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?
Whichever way you look at it, the graph doesn't paint a pretty picture for any of the Phenom CPUs, be it tri-core or quad-core. The X3 8750 is no match for Intel's Core 2 Duo E8200, or AMD's own X2 6400+.
Quake 4 shows similar findings. The Phenom X3 8750 is able to edge ahead of the Phenom X4 processors, but falls far short of both Intel chips. The Core 2 Duo E8200 dominates by a distance.
Our most intensive gaming benchmark, Enemy Territory: Quake Wars, doesn't change a thing. The Phenom X3 8750 does, very narrowly, beat the Phenom X4 chips, but the gap between itself and its closest rival, the Core 2 Duo E8200, is nearly 30 frames per second.
Gaming therefore isn't the Phenom X3 8750's forte, though closely matched with the quad-core phenom CPUs, Intel's ageing Core 2 Duo architecture remains king.
