diff --git a/tools/benchmark1.py b/tools/benchmark1.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..b61cd9413
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/benchmark1.py
@@ -0,0 +1,140 @@
+# Copyright 2009 10gen, Inc.
+#
+# Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+# you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+# You may obtain a copy of the License at
+#
+# http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+#
+# Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+# distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+# WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+# See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+# limitations under the License.
+
+"""MongoDB benchmarking suite."""
+
+import time
+import sys
+sys.path[0:0] = [""]
+
+import datetime
+import cProfile
+
+from pymongo import connection
+from pymongo import ASCENDING
+
+trials = 2
+per_trial = 5000
+batch_size = 100
+small = {}
+medium = {"integer": 5,
+          "number": 5.05,
+          "boolean": False,
+          "array": ["test", "benchmark"]
+          }
+# this is similar to the benchmark data posted to the user list
+large = {"base_url": "http://www.example.com/test-me",
+         "total_word_count": 6743,
+         "access_time": datetime.datetime.now(),
+         "meta_tags": {"description": "i am a long description string",
+                       "author": "Holly Man",
+                       "dynamically_created_meta_tag": "who know\n what"
+                       },
+         "page_structure": {"counted_tags": 3450,
+                            "no_of_js_attached": 10,
+                            "no_of_images": 6
+                            },
+         "harvested_words": ["10gen","web","open","source","application","paas",
+                             "platform-as-a-service","technology","helps",
+                             "developers","focus","building","mongodb","mongo"] * 20
+         }
+
+def setup_insert(db, collection, object):
+    db.drop_collection(collection)
+
+def insert(db, collection, object):
+    for i in range(per_trial):
+        to_insert = object.copy()
+        to_insert["x"] = i
+        db[collection].insert(to_insert)
+
+def insert_batch(db, collection, object):
+    for i in range(per_trial / batch_size):
+        db[collection].insert([object] * batch_size)
+
+def find_one(db, collection, x):
+    for _ in range(per_trial):
+        db[collection].find_one({"x": x})
+
+def find(db, collection, x):
+    for _ in range(per_trial):
+        for _ in db[collection].find({"x": x}):
+            pass
+
+def timed(name, function, args=[], setup=None):
+    times = []
+    for _ in range(trials):
+        if setup:
+            setup(*args)
+        start = time.time()
+        function(*args)
+        times.append(time.time() - start)
+    best_time = min(times)
+    print "%s%f" % (name + (60 - len(name)) * ".", best_time)
+    return best_time
+
+def main():
+    connection._TIMEOUT=60 # jack up the timeout
+    c = connection.Connection()
+    c.drop_database("benchmark")
+    db = c.benchmark
+
+    timed("insert (small, no index)", insert, [db, 'small_none', small], setup_insert)
+    timed("insert (medium, no index)", insert, [db, 'medium_none', medium], setup_insert)
+    timed("insert (large, no index)", insert, [db, 'large_none', large], setup_insert)
+
+    db.small_index.create_index("x", ASCENDING)
+    timed("insert (small, indexed)", insert, [db, 'small_index', small])
+    db.medium_index.create_index("x", ASCENDING)
+    timed("insert (medium, indexed)", insert, [db, 'medium_index', medium])
+    db.large_index.create_index("x", ASCENDING)
+    timed("insert (large, indexed)", insert, [db, 'large_index', large])
+
+    timed("batch insert (small, no index)", insert_batch, [db, 'small_bulk', small], setup_insert)
+    timed("batch insert (medium, no index)", insert_batch, [db, 'medium_bulk', medium], setup_insert)
+    timed("batch insert (large, no index)", insert_batch, [db, 'large_bulk', large], setup_insert)
+
+    timed("find_one (small, no index)", find_one, [db, 'small_none', per_trial / 2])
+    timed("find_one (medium, no index)", find_one, [db, 'medium_none', per_trial / 2])
+    timed("find_one (large, no index)", find_one, [db, 'large_none', per_trial / 2])
+
+    timed("find_one (small, indexed)", find_one, [db, 'small_index', per_trial / 2])
+    timed("find_one (medium, indexed)", find_one, [db, 'medium_index', per_trial / 2])
+    timed("find_one (large, indexed)", find_one, [db, 'large_index', per_trial / 2])
+
+    timed("find (small, no index)", find, [db, 'small_none', per_trial / 2])
+    timed("find (medium, no index)", find, [db, 'medium_none', per_trial / 2])
+    timed("find (large, no index)", find, [db, 'large_none', per_trial / 2])
+
+    timed("find (small, indexed)", find, [db, 'small_index', per_trial / 2])
+    timed("find (medium, indexed)", find, [db, 'medium_index', per_trial / 2])
+    timed("find (large, indexed)", find, [db, 'large_index', per_trial / 2])
+
+#     timed("find range (small, no index)", find,
+#           [db, 'small_none', {"$gt": per_trial / 4, "$lt": 3 * per_trial / 4}])
+#     timed("find range (medium, no index)", find,
+#           [db, 'medium_none', {"$gt": per_trial / 4, "$lt": 3 * per_trial / 4}])
+#     timed("find range (large, no index)", find,
+#           [db, 'large_none', {"$gt": per_trial / 4, "$lt": 3 * per_trial / 4}])
+
+    timed("find range (small, indexed)", find,
+          [db, 'small_index', {"$gt": per_trial / 2, "$lt": per_trial / 4 + batch_size}])
+    timed("find range (medium, indexed)", find,
+          [db, 'medium_index', {"$gt": per_trial / 2, "$lt": per_trial / 4 + batch_size}])
+    timed("find range (large, indexed)", find,
+          [db, 'large_index', {"$gt": per_trial / 2, "$lt": per_trial / 4 + batch_size}])
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+#    cProfile.run("main()")
+    main()