Core i5 'more than sufficient'

Benchmark results for Apple's new MacBook Pros show a definite advantage in the switch to Core i5 and i7 processors in high-end models, comments Primate Labs. The developer observes that in testing with Geekbench, the slowest Core i5 system is still faster than the quickest Core 2 Duo option from the last generation, despite the latter having superior clock speeds.

The Core i5 and i7 architectures have several advantages, namely hyperthreading and Turbo Boost, which can improve CPU performance. The chipsets are also said to benefit from integrated memory controllers, resulting in higher memory scores. Had Apple adopted Core i3 CPUs as a low-end option, only the memory controllers would have been present.

Primate suggests that in terms of price versus performance, Core i5 MacBooks are "more than sufficient," being 25 percent cheaper but only 15 percent slower than i7 systems. The greater tradeoff may be in terms of hard drive space and video card memory. Primate warns that the benchmarks do not take video performance into account, which could in some cases give an edge in overall speed.

by MacNN Staff