In previous years, 3DMark established itself as de facto standard for benchmark tests of our VGA cards in the PC realm. As smartphones and tablets become more and more powerful, there were several benchmark programs around to test them, but all of them had some shortcomings. Some have results varying too much after several consecutive runs, some were made by hardware vendors (not independent) and some wasn’t simple and/or easy to use. Futuremark recognized its opportunity, and released 3DMark to test and compare our mobile devices.

Since the invention of analog logic circuits, transistors and today’s modern devices, there’s been a tendency to calculate the performances of both components and PCs as precisely as possible. Of course, the reason behind that lies in the need for comparing the raw power and general capabilities of one system with another or with another reference value, in order to reach certain conclusions. After calculations it’s possible to determine the performance of a PC more accurately, and after that determine its price range, variety of software and operations that can be performed on it, as well as suitability towards a specific purpose.

The Futuremark development team isn’t losing its momentum and continues the pace set a long time ago. Every two years, this company greets us with a new product in the 3DMark family. It used to be 3DMark 2000, 2001, Vantage and 11, but this time, it’s – nothing, just 3DMark. That’s right, the new version of the ultra-popular benchmark has entirely shunned any sort of suffix. Many have speculated about the potential name, including Next, 12, 13, 2013, but no, they’ve opted for 3DMark, shortly and simply. The reason for this is that Futuremark considers this new version of the program a game changer for the entire concept, trying to standardise the test battery for all platforms and operating systems. Ambitious and risky, by all means, but we believe it to be unnecessary in addition to these. 3DMark has always been the ultimate test for PC owners, and extending this simple equation just doesn’t seem like a logical move. Anyhow, let’s see in just how many ways this new piece of software is able to torture our graphics accelerators.

Android performance commands respect these days. The latest generation of mobile phones and tablets absolutely requires the presence of a quad-core CPU, a powerful graphics chip that “swallows” full HD material without a hitch, as well as a wad of RAM for a decent multitasking experience. The development of “pocket” hardware has accelerated so fast during the last year or two that we can freely say that upper-class Android models are more powerful than an average desktop PC of some 6-7 years ago. Where there’s performance, there’s also the question of measuring it, which led to significant expansion in benchmarking software at the turn of the century. The situation has become very similar in the mobile segment of nowadays, especially with the steep prices of high-end models with seemingly similar characteristics, so those that rely on more than looks when opting for a new smartphone have nowhere to turn to but synthetic benchmarks in order to determine which of the models they have in mind has the best price/performance ratio. We bring you a short insight into the three most popular and reliable free apps with this purpose in mind, with particular attention given to the nature of the actual tests they perform, as well as the question of how different models that count among the most popular and powerful of today cope with them.

Overclocking graphics cards is a “sport” we’re all more or less familiar with, and depending on our ambitions, the limit we’re striving for differs. Whether it’s the world record or just the desired framerate in a particular game that we’re after, we just have to reach for the increased frequencies and voltages on various graphics card elements. Depending on the model you have, its price range and intended usage scenario, but also external conditions, the success you can achieve will be more or less limited. Still, before setting off into the adventure of overclocking, the appropriate software tool needs to be chosen. Somewhere along the line, as this activity advanced and increased in popularity, certain manufacturers understood that the enthusiasm often expressed by users is easily hampered by badly assembled tools within the drivers themselves, so they turned to creating their own solutions, enabling an enthusiast to achieve high results without having to battle with bugs and ill-optimised software; this also promotes the company that created the solution in the first place and shows that they have interest in the overclocking community (although they won’t fail to mention that overclocking your card instantly voids warranty). Whatever the case, certain companies have done their best to create entirely new solutions from scratch, while others decided that modifying and improving existing solutions shortens the development cycle, while still providing a very good OC tool. If you belong to the old school, familiar with RivaTuner, you already know what we’re talking about, but for those who don’t, this tool was one of the best, if not the best piece of overclocking software, up to 2009 when its development was halted. Why? Well, its creator simply decided to offer his solution to other graphics card manufacturers, thereby losing interest in continuing the development himself, as clones of his program still exist, only in company colours such as ASUS, MSI and EVGA, while the functionality has essentially remained the same, only adjusted for modern graphics cards. Enough with the reminiscing, let’s have a look at the greatest and latest this segment has to offer these days. We’ve chosen four of the most interesting tools to present.

Maths seems to be the most difficult school subject, regardless of the particular country in question. We won’t delve into the reasons behind this, although it’s true that pupils and students are also largely responsible for this, preferring to get ready-made answers to questions instead of actually reaching them by logic and common sense. This is why Microsoft Mathematics 4.0 seems like a controversial solution at first, as software solutions involving mathematics usually serve the purpose of simplifying problems rather than aiding tuition. Yet the truth is largely different - this program is an excellent educational tool, and may have been of particular interest to us because of another detail - the latest version has been entirely developed in Microsoft’s development centre here in Belgrade, where our offices are located, but in full cooperation with the company seat in Redmond.