When testing with PCmark Vantage the results were surprising as the Phenom II X4 965 overtook the Core i7 940, making it the fastest tested processor. This also made the Phenom II X4 965 considerably faster than the Core 2 Quad Q9650, while it was 6% faster than the Phenom II X4 955.
The Phenom II X4 965 did little to improve the gaming performance score produced by the Phenom II X4 955, though that came as little surprise given that the 955 was no faster than the 940. The Phenom II X4 965 was faster than the Core 2 Quad Q9650, but considerably slower than the Core i7 940.
The PCmark Vantage communications test does not go the way of the Core i7 940, and instead the Phenom II X4 965 was the fastest tested processor, overtaking the Core 2 Duo E8600. This is an interesting test that does not appear to be thread optimized. Whatever the case, the Phenom II X4 965 does well here.