Pentium 4 v Athlon XP: rendering performance
Published: 16 May 2002
3D Studio Max
Despite a new version 2.46 of 3D Studio Max that contains optimisations for the Pentium 4, rendering of simple 3D objects (Kinetix-logo) does not go faster with the new Pentium 4/2533 than with an Athlon XP/2100+.
With complex scenes, the Pentium 4 is clearly faster than the Athlon XP. The architecture scene of the 3D Studio Max benchmark from the SPEC-APC suite is rendered a good 15 percent faster with the Pentium 4/2533 than with the Athlon XP/2100+.
Lightwave 7b
An optimal adjustment to the program code (SSE2) for the Pentium 4 can deliver its full performance potential. Rendering with Lightwave 7b runs a good 73 percent faster on the Pentium 4/2533 than on the Athlon XP/2100+.
Corel Bryce
Although the optimisation of a program like Lightwave 7b can bring out the performance potential of the Pentium 4, Corel Bryce 5.01 is an example of how slow the platform can be with current applications. With this program, the Athlon XP processors set the standard: the XP/2100+ is a good 17 percent faster than the fastest of the new Intel CPUs.
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