What Is Volume Shader BM?
A plain-English guide to what Volume Shader BM Test measures, what your FPS means, and what it tells you about your GPU.
Volume Shader BM is a free browser benchmark that runs one controlled WebGL 2.0 raymarching workload. It reports FPS, frame time and stability for that workload; actual GPU utilization varies by device, browser, resolution and thermal limits.
Quick answer
- It runs entirely in the browser — no install, no driver, no account.
- It does not render a 3D model. Every pixel is computed live from math (SDF — signed distance fields).
- The score reflects performance in this specific fragment-shader workload. It does not measure AI inference, scientific computing, gaming or overall GPU performance.
- Higher FPS = stronger GPU for compute-bound shader work. Different modes (Light / Medium / Heavy / Extreme) can't be compared directly.
What the test actually measures
Traditional benchmarks like 3DMark draw polygonal scenes. Volume Shader BM instead uses a fragment shader to march a virtual ray through an SDF. Heavy mode permits up to 1002 ray steps per pixel, but exits early when the ray reaches the scene or leaves the test volume. The result characterizes this particular fragment-shader workload.
How it affects your FPS
Because the workload is compute-heavy rather than draw-call-heavy, a GPU that looks "fast" in games can score much lower here, and vice versa. Integrated graphics, in particular, throttle hard once the chip warms up. If your FPS feels surprisingly low, see the FPS result guide for what the number means and why Volume Shader Test is lagging for fixes.
Common questions
Is it safe to run?
Yes. The benchmark only uses the standard WebGL pipeline that any website is allowed to use. It will make the GPU hot — that is the whole point — so start with Light or Medium and let the device cool down between runs.
Does it upload my data?
No. All shading and FPS measurement happen locally in your browser. We don't collect hardware fingerprints or results.
Why is my phone score so different from a friend's?
Mobile GPUs throttle quickly when they get hot, and battery saver / low-power mode will cap clocks. See the phone GPU test guide for settings that produce a fair comparison.
Try the test
Ready to see how your GPU does? Run the benchmark in your browser — it takes less than a minute.
