Apple Computer Performance: iMac Intel 3.06GHz 24 Inch vs Mac Pro 8-core 2.8GHz vs MacBook Pro 2.5GHz IC2D 17 Inch - Part One - Performance, Reviews - Information
Thursday, March 19, 2009
The Question:
Hi guys
Just found your awesome site. Been using macs for about 5yrs. Started on i-book, then moved up to my current machine a G4 Powerbook 15inch 1.67ghz with 2gb ram. Its starting to struggle with aperture 2 and cs4....should it be?
So been looking around at the following options.
IMac 24inch 3.06GHZ 2GB 500GB
MAC PRO 2.8GHZ 8Core 2x1Gb 320gb 2600xt
MacBook Pro 17inch 2.5Ghz 4gb 320gb
I use final cut pro and aperture 2 and CS4. However I intend to get Final Cut Studio2 which my G4 isn't capable of running.
I'm assuming Applecare is a must, or are there any other more cost effective solutions worth considering?
They're all coming in within a few hundred pounds of each other new on end of line deals.
Will have to consider the following..... If I go for MacBook Pro the applecare on top is a lot more.
...If I go for the Mac Pro the cost of a monitor and keyboard/mouse will add, although I don't necessarily need to buy an apple monitor.
The other factor is portability. I have always opted for this option over the desktop models, but I'm open to either, as could use a desktop at home, and still be mobile with my G4 Powerbook if I need to.
Would love to see a comparison of these models, and even alongside my G4 to get a realistic view of what I'm missing out on. Any tips or advice appreciated.
Many thanks
John
The Answer ...
John ....
We have put two pages together to give you some perspective on the relative performance of the machines you wanted us to compare; This page comparing the three machines you are trying to decide between, and a second page showing these three machines and your PowerBook compared using our current stock testing machine (the iMac 1.83 GHz ICD), as the 100% base. Unfortunately, for the second comparison, we were only able to provide the Processor performance difference.
Some points you might like to keep in mind:
1) The Tower machine will provide you with the most performance flexibility. It has so much more headroom than the other options. The Processor test below shows just how much headroom you would have. You will not always be able to use all that power .... It will just sit idle. You can see this reflected in some of the other test results, where the difference in performance is not as great. However the applications you are using are resource hungry, so depending on the type of work you do (how intensely you use the applications), you may appreciate having the extra power on hand.
2) Your PowerBook is getting pretty long in the tooth. Everything now is geared to the current operating system and the new chips that are incorporated into the modern Macs.
3) I am assuming that you are not writing from the U.S. In the U.S. Apple has a maximum that it will charge for any repair, so you might want to look into what that might be where you are, and compare that to how much AppleCare would cost. I am sure there are other cheaper options than Apple ... but you know that Apple is not going anywhere soon, and will still be around should you need a repair. In the U.S. some credit card companies provide a year extension of the original warranty if you use their card to make the purchase. ( in the U.S. these are typically business CCs). So you might want to look into if that is an option where you are. The main consumer groups in the U.S. do not recommend purchasing extended warranties and think they are a rip-off. However giving the number of repairs I have had to have done on my computers, I am not so sure about that advice. Though they are getting better, laptops are still more fragile than their desktop counterparts. They also typically receive harsher treatment by their users.
We hope that you find some of this information helpful ...
iMac 3.06GHz IC2D 24 Inch - Z0FH
* April, 2008 Model
*
Original Price: $2,199
* 3.06GHz Intel Core 2 Duo CPU
* 2 GB memory
* 500 GB hard drive
* ATI Radeon HD 2600 PRO graphics
* 8x SuperDrive More Specs
Mac Pro 8-core 2.8GHz - MA970LL/A
* January 2008 Model
*
Original Price: $2,799
* 8-core: Two 2.8GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon 5400
* 2 GB memory
* 320 GB hard drive
* ATI Radeon HD 2600 XT
* 8x SuperDrive More Specs
MacBook Pro 2.5GHz IC2D 17 Inch - MB766LL/A
* October 2008 Model
*
Original Price: $2,799
* 2.5GHz Intel Core 2 Duo CPU
* 4 GB memory
* 320 GB hard drive
* NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT graphics
* 8x SuperDrive More Specs
17 Inch Macbook Pro 2.5 GHz - MB766LL/A - Originally $2,799
* 2.5GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
* 4GB memory
* 320GB hard drive
* Double-layer SuperDrive
* NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT with 512MB
* Date Announced 8/14/08 More Specs User Reviews at Amazon
PowerMax Older 17 Inch
MacBook Pro Prices Ranging From ... $2,099 to $2,599... Closeout & OpenBox
MacBook Pro Prices Ranging From ... $1,399 to $1,599 ... Used Older Apple 17 Inch Laptops Ranging From ... $879 to $1,209
Compared to iMac Core Duo 1.83 GHz
Processor ... 94% Faster
Graphics ..... 131% Faster
Hard Drive ... 52% Faster
Game .......... NA
Application ... 113% Faster
About the Tests
This Section Updated: Monday, April 13, 2009
24 Inch iMac 3.06GHz - Z0FH - Originally $2,199
* 3.06GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
* 2GB memory
* 500GB hard drive
* 8x double-layer SuperDrive
* NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GS with 512MB memory Configurable options
Refurbished & Used Apple
Tower Computers At Amazon As Low As $279
Note
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Basic Stats
Mac Pro - MA970LL/A
Two 2.8GHz Quad-Core Xeon 5400 series
12MB of L2 cache per processor
1.6GHz, 64-bit dual independent buses
2GB memory - 800MHz DDR2
Max Memory - 32GB
ATI Radeon HD 2600 XT
256MB Graphics Memory
320GB Hard Drive 7200 rpm
Max HD capacity - 4TB
16x SuperDrive
(DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
Two independent 10/100/1000BASE-T
Two FireWire 800 ports
Two FireWire 400 ports
Five USB 2.0 ports
Three full-length PCI Express slots
Released 1/8/08 More Stats ... Configurable options at Apple User Reviews at Amazon
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