Introducing 3DMark Stress Tests
 

The aim of stress testing is to place a high load on your system for an extended period of time to expose any problems with stability and reliability. It can also help identify faulty hardware or the need for better cooling.

The best time to run a 3DMark Stress Test is after buying or building a new PC, upgrading your graphics card, or overclocking your GPU. If your GPU crashes or produces visual artifacts during the test, it may indicate a reliability or stability problem. If it overheats and shuts down, you may need more cooling in your computer.

3DMark includes four levels of stress testing based on the Sky Diver, Fire Strike, Fire Strike Extreme, and Fire Strike Ultra benchmarks.

Each 3DMark Stress Test runs in a loop without pausing for loading screens or other breaks. In 3DMark Advanced Edition, the test loops 20 times and runs for around 10 minutes, which is usually enough to uncover any significant stability or cooling issues. With 3DMark Professional Edition, you can set any number of loops from 2 to 5,000.

http://www.futuremark.com/benchmarks/3dmark