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.

As expected, the Pentium 4-2.0 GHz easily won out over the Athlon 1.4 GHz in 3DMark 2001 testing, as the 1.8 GHz had done previously. The performance scores are also very heavily weighted towards the Pentium 4, as you can see by examining the relatively small differences between the Pentium 4-2.0 GHz and 1.8 GHz processors. Since 3DMark 2001 supports the newest DirectX and SSE technologies, and the Pentium 4-2.0 GHz posting the highest scores using both Win 98SE and Windows 2000 Pro, this at least suggests higher potential 3D gaming performance when using new DirectX 8.0 features and a 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.

Performing more Pentium 4 vs. Athlon testing under Quake 3 is turning into a bit of a one-sided fight. The Pentium 4 is the obvious choice for this particular game, and even a mid-range Pentium 4 can easily best the fastest Athlon. Through both Normal and High Quality testing, both the Pentium 4 processors virtually steam rolled their Athlon competition and provided virtually unheard of framerates.

Moving onto the MAX scores, we see that the Pentium 4 is actually hitting the fillrate limit of the powerful GeForce3 video card and doesn't add one ounce of performance when moving from 1.8 to 2.0 GHz. If these Quake 3 scores seem a tad high, remember that we're not just comparing 180 fps against 240 fps, but potentially better gameplay in larger, more detailed levels, as well as in the uncompromising online gaming world.

With the release of the Pentium 4-2.0 GHz, we may finally be at a point where the business performance comparisons between the Pentium 4 and Athlon are virtually a dead heat. Business performance has long been the domain of the AMD Athlon, but at 2.0 GHz, the Pentium 4 is either right on AMD's tail or winning the benchmark race. As SSE2 becomes part of future games, applications and then reflected in benchmark suites, this deadlock may actually shift in the Pentium 4's favor. In terms of 3D gaming performance, the Pentium 4 continued its dominance in the Quake 3 arena, and at 2.0 GHz, made the contest somewhat of a sham. Even in the demanding 3DMark 2001 DirectX 8.0 benchmark, its performance lead was impressive and well ahead of the Athlon.

This leaves us in a very interesting position, with Intel likely to make some market wins based on their new high-speed Pentium 4-2.0 GHz. Since AMD obviously has the new Athlon Palomino core ready to go (as evidenced by the Duron 1 GHz intro) we should be expecting a release by AMD in the very near future. If the 1.5 GHz Palomino release speed comes to light, then we should have an interesting battle in the system benchmarks, and due to the SSE-compatible 3DNow! Professional featured on the Palomino, a much closer race in Quake 3 as well.