Futuremark, a leading developer of performance benchmarking software, has announced development of a new version of 3DMark, the company's flagship benchmark for gamers. The next-gen 3DMark will be able to benchmark different classes of hardware that will work with Windows 8 operating system, including x86 and ARM microprocessors as well as graphics accelerators by different developers.

"With Windows 8 gamers will be able to enjoy their games on a wide range of devices from lightweight tablets to heavy-duty desktop rigs. Faced with so much choice it will be hard to work out which devices offer the best value for money. Fortunately 3DMark for Windows 8 will be our most wide-reaching 3DMark ever, able to accurately measure and compare gaming performance across all devices and graphical feature sets available with Windows 8," said Jukka Mäkinen, chief executive officer of Futuremark.

3DMark for Windows 8 (working title) is designed for gaming performance measurement and comparison across all Windows 8 devices from tablets and notebooks to high-end desktop gaming systems. The announcement was accompanied by a concept image for the new benchmark showing an elemental rock warrior brandishing two blazing swords.

The next-generation 3DMark benchmark promises to stress test all levels of hardware and will support both x86 and ARM-based architectures as well as both Metro UI and 'classic' Windows environments.

Futurejark 3DMark for Windows 8 is expected to be released in 2012

Tags: Futuremark, 3DMark, ARM, x86, Nvidia, AMD, ATI, PowerVR, Mali, Radeon, Adreno, Geforce, Qualcomm, Texas Instruments, Samsung