Benchmarks show new iMacs up to 25 percent faster
updated 01:48 pm EST, Fri November 30, 2012
Mid-range iMac as fast as high-end Mini
Primate Labs, developer of Geekbench, has posted a summary of benchmarks the company is seeing for the 2012 iMac. Although updated 27-inch systems aren't out yet, the high-end 21.5-inch model is said to be scoring 25 percent better than its 2011 equivalent, and even 10 percent faster than last year's high-end 27-inch.
Compared against other Macs, a built-to-order Core i7 iMac can beat the Mac mini, but any Core i7 Mini will trounce a Core i5 iMac. The iMac line benefits mainly from having built-in displays and dedicated graphics cards. Most Mac Pros will also defeat a 21.5-inch iMac, even Pros from 2010, although higher-end iMac configurations do rank better in a few cases.
Updated 27-inch iMacs should be out sometime in December. Preliminary Geekbench results, presumably from testers, have indicated that the 2012 high-end 27-inch system should be almost 15 percent faster than its predecessor.
MacNN Staff
Joined: 08-04-01
While the Mac Pros continue to beat out even the latest iMac, the fact that a four-core iMac achieves better than 50 percent of the score of a 12-core Mac Pro -- which costs thousands more -- tells you everything you need to know about the improvements in the Ivy Bridge line of processors and the other various improvements Apple has made in its newest machines.
Can't wait to see what the company has in store for the revamped Mac Pro in 2013.