Since MadOnion's 3DMark 2001 is turning into quite a popular 3D benchmark tool, it makes sense to include it in this benchmarking roundup. It also fills the dual role of doing some ad hoc prediction as to which processor may be the best fit for upcoming DirectX 8.0 games. Benchmark testing was performed at 1024x769 using both 16 and 32-bit color/textures, and set for Pure Hardware T&L support.

The 3DMark 2001 scores showed the Pentium 4-1.8 GHz right in the driver's seat. The Pentium 4-1.8 GHz owned the Win 98SE testing, posting results that were well ahead of the Athlon 1.4 GHz. When moving to Win 2000, this pattern also held true and the Pentium 4 cruised to victory over the Athlon 1.4 GHz. With 3DMark 2001 supporting nothing but the newest DirectX and SIMD technologies, this testing seems to give at least the potential edge to Intel and their Pentium 4.

Quake 3: Arena is our primary gaming benchmark here at SE and its design really shows off some of the advantages of the Pentium 4. Quake 3 is both floating-point intensive and has support for SIMD optimizations (MMX, 3DNow! and SSE), making it a great fit for the Intel Pentium 4. It also happens to be an extremely popular game and Quake 3 performance is often used as the barometer for many CPU and 3D video card purchases.

Quake 3 testing under both Windows 98SE and 2000 are included, with different scales of benchmarking using Normal (16-bit), High Quality and MAX graphic settings. Normal is the basic Quake 3 option (set at 16-bit color/textures), High Quality is at Default settings, and MAX uses the standard High Quality setting and increases the detail levels a bit.

Let's be real clear about this, if you want a CPU that makes Quake 3 fly, then the Pentium 4 is the one for you. The Pentium 4-1.8 GHz is well ahead of the Athlon 1.4 GHz and is unquestionably the champ where Quake 3 is concerned. This is true in both Windows 98SE and Windows 2000, and you can see from the scores that the Pentium 4 scales much higher when it is let loose in the Win 2000 environment. Keep in mind that the incredibly high scores of both the Pentium 4 and Athlon aren't the true story. In higher-detail levels, serious online contests, or playing at greater resolutions, the faster performance of the Pentium 4 will show through much clearer, many times in far more playable framerates than the Athlon.

If the benchmark testing showed us anything, it is that with the release of the Pentium 4-1.8 GHz, the processor situation is becoming even more clouded. As we stated before, the Athlon 1.4 GHz is a better performer on most current applications, but the increasing core speed of the Pentium 4 is narrowing the gap in some places, and causing a runaway in others (such as Quake 3). As the Pentium 4 continues to increase in core speed, we expect this race to get even more interesting.

The subject of IPC (instructions per cycle) is also a thorny one. While it is true that the Athlon offers a higher IPC with current applications, the Pentium 4 offers competitive performance now, as well as a potential windfall when more SSE2-enhanced programs become available. It's a tough call to make, especially for gamers. Quake 3 addicts should move straight to the Pentium 4 aisle, but as the 3DMark 2001 scores show, we may soon be calling the Pentium 4 to the floor as a potential DirectX 8.0 champ.