WHAT IS 3DMARK TIME SPY? 

3DMark is a benchmarking software program that measures a computer's performance, including its graphics card, CPU, and memory. It uses a variety of tests, including synthetic benchmarks and real-time gaming benchmarks. This includes everything you need to benchmark your PC and mobile devices in one program. Whether you are gaming on a PC, a tablet, or a smartphone, 3DMark includes benchmarks designed specifically for your hardware.  

3DMark Time Spy is a DirectX12 benchmarking tool found within 3DMark which is used for testing a systems 3D graphics capabilities. It supports new API features like asynchronous compute, explicit multi-adapter, and multi-threading, which makes it the ideal test for benchmarking the latest graphics cards for enthusiasts and for testing for any potential GPU related issues. 

To run TimeSpy in 3DMark, you will need to ensure that you have 3DMark installed on your system. The 3DMark application can be downloaded via the following link - https://benchmarks.ul.com/3dmark#windows 

Downloading the Demo will open the Steam application, with the Time Spy benchmark available as an option to select and can be run within this demo version of 3DMark. The full version of 3DMark will include access to other benchmarking tools. 

Once Time Spy is selected, the benchmark will begin and run a series of tests to measure the performance of your system. 

Once the benchmark is done, it will show you a score of how well your system performed. 

HOW LONG SHOULD I RUN 3DMARK TIME SPY FOR? 

A standard run of the 3DMark Time Spy benchmark should last for just over 20 minutes. 

This amount of time allows the temperature to stabilize like in a typical gaming session, so you can see if there is any variation in performance due to the temperature change. 

During the benchmark test you want to avoid doing anything else on the PC, as this can interfere with the overall score. Also ensure that before running the benchmark that any other programs or applications that can interfere with the test are fully closed. 

WHAT IS A GOOD BENCHMARK SCORE IN 3DMARK TIME SPY? 

This can vary depending on the average score of your PC hardware, with the following results: 

Good: Your score is close to the average for your hardware 

Great: Your score is above average 

Excellent: Your score is well above average 

Legendary: Your score is in the top 1% for your hardware 

Since 3DMark allows you to upload your score, you can see how your 3DMark score compares with results from other systems with the same combination of CPU, GPU, and RAM. 

DOES 3DMARK TIME SPY TEST YOUR CPU OR GPU? 

3DMark Time Spy will feature 2 GPU and 1 CPU test within its benchmark run time. 

The Time Spy CPU test measures processor performance using physics computations and custom simulations. It is designed to stress the CPU while minimizing GPU load to ensure that GPU performance is not a limiting factor. 

Meanwhile, the Time Spy GPU tests are designed to stress the GPU while minimizing the CPU workload to ensure that CPU performance is not a limiting factor. These tests focus on the rendering of transparent elements and ray-marched volume illumination with hundreds of shadowed spotlights. 

WHY IS MY 3DMARK TIME SPY SCORE LOW? 

A lower score than the average in 3DMark Time Spy can be due to a few factors such as: 

Running Unnecessary Background Applications 

Running background applications at the same time as the benchmark is not advised, as this can cause your CPU’s and/or GPU’s resources to be taken up and lower your performance score. 

It’s best to close all other programs that you do not need for benchmarking before running the test. 

Thermal Throttling 

It’s best to keep an eye on your CPU and GPU temperature when running the benchmark test, as an overheating CPU or GPU can lower your overall score. 

If your CPU or GPU temperature is on the higher end when running the benchmark, the elevated temperature will cause thermal throttling and limit the clock speed, impacting the overall performance score. 

Stock settings for CPU, GPU, & RAM 

Most people who run the 3DMark Time Spy benchmark will more than likely overclock their system for higher performance, you may fall short of the average result if you are using stock settings when running the test. So, don’t worry if you are falling short of the average score, it could just be that your configuration has a large number of overclocked results bringing the average result up. 

DOES RAM AFFECT YOUR 3DMARK TIME SPY SCORE? 

Yes, since your overall score is made up of your CPU, GPU, and your RAM, your overall score will be lowered if your RAM isn’t up to scratch. 

Also, suggest making sure that XMP / DOCP is enabled within BIOS, as this will have your RAM running at it’s advertised speed. 

A low score due to your RAM could be down to the RAM frequency being low, as well as your memory timings being high. This can make a significant difference for older AMD CPU’s, so we suggest making sure that you are using the fastest RAM frequency that your CPU can support, whilst also using RAM with low timings. 

DOES 3DMARK TIME SPY TEST RAY TRACING? 

Since Time Spy does not take advantage of newer Direct X12 Ultimate technologies, this does not test any form of Ray Tracing during its benchmark test. 

However, you can use the 3DMark DirectX Ray Tracing Feature Test & 3DMark Port Royal Benchmark to compare and test the performance of Ray Tracing hardware from the latest generation of graphics card from NVIDIA & AMD. 

HOW TO STRESS TEST YOUR PC 

3DMark has a variety of benchmarking tools in order to stress test various devices and hardware. This includes CPU Profile for CPU core and thread benchmarking, as well as Storage Benchmark for measuring the performance of SSD’s and other storage hardware. However, you will need the paid full version of 3DMark to access these other benchmarking and stress testing tools. - https://www.3dmark.com/ 

AIDA64 is a program that offers a system stability test, diagnostics, and multiple CPU and RAM benchmarks. There are many features included within AIDA64, which makes it a program that you really need to check out if you are interested in stress testing and benchmarking. It also come with a free 30-day trial, so it is worth checking out if you need to stress test various components in your system. - https://www.aida64.com/downloads 

FurMark is another program designed to be an extremely intensive GPU stress test. It will measure your GPU temperature, hotspot, VRAM, and usage. It’s also worth mentioning that FurMark is free to download and use. - https://geeks3d.com/furmark/