Dual Xeon Duo: What Good Is the L3 Cache?

3D Studio Max 5.1

The most frequently used 3D rendering program yields disappointing results: The dual Xeon 3.06 with 1 MB L3 cache does not produce any advantage. Compared to the "single" Pentium 4 with 3.2 GHz, the two dual Xeons are in the lead with an increase that is just shy of 70 percent.

Cinema 4D XL 8.1

The renowned Cinema 4D XL benchmark, in which a 3D image is rendered in 1280 x 1024 x 24 resolution, delivers similar results. In this case again, all four virtual mobile processors are used at the same time. Compared to the 3.2 GHz P4, a speed advantage of 80 percent is the result. However, the additional L3 cache again shows no effect.