The Futuremark 3DMark 2005 is now available for purchase. These guys are pretty darn crafty, let me tell ya. In the past, they have timed the release of their wares with the latest version of Microsoft DirectX.

3DMark05 is concentrated on measuring the performance of the DirectX 9 generation of 3D hardware using the technology of next generation games. Earlier 3DMark versions have usually been launched with the introduction of a new Microsoft DirectX version and with the introduction of a new hardware generation. This has somewhat limited how much 3DMark has utilized the new hardware features. DirectX 9 was launced over a year ago 3DMark05, and there is now DX9 generation hardware available all the way from the very high end to value and mobile parts. 3DMark05 can thereby fully utilize the features of DirectX 9. In fact, DirectX 9 hardware is required for every test of 3DMark05, resulting in the ultimate tool for DirectX 9 hardware performance comparison.