3ds max
We have used 3ds max in the past for CPU testing, but most of those tests have consisted of rendering only. WorldBench's 3ds max tests replicate an entire modeling and animation work session, stressing the graphics card as well as the CPU and the rest of the system.

What a difference an API can make. The larger L2 cache of the 600 series makes the P4 more competitive in OpenGL, but not in DirectX, where the cache shows little benefit.

POV-Ray
POV-Ray is the granddaddy of PC ray-tracing renderers, and it's not multithreaded in the least, because it's designed to be a cross-platform application. POV-Ray also relies heavily on x87 FPU instructions to do its work, and it contains only minor SSE optimizations.

POV Ray is all about the MHz and none about the cache size. That's why the Athlon 64 3800+ matches the performance of the 4000+ (both run at the same speed), and it's also why the P4 600 chips aren't any faster than the 500s.