Futuremark 3DMark Vantage	Source: FutureMark

3DMark Vantage is a PC benchmark suite designed to test the DirectX10 performance of your graphics card. We’ve been making 3DMark for over 10 years, with each new edition using the latest 3D technology to determine real-world performance. A 3DMark score is an overall measure of your system’s 3D gaming capabilities, based on comprehensive real-time 3D graphics and processor tests. By comparing your score with those submitted by millions of other gamers you can see how your gaming rig performs, making it easier to choose the most effective upgrades or finding other ways to optimize your system.

3DMark08 Vantage scales to four or eight threads, so the Core i7's hyperthreading nets it a gigantic CPU score, which lets it take the overall performance advantage away from the 3.4GHz AMD Phenom II X4 965 BE processor. The X4 965BE edges out just in front of the X4 955 BE, as expected.

Futuremark 3DMark06 1.1.0	Source: FutureMark

3DMark06 is the worldwide standard in advanced 3D game performance benchmarking. A fundamental tool for every company in the PC industry as well as PC users and gamers, 3DMark06 uses advanced real-time 3D game workloads to measure PC performance using a suite of DirectX 9 3D graphics tests, CPU tests, and 3D feature tests. 3DMark06 tests include all new HDR/SM3.0 graphics tests, SM2.0 graphics tests, AI and physics driven single and multiple cores or processor CPU tests and a collection of comprehensive feature tests to reliably measure next generation gaming performance today.

Higher results are better.

Futuremark 3DMark06 1.1.0 Overall: Points Ranking Intel Core i7 920 15134 Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 13789 Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 10196 AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition 15360 AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition 15060 AMD Phenom II X3 720 Black Edition (DDR2) 9618 AMD Phenom II X3 720 Black Edition (DDR3) 9609 AMD Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition 12830 AMD Athlon II X2 250 12391 CPU: Points Ranking Intel Core i7 920 4658 Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 2928 Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 2805 AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition 4560 AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition 4446 AMD Phenom II X3 720 Black Edition (DDR2) 3281 AMD Phenom II X3 720 Black Edition (DDR3) 3271 AMD Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition 2490 AMD Athlon II X2 250 2424

3DMark06 doesn't stress multiple cores as well as 3DMark08 Vantage does, so scores here are a lot closer between the Core i7 920 and the Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition. There's still a lot of software that's being used today that has similar CPU utilization limitations. Again, the Phenom II X4 965 BE edges out just in front of the X4 955 BE.