With the current console generation set to drag on for another year, 2013 could be a year to test gamers’ patience. PC gamers, in particular, must be wondering when games will start taking advantage of all the power in their hardware.

We have a new 3DMark trailer for you today that should give them reason to hope. 3DMark Fire Strike is our new showcase DirectX 11 benchmark test designed for high-performance gaming PCs. It is our most ambitious and technical benchmark ever, featuring real-time graphics rendered with detail and complexity far beyond what you can find in games today.

Some of the techniques used include tessellation, dynamic particle illumination and shadowing, smoke simulation using grid-based fluid dynamics, volume ray casting with shadows and a wide variety of post processing effects including depth of field, blooms, distortions and various lens effects.