MadOnion releases 3DMark2000

Toronto, Ontario - December 6, 1999 - MadOnion.com (formerly Futuremark Corporation), a leading provider of web services and e-commerce solutions, today released 3DMark™2000 for DirectXâ7. 3DMark2000 is a cutting-edge benchmark that objectively measures Intel Pentium III SIMD, AMD Athlon technology and the new T&L. 3DMark2000 is one of MadOnion.com's online benchmarks - smart benchmark products that have an Internet back-end. This Internet back-end, or database, contains thousands of results collected via the Internet. With online benchmarks, users will be able to compare their results with data collected from other users around the world. "With the current distribution of over 10 million copies and adoption by over 100 publications world-wide, 3DMark benchmarks continue to be the most widely used in the world," said Nathan Harley, Vice President, Marketing, MadOnion.com. "With 3DMark2000, MadOnion.com is taking benchmarking to the next level by fusing benchmarking and the Internet into a medium that empowers gamers to compare their benchmarking data with thousands of other gamers, enabling them to make informed decisions regarding upgrading and optimizing system performance and improving their gaming experience." Optimizations for Pentium III, AMD Athlon & T&L Hardware 3DMark2000 is a cutting-edge benchmark that has been optimized to fully support both Intel Pentium III SIMD and AMD Athlon instructions. In order to ensure proper and reliable testing, these optimizations have been developed in cooperation with both of the respective companies. In addition, 3DMark2000 contains a T&L hardware pipeline for graphics cards that supports this new feature. Existing hardware will be supported via a software T&L pipe. Important New Features of 3DMark2000 - Tests the new DirectX 7, including hardware transform and lighting - Online data analysis - Optimized for Intel and AMD processors - New game tests with LOD scalability - Full Windows 2000ä support - Advanced tests including bump mapping (environment & embossed), texture rendering speed, fill rate and image quality - Freely and independently selectable display resolution, color depth, texture color depth, buffering mode and z-buffer format. - Detailed system information view Pricing and Availability 3DMark2000 will be available for public download from http://www.MadOnion.com at 4 p.m. PST on December 6, 1999. All existing 3DMark 99 Pro licenses can be upgraded at a special introductory price. For further 3DMark-related information, please refer to http://www.MadOnion.com In addition to the full and comprehensive online benchmarking features in 3DMark2000, MadOnion.com has also released the enhanced commercial PRO version of 3DMark2000 for demanding benchmarking professionals. The enhanced features of the PRO version include: - Flexible testing automation options including batch run - Command line support - Professional result browser tool with full Windows compatibility. About MadOnion.com MadOnion.com is a "layered" Web services provider, powered by an Internet-based engine. Our world-famous 3DMark™99 - The Gamers' Benchmark - was first released in October 1998. In March 1999, 3DMark™99 MAX was introduced. It measures 3D gaming performance and compares the results online against thousands of other system configurations. With their results, PC users can make upgrading decisions. Now, with a distribution list exceeding 10 million, 3DMark™ is the global standard. MadOnion.com is based in San Jose, California, with offices in Toronto and Helsinki. For more information, please visit www.MadOnion.com. 3DMark™, Futuremark™, MadOnion.com™ are trademarks of MadOnion.com formerly Futuremark Corporation, Ltd. MAX-FX Technology™ is a trademark of Remedy Entertainment, Ltd. All other brands and names are property of their respective owners. For more information please refer to http://www.MadOnion.com or contact: Nathan Harley, Vice President, Marketing e-mail: nathan@MadOnion.com, Or Sarah Burns Senior Consultant High Road Communications 416-368-8348 sburns@highrd.com