Low-resolution gaming performance
As the system setup on page 3 shows, each of our test systems is equipped with a Radeon HD 3870 512MiB graphics card. All of the tests below utilise a gaming resolution of 1024x768 to minimise the possible hindrance of a GPU bottleneck. We're focusing solely on how the processors perform, so let's take a look, shall we?
The higher the frames per second, the better. AMD's high-end Phenom X4 9850 BE closes the gap on Intel's Q6600 and isn't far from catching it.
Quake 4 shows similar findings. The Phenom X4 9850 BE is the cream of the crop in terms of Phenom X4 processors, but, it's a familiar story when compared to Intel; close, but no cigar.
Enemy Territory: Quake Wars is the closest call yet. The gap between the Core 2 Quad Q6600 and the Phenom X4 9850 BE is a mere 7.83 frames per second.
So, we've now established that the new-and-improved Phenom X4 9850 BE comes close, but ultimately can't overthrow Intel's ageing Q6600 in single-threaded, multi-threaded or gaming benchmarks. Are you seeing a trend here?
