Volume Shader Shader
Animated Mandelbulb raymarching with configurable march and fractal iterations.
Volume Shader
This canvas shows the animated graphics workload used to stress the GPU. It is decorative; results are listed in the metrics below.
- FPS
- –
- 1% LOW
- –
- FRAME TIME
- –
- SCORE
- –
- TIME
- 0:00
- LOAD
- –
- ERRORS
- 0
Before you start
GPU stress tests can significantly increase GPU load, temperature, power draw and fan speed.
Stop the test if your system becomes unstable, overheats, crashes or behaves unexpectedly. Do not run extreme tests on hardware with known cooling problems. This website cannot guarantee hardware safety.
This is a deliberately punishing test. It can push your GPU to its thermal and power limits for minutes.
- Laptops: plug in the charger and make sure the vents are clear.
- Make sure your GPU is cooled properly. Do not run this with known fan or cooling problems.
- Save your work and close other important tabs. A weak or overheated GPU can make the screen flicker or the graphics driver reset, which may close apps.
- You can stop at any time with the Stop button or the Escape key. The test also stops itself if frames take more than two seconds.
Long run: this test keeps the GPU busy for five minutes or more, so your computer will get warm. Laptops should be plugged in. You can stop at any time with the Stop button.
Animated Mandelbulb raymarching with configurable march and fractal iterations.
About this test
Raymarches an animated Mandelbulb fractal in a fragment shader with a configurable number of march and fractal iterations. It is one of the heaviest tests here, with long dependent loops per pixel.
It measures sustained shader performance, not memory capacity, and it cannot read temperatures. It is also the engine behind the Thermal Throttle Test and the Torture Test.
How to read the results
Watch the average FPS for how much work the GPU finished, and the 1% and 0.1% lows for stutter. The SMG Verdict after the run scores power, steadiness, endurance, pacing and spike control from 0 to 100 and gives a tier from S to D. The class score removes intensity and resolution so runs at different settings share one scale; about 2,000 is a steady 60 FPS.
The Volume Score is sensitive to resolution. Compare runs at the same resolution scale, and watch the Endurance axis for slowdown over time.
Frequently asked questions
Why is this test so heavy?
Each pixel runs a long loop, so even fast GPUs struggle at high resolution scales. That is useful: it keeps the GPU from simply waiting for the display.
How do I lower the load?
Choose a lower intensity or resolution scale before you start.
Can it cause a driver reset?
On an unstable overclock or failing GPU it can. If the screen goes black, lower the clocks and try again.
How is this different from the Thermal Throttle Test?
The Thermal Throttle Test runs this engine for five minutes so the verdict can compare the start and end of the run.
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