certain amount of points
FurMark Video Card Diagnostic
Another pretty handy tool to test your video card capabilities online. Managing the FurMark functionality is not difficult, while the program allows you not only to conduct a thorough check of your video card in less than 5 minutes, but also to get a fairly detailed result.
Checking video cards using DirectX
The functionality of the modern Windows OS already has built-in capabilities for testing your video card. This is a built-in DirectX diagnostic tool that allows you to view the main characteristics of your video card and make sure it is working. nine0003
Use the DirectX functionality to evaluate your graphics card
Conclusion
The choice of available network services for checking the capabilities of a video card is now rather limited, and essentially does not provide a complete toolkit for testing a video card online. I recommend using specialized stationary programs (3DMark or FurMark level), they will allow you to conduct a detailed test of your video card, check its stability and resistance to loads, and, ultimately, you will receive a detailed report on the results of checking your adapter.
Published
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«Reviews»
How to test your graphics card for stability and performance
Author Olga Medvedeva Reading 9 min Published
Updated by
What is the first thing to do after you have bought and installed a new video card in your computer? Of course, get to know her better.
Find out what it really is, what kind of load it can pull and how it will behave in games. Or maybe you just want to know what state your card is in: is it in good condition, is it overheated, can it be overclocked … These and other properties of video cards are easy to determine at home using special testing programs. Today we’ll talk about how to test a video card for performance and stability, how to identify problems, and in general how to get the most information about the video subsystem of your computer. nine0003
Content
to load tests, it would be nice to study the characteristics of the card. The free GPU-Z utility will help you get quite complete and detailed information about it.
It displays almost everything that is important for the owner to know about his electronic «pet». nine0003
The main tab of the GPU-Z window shows:
The «Lookup» button will take you to the GPU-Z developer’s site, more precisely, to the description and comparison page of your video card.
The second tab of GPU-Z — Sensors, takes sensor readings.
By default, it displays the current GPU and memory clock speeds, GPU temperature, cooling fan speed, percentage of GPU and memory controller usage, load on the data bus, GPU supply voltage, and reasons for its current performance degradation.
If desired, you can change the setting so that the program displays not the real, but the maximum, minimum or average indicators of the sensors, and also enable the logging file. nine0003
Information similar to GPU-Z is provided by many other programs that analyze hardware devices, for example, the free HWiNFO utility and the paid Aida64. By the way, the latter allows not only to obtain information about the equipment, but also to test it. For a video card, Aida has a GPGPU benchmark and a load test to check for stability. However, the tests will be discussed further.
3D Mark Performance Benchmark
Having determined the characteristics of a video card, you probably want to know what it can do in comparison with others. A classic of the genre will help satisfy curiosity — a set of synthetic tests for video of any 3D Mark models. nine0003
3D Mark is good because it allows you to check the performance of the entire structure of the computer’s video subsystem.
By the way, its latest (12) version includes a new DirectX 12 health check module.
The program is available in several editions, one of which is free. It includes the same set of tests as the main ones — paid ones, but the user is deprived of the opportunity to change their settings and run them separately. The results in the free edition are evaluated not in the application, but online on the developer’s website (Futuremark). nine0003
Paid license holders are spared this inconvenience. However, the most budget version of 3D Mark today costs about $30, and you will have to spend about $10 to upgrade one of the previous ones. With constant use of the program, this is justified, but for a one-two-time launch, for example, before and after overclocking the video card, you can get by with the free version.
By the way, with 3D Mark you will not only know the true performance of your video card, but also check it for overheating and hidden defects. If flickering, ripples, loss of textures, twitching of the picture appear during the test, you should determine the temperature of the graphics chip, processor and other PC components.
If it clearly tends to the maximum, stop testing and ensure that the devices are properly cooled. Insufficient heat dissipation can also cause the computer to shut down during a 3D Mark run. It is better not to allow this, because the hard drive may suffer from a sudden power outage. nine0003
If the appearance of artifacts is not accompanied by excessively high temperatures or other problems occur — blue screens of death (BSoD), freezes, loss of signal to the monitor, etc., you can suspect a hardware malfunction of the video system components. First of all — a graphics chip, video memory, elements in the circuits for forming the supply voltages of these nodes or the power supply itself. In the most favorable cases, this turns out to be a video driver error.
Stress stability test
Stress or load testing of a video card (as well as other devices) is carried out in order to identify errors in its operation. Based on the results of passing the test, they judge the stability of the system as a whole and make predictions about how the device will behave at a load close to the maximum.
Unlike benchmarks, stress testing is carried out for a short time, always under visual control and only after making sure that the cooling system is sufficiently efficient. The one who conducts it must be aware that this procedure can lead to damage to devices if they have hidden defects. nine0003
Consider several programs that can be used to stress test a video card. Let’s start with the one already mentioned.
Aida64 system stability test
Aida64 system stability test is launched from the Tools menu of the main application window. The window in which the type of testing is set and graphs of frequencies, temperatures, voltages, currents and other monitored parameters are displayed looks like this: To remove unnecessary information from the screen, click the «Preferences» button and enable only what concerns the GPU in the settings. nine0003
After setting, return to the main window, check the box next to «Stress GPU(s)», click «Start» and observe the changes.
The program records only the start and stop times, you have to keep track of the rest. Clicking «Save» allows you to take screenshots at selected moments, there is no logging option here.
The main indicator that is important to monitor is the temperature of the video processor. Monitor cooling fan speed, CPU temperature, and more as needed. As for the duration of the stress test, usually 30 minutes is enough for it. nine0003
If during the test the system behavior is stable, and the temperature does not go beyond the norm (individual standards for NVIDIA and ATI Radeon (AMD) chips can be found on the manufacturers’ websites), the test is considered passed.
Furmark
Another popular benchmarking and error checking tool is called Furmark. The application is compatible with video cards of any models that support OpenGl and is distributed under a free license.
Furmark main window looks like this:
The green frame circles the main test settings: switching to full screen mode (Fullscreen), screen resolution (Resolution) and smoothing (Anti-aliasing).
In the purple frame are buttons for calling several built-in utilities. You are already familiar with GPU-Z, GPU Shrank also displays information about the video card, and CPU burner runs a small processor test.
Buttons for launching the GPU stress test and detailed settings (Settings) are highlighted in red.
Inside the orange frame are presets for GPU benchmarks with different resolution levels.
Before testing, you must specify the resolution of your monitor in the Resolution field. It is also desirable to check the box Fullscreen (full screen mode). Anti-aliasing is optional: some artifacts are more visible when it is disabled or set to a minimum.
In Settings it is important to specify the temperature of the graphics chip (GPU temperature alarm), at which the program should beep to prevent the computer from overheating. Optimally — 15-20 ° C below the maximum threshold. nine0003
In the Benchmark duration field, set the duration of the test in milliseconds.
The checkbox next to the Log GPU data item activates the check log option.
For maximum load on the video card during stress testing, check the Xtreme burn-in option in the «3D test option» section.
To start the test, return to the main window and click the appropriate button.
During the test, the «hairy donut» and the main indicators of the computer’s condition will be displayed on the screen. Artifacts, loss of signal to the monitor, and other symptoms of instability indicate a failure of the test. nine0003
To stop Furmark testing in an emergency and return to the desktop, just press the Escape key.
OCCT GPU:3D
The OCCT program is another popular free tool for evaluating the performance and checking the health of the main components of the computer, including the video card.
Using this program is no more difficult than the others. Video testing parameters are set in the main window — in the GPU:3D section.
Among them:
Monitoring and limiting options are configured in the section hidden behind the gear button. Instead of «Disabled» which means «not defined», set the options you need. nine0003
In OCCT GPU:3D, as in other stress testing utilities, the most important thing is to control the GPU temperature.
Press the green ON button to start the test.
In the first minutes, changes in indicators are displayed on graphs in the «Monitoring» window.
Next, a furry donut will appear on the screen, as in Furmark. Temperatures, FPS and so on will be displayed in a separate area in the left corner.