14 DAY TRIAL // Benchmarking suites don't get launched often, but they definitely make an impression when they do, and Unigine is determined to make it lasting.
Unigine is the company behind many of the programs meant to test the limits of hardware components.
The newest suite that people can download for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux operating systems is called Valley Benchmark and tests graphics processing units. It uses a forest-covered valley surrounded by mountains to test a graphics card's ability to draw polygons and textures.
The scale is huge, and even allows the perspective to change from bird's eye view to close-ups of leaves and flower petals. Even the snow on the mountaintops can be zoomed in on.
What's even more interesting is the lighting and dynamic weather system. The colors may be a bit too bright and clear for the word “photorealistic” to apply, but the lighting is definitely “realistic” enough.