X-bit labs

Intel Pentium Extreme Edition 840 Dual-Core CPU Review (page 10)

Category: CPU

by Ilya Gavrichenkov

[ 05/17/2005 | 09:19 PM ]

PCMark04, 3DMark 2001 SE and 3DMark05

PCMark04 test is optimized for multi-threaded systems. Therefore, Pentium 4 processors with Hyper-Threading technology have always performed better in this test than the single-core solutions from AMD. However, once the dual-core architectures joined the race, the situation has changed. Athlon 64 X2 4800+ is now the fastest processor, according to the results of this benchmark: it is 35% faster than the result shown by Athlon 64 FX-55. Pentium Extreme Edition 840 unfortunately can boast lower performance comparable with the results of the top single-core solutions: Pentium 4 and Pentium 4 Extreme Edition.

The graphics tests from the 3DMark benchmarks do not support any type of multi-threading. That is why the results shown by Pentium Extreme Edition 840 at the two diagrams above appear in the very end of the list.

However, there are a few tests in the 3DMark05 package that can actually use multi-threading. These are the CPU tests. Here the system processor should emulate vertex shaders on the software level while the second thread is calculating the physics of the gaming environment.

Again we observe a pretty typical picture. Despite its low core frequency, Pentium Extreme Edition 840 can win in the tasks that can take advantage of multi-threading. It can outperform top Pentium 4 and Pentium 4 Extreme Edition 3.73GHz models. However, Athlon 64 X2 4800+ running at the same frequency as the top Athlon 64 processors with only one core proves indisputably faster than the new dual-core Intel processor.