You can use the optimized Q3A DLLs for the P4s too.

http://newageoc.com/opt/
Or if you have Visual Studio 2002-2003 and/or the Intel 7.1 compiler, you can just download the Q3A 1.32 source code and compile them yourself with the optimized settings. The P4 gains about 10-12%.

I would like to know why you test a prototype CPU against production one. The prototype here is the Pentium 4 Extreme Edition. Intel web site does not speek about such a CPU, there is no datasheet for it and of cource, it won't go to retail market. Just OEMs will be able to get this in very limited quantities. Thinking this way, why not to include early Prescott samples and Athlon 64 FX for socket 939 and with DDR2 support manufactured by 90nm technology?

Were you using a history setting of 1? Was at least 375 MB of RAM allocated to Photoshop (this is a Photoshop setting). If not, try it and you might see the L3 cache provide a benefit.

Read this first a very good view of things
The Intel v. AMD Performance War: You Lose

http://www6.tomshardware.com/column/20030923/index.html

They don´t include the same benchs or at least profesional benchs, and now you say "HardOCP is a trusted benchmark site".

Well here is the first step in the struggle for the top chat performing chips from the top chip makers in the world. intel will always lose this struggle as they have always done in the past. AMD cannot give up the idea of the second place. they have more than what it takes to war agaist any compitition from intel.

In the "3DMark 2001 SE, Default" benchmark you claimed that there was no winner because the difference was 1% yet in the "3DMark03, Default" benchmark there was a 1.04% increase from the FX to the P4EE and you then claimed that "The total 3DMark2003 score appears to be in favor of both Pentium 4 processors." Most of this review seems to be about re-interating the architecture of the P4EE processor, rather than an actual open minded fair comparison. In addition for Quake 3 when using the AMS Optimized dlls the FX-51 outscores both P4's, however the P4 fps are identical to the results with the Intel optimized dlls. If you're going to test both processors with Intel code and show how the AMD cpu's are down then why not test the Intel processors with the AMD dll's and show how badly they did. Furthermore although most of these games that you've benchmarked with are using Intel optimized code, the only time you mention optimized code is when the AMD processors are ahead I quote "In Unreal Tournament 2003 the leadership as always belongs to AMD processors. It looks as if Epic, unlike id Software, got really concerned about the optimization of its code for AMD processors architecture." This review is extremely bias.

Agree with will on Bias

Amd's Fx 51 seems to just outperform the Intel giant, because most architecture is based on Intel anyways. If we had Intels p4 on p4 optimised code and Fx 51s on Fx 51 code then we would have some results.

Half the problem is the two pcs are different, one supports 64 bit.

And doesn't the Fx 51 have a 1.6 gig bus?

And secondly the way for Amd to win this seems clear to me. Implement Hyper threading. THey already have the hypertransport and that places them ahed of the game.

The hypertranport tech is supposed to speed the whole system (read on Amd's home page) on this link So if it can do that, than the Fx - 51 is a clear winner. slightly faster performance, plus lowers latency.

Quote taken from http://www.amd.com/us-en/Processors/ProductInformation/0, 30_118_9485_9488,00.html

HyperTransportâ„¢ technology enabling increased bandwidth and reduced I/O bottlenecks for increased system performance and better multitasking .

The p4 ee doesn't have that I think. So i'll take the Fx please... similar performance and this new tech

Um, how fast does a P4 have to be to match an Athlon 64 FX?

Have a good think about that. It demostrates to us how efficient the Athlon 64/FX series of CPUs are.

The closest performer would be the Pentium-M. Clock for clock, it gives the P4 a spank and a bit. When a 1.6Ghz matches a P4 2.4Ghz...It does say something...And guess wha the Pentium-M really is? That's right...a Pentium III with a few P4 features.

Notice how Intel places very little emphasis on the performance of the Pentium-M and directly compared to the P4?

I like to see the Pentium-M (Dothan with 2MB L2) at 2Ghz compare to the P4 EE (Emergency Edition).

And how inefficient the P4 turns out to be as it increases speed in the future...What was the magical number? Over 100W of heat produced by upcoming P4s?

if you run a normal application without SSE2 and HT, you'll see P4 (any version) will get its butt serverely spanked.

Not only that, Opterons (SMP versions of the Athlon 65 FX) scale up far better than Xeons. You'll notice that large educational institutions like Universities have decided to adopt Opterons for their clusters.

"my opinion P4EE is the best processor at this moment" - doru

You should really get your head out of the sand. The best processor from Intel is the Pentium-M. (some dub it as "Intel's Athlon".)

If they only scaled the speed higher, you'll see that the P4 architecture is highly inefficient. P4s are the most environmentally wasteful CPU of all time.

In fact, the absolute best architecture Intel ever developed is the P6. Its still going strong in its latest incarnation as the Pentium-M.

From the Pentium Pro to Pentium-M...Still going strong.

um.... is it just me or do these test remarks keep looking like the person writing it LOVES amd and DISPISES intel? truthfully, it doesnt look like either is the winner, AMD looks like a gaming processor, and these days, as long as u have a strong processor, and a GREAT video card, gaming will be fine. As for 3d applications, im noticing INTEL is on top, even with the plain 3.2.

just wanted to know if i was the only moron noticing this.... im never going AMD, i dont care price, i want quality. a dozen of the little more than dozen friends i have switched to intel.

haha fuck you all

Whitch gives more to the music maker...? im confuzed by all the babble can anyone just help me with a simple answer amd64fx or p4ee for music apps?

where does these processors apply in?
what's their application area?
how they transfer data in those area?

I think this information is good for IT student, like me.
can you send this information to me? Please...

So the final out come is that >>>>>>>>>> P4 Ex Ed is a better cpu for gamers? Is that right.........how much beter in a comparison from 1 to 10?

Please can u send me the latest petium processor that is been produce?

Dear Sir, Thank you for a very interesting article. I found it to be very informative.

If I may make one small critisism it would be that you did not compare the perfofmance of Inter and AMD price for price. I persume that you didn't want to cloud the issue.

AMDs Athlon processor is 64 bit , when does INTELs P4 Processors go 64 bit? please mail me back!!

which is better amd 64 or p4 EE or the new prescott I need your suggestions

dfdf