Futuremark adds to the popular test suite for PC and announces the next version, PCMark 8. The new suite has new and updated tests, including a new battery test, improved storage benchmarks and support for simulating many popular applications.
PCMark 8 follows the shifting PC market and has been adjusted further for notebooks and Windows 8. Futuremark boasts the new battery test, which can either estimate the battery time of the system after shorter tests, or repeat the tests until the battery is almost drained for a more precise estimate. The test is also adjusted to work with external measuring equipment.
The test suite loads the system using various user scenarios like browsing the web, photo and video editing, media conversion, office work and gaming. Several of the new tests can simulate degrees of loads from various applications, including Adobe Photoshop and Microsoft Office. Futuremark has also updated the storage benchmarks, which have now been adjusted for SSD and hybrid drives.
PCMark 8 is going gold and is slated for launch near the end of May. There will be a free Basic version and fully featured Professional version. No price has been announced, but more information can be found at the Futuremark website here.
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