3DMark is called the "Gamer’s Benchmark," and THG has been using its different versions for years. The mark is set using a reference system ; the higher the score, the better the performance of that system versus the reference one. With each new version of 3DMark, scores are scaled down so they do not become astronomically high. These third-party benchmarks are widely used across the industry.
Stay On the Cutting Edge: Get the Tom's Hardware Newsletter
Get Tom's Hardware's best news and in-depth reviews, straight to your inbox.