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The SpeedZone: iBooks Three ... 32 Performance Tests Comparing The October 2003 iBooks

1/30/04

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by David Engstrom

Don't see the comparison you are interested in? Request a custom comparison between any two Macs

On this page we compare and contrast the major technical features and performance of the October 2003 iBooks, which range in speed from 800 MHz to 1 GHz.

On paper there is very little to separate these three iBook, other than processor speed and screen size. Even in processor speed, you don't see the kind of performance gaps that exist between the Tower Power Macs. No the iBooks take only baby steps in terms of clock-speed, with the high-end 1 GHz Book clocking in only 25% faster than the low-end 800 MHz iBook.

This is reflected in the raw processing capability of each model iBook. Setting the 800 MHz model at 100%, in basic processing prowess, the 933 MHz Book comes in between 12% to 14% faster, and the 1 GHz machine 17% to 24% faster.

All three machines have the same graphics card, but the extra processing muscle of the two higher-end models, does help them best the 800 MHz machine in most of our graphics tests ... even if it is by a small margin.

In drive performance, the two higher-end machines seem to have speedier drives, than the 800 MHz machine. Though the 933 & 1 GHz models turned in similar scores to each other, they gained 10% to 20% over the speed of the 800 MHz iBook in our various drive tests.

If you are on a budget there is no shame in getting the 800 MHz iBook. It is only slightly slower than the other two, and weighs a pound less. You will sacrifice drive capacity and screen size, but you will make that up in portability.

Of the other two, in our opinion, the 933 MHz is the better deal. You get the biggest jump in clock-speed, 10 more GB of hard drive space (than the 800 MHz), and a bigger screen, all for only $200 more than the base model. The 1 GHz iBook costs $400 more than the low-end iBook, comes with about half again the speed improvement of the 933 MHz, and 20 GB more of storage when compared to the 933. Seems a tad too costly in comparison to the others.

Most of the online merchants bundle all kinds of extras with the iBooks they sell.

One final note on battery time. We tested battery life by running a DVD on the iBook, until the Book's energy pack ran dry. This can be considered heavy usage. Ironically, in our trials the high-end iBook got the best battery life, 3 hours and 8 minutes. The 933 MHz machine gave us 2 hours and 49 minutes of up time, and the 800 MHz model 2 hours and 50 minutes. Both of the high-end Books, with the 14 inch screens are suppose to have 61-watt hour batteries, so it is a mystery why the higher clocked of the two turned in 19 extra minutes. The 800 MHz iBook with the 12 inch screen, has a 50-watt hour battery.Battery time for less intensive activity will , of course, be longer.

Difference and similarities of each machine
  G4/800/800/256K
(#M9164LL/A )

G4/933/933/256K
(#M9388LL/A )

G4/1GHz/1GHz/256K
(#M9165LL/A )

Processor(s) G4/800 G4/933 G4/1GHz
L2 Cache 256k @ 800 MHz 256k @ 933 MHz 256k @ 1 GHz
L3 Cache none none none
Bus Speed 133 MHz 133 MHz 133 MHz
Memory 640 MB of PC2100 (266MHz) DDR SDRAM
(640 MB max)		 640 MB of PC2100 (266MHz) DDR SDRAM
(640 MB max)		 640 MB of PC2100 (266MHz) DDR SDRAM
(640 MB max)
Graphics Card ATI Mobility Radeon 9200 with 32MB of DDR SDRAM
4x AGP 		ATI Mobility Radeon 9200 with 32MB of DDR SDRAM
4x AGP 		ATI Mobility Radeon 9200 with 32MB of DDR SDRAM
4x AGP
Drive 30 GB Ultra ATA 40 GB Ultra ATA 60 GB Ultra ATA
CD Drive Combination drive
CD read - 24x
DVD read - 8x
CD R - 24x
CD-RW write - 10x		 Combination drive
CD read - 24x
DVD read - 8x
CD R - 24x
CD-RW write - 10x		 Combination drive
CD read - 24x
DVD read - 8x
CD R - 24x
CD-RW write - 10x
Operating System 10.3 10.3 10.3
Weight 4.9 lbs 5.9 lbs 5.9 lbs
Screen 12.1" TFT XGA active-matrix 14.1-inch TFT XGA active-matrix 14.1-inch TFT XGA active-matrix
Price $1,099 $1,299 $1499

"Real World" Tests

The tests below are from our suite of real world application tests. These tests feature a diverse selection of applications commonly used by the Mac community. The test suite was designed to render an Accurate and well rounded picture of a machine's performance. All of the tests below (with the exception of the game tests and CineBench 2003 tests) were timed with a stopwatch. For our testing philosophy click here

There are two sets of performance numbers for each machine in the tables below. The first is the actual score, and the second set below is the percentage score. The actual score is in either seconds, or in the case of the game tests, in frames per second. The CineBench scores are in points.

Basic Processor Function

CineBench 2003 Single CPU Test

Machine iBook G4/800MHz iBook G4/933MHz iBook G4/1GHz
Absolute Scores 70 80 87
Percentages 100% 114% 124%

CineBench 2003 consists of a series of tests. The test above, tests basic processing performance. You can run this test on your own machine by downloading the CineBench program. We did not use the beta version of CineBench, which is partially optimized for the G5. If you are keeping score, the 933 MHz iBook clock speed is just a shade under 17 percent faster than the 800 MHz, and the 1 GHz machine's clock speed is 125% of the 800 MHz. In this test the Power Mac G5/1.6 GHz received 166, a 91% performance improvement over the 1 GHz iBook

AltiVec Fractal (Carbon)

Machine iBook G4/800MHz iBook G4/933MHz iBook G4/1GHz
Absolute Scores - seconds 65.66 57.48 54.20
Percentages 100% 112% 117%

The Fractal program has been highly tuned to take advantage of the G4. It will also gobble up whatever processing capability is present. This is a good test for assessing the fundamental processing potential of each machine. . If you would like to compare your machine to these results download the Fractal program and set the fractal to run at a maximum count of 65536

Desktop Tests    

Re-Boot Test

Machine iBook G4/800MHz iBook G4/933MHz iBook G4/1GHz
Absolute Scores - seconds 31.41 30.79 NA
Percentages 100% 102% NA

Time from the twirling clock to the appearance of the hard drive on the desktop

Copy 900 MB Folder Containing Thousands Of Files Of Various Sizes

Machine iBook G4/800MHz iBook G4/933MHz iBook G4/1GHz
Absolute Scores - seconds 307.34 246.99 250.13
Percentages 100% 120% 119%

The copy folder test not only stresses drive performance but also takes advantage of faster processing capability & caching schemes. In this test the Power Mac G5/1.6 GHz took 146.64 seconds, a 41% performance improvement over the 1 GHz iBook

Copy Single 1.2 GB File

Machine iBook G4/800MHz iBook G4/933MHz iBook G4/1GHz
Absolute Scores - seconds 148.48 128.91 130.72
Percentages 100% 113% 112%

In the single file test the the processor & caching capability of the machine is less of a factor. In this test the Power Mac G5/1.6 GHz took 67.04 seconds, a 49% performance improvement over the 1 GHz iBook

Import QuickTime DV Into iMovie

Machine iBook G4/800MHz iBook G4/933MHz iBook G4/1GHz
Absolute Scores - seconds 26.86 23.86 24.24
Percentages 100% 111% 110%

We imported a 175 MB DV file into iMovie 3

Burn CD

Machine iBook G4/800MHz iBook G4/933MHz iBook G4/1GHz
Absolute Scores - seconds 104.22 104.34 105.16
Percentages 100% 100% 99%

CD burning only uses a fraction of the processor to get the work done. All three machines have the same Combo drive, so it is no surprise that they turn in essentially the same score

Let 1000 Windows Bloom

Machine iBook G4/800MHz iBook G4/933MHz iBook G4/1GHz
Absolute Scores - seconds 48.05 46.39 41.99
Percentages 100% 103% 113%

Let 1K Windows Bloom is a simple carbon application that opens and closes 1,000 windows. This gauges how fast screen redraws are taking place. You can download the small program to run on your machine, and compare your scores to the ones here. For what it is worth the 933 MHz machine's score seems a little low to us. All three machines have the same graphics card. In this test the Power Mac G5/1.6 GHz took 27.20 seconds, a 35% performance improvement over the 1 GHz iBook

Launch Photoshop

Machine iBook G4/800MHz iBook G4/933MHz iBook G4/1GHz
Absolute Scores - seconds 26.93 24.72 24.52
Percentages 100% 108% 109%

We used a 21 MB files to open Photoshop 7 by dropping it on the Photoshop icon. A trial version of Photoshop 7 can be downloaded if you want to run your own test.


Large Document & Database Type Tests

Microsoft Office X Word Macro

Machine iBook G4/800MHz iBook G4/933MHz iBook G4/1GHz
Absolute Scores - seconds 135.80 121.31 109.34
Percentages 100% 111% 119%

A Macro (series of complex actions) was run in Microsoft's Word processing program on a 1.6 MB document. Word is part of Office X. In this test the Power Mac G5/1.6 GHz took 59.44 seconds, a 46% performance improvement over the 1 GHz iBook

Microsoft Office X Excel Macro

Machine iBook G4/800MHz iBook G4/933MHz iBook G4/1GHz
Absolute Scores - seconds 70.52 63.87 61.74
Percentages 100% 109% 112%

A Macro (series of complex actions) was run in Microsoft's Excel spreadsheet program, on a 8 MB file. Excel is part of Office X.

AppleWorks Search And Replace Test

Machine iBook G4/800MHz iBook G4/933MHz iBook G4/1GHz
Absolute Scores - seconds 240.32 232.69 228.88
Percentages 100% 103% 105%

This test takes place in a 3 MB AppleWorks document. Machines with larger chip caches usually do better in this test. We thought that there would be more variation in the scores, but they are pretty close. Apple three machines have the same amount on on-chip L2 cache.

Graphics Test

CineBench 2003 4D Test

Machine iBook G4/800MHz iBook G4/933MHz iBook G4/1GHz
Absolute Scores 85 97 103
Percentages 100% 114% 121%

This part of the CineBench program relies on the CPU for graphics rendering. In this test the Power Mac G5/1.6 GHz received 198, a 92% performance improvement over the 1 GHz iBook

CineBench 2003 Software GL Test

Machine iBook G4/800MHz iBook G4/933MHz iBook G4/1GHz
Absolute Scores 198 215 225
Percentages 100% 109% 114%

This part of the CineBench program relies on the software for graphics rendering . In this test the Power Mac G5/1.6 GHz received 468, a 108% performance improvement over the 1 GHz iBook


CineBench 2003 Hardware GL Test

Machine iBook G4/800MHz iBook G4/933MHz iBook G4/1GHz
Absolute Scores 243 252 NA
Percentages 100% 104% NA

This part of the CineBench program relies on the graphics card for graphics rendering. (download the CineBench program to run on your own machine and compare scores) . In this test the Power Mac G5/1.6 GHz received 838, a 233% performance improvement over the 933MHz iBook

Number Crunching & Rendering Tests

Photoshop 7 - BareFeat's Test

Machine iBook G4/800MHz iBook G4/933MHz iBook G4/1GHz
Absolute Scores - seconds 71.52 62.95 59.45
Percentages 100% 112% 117%

BareFeats Photoshop Test Suite - mimics a production type workflow in Photoshop. If you would like to run this test on your machine, and you don't have a copy of Photoshop, download it from Adobe (only advisable if you have a high-speed connection). Then download the action file and drop it on the Photoshop icon, then you can run the script from the Action Pallet.

Photoshop 7 - AltiVec Tests

Machine iBook G4/800MHz iBook G4/933MHz iBook G4/1GHz
Absolute Scores - seconds 101.48 91.27 87.43
Percentages 100% 110% 114%

Certain of the functions of Photoshop can take special performance advantage of the G4 processors. This suite of filters was run on a 21 MB file. In this test the Power Mac G5/1.6 GHz took 41.71 seconds, a 51% performance improvement over the 1 GHz iBook

Photoshop 7 - Normal Tests

Machine iBook G4/800MHz iBook G4/933MHz iBook G4/1GHz
Absolute Scores - seconds 152.94 134.06 125.84
Percentages 100% 112% 118%

The test above consists of Photoshop filters and functions that do not take any particular advantage of the G4. Again we used the 21 MB file.

iMovie - Effect Render

Machine iBook G4/800MHz iBook G4/933MHz iBook G4/1GHz
Absolute Scores - seconds 197.94 191.39 159.98
Percentages 100% 103% 119%

In this test, an Aged Effect is run on a 175 MB DV file using iMovie 3.03, with the Effect left at its default setting This is a processor intensive task

Encoding/Decoding Tests

QuickTime 6.4 Encode

Machine iBook G4/800MHz iBook G4/933MHz iBook G4/1GHz
Absolute Scores - seconds 53.27 51.59 48.95
Percentages 100% 103% 108%

A 5MB movie is converted to a QuickTime movie using default setting

QuickTime 6.4 Convert To DV Stream

Machine iBook G4/800MHz iBook G4/933MHz iBook G4/1GHz
Absolute Scores - seconds 207.52 195.77 179.38
Percentages 100% 106% 114%

The 5 MB Movie is converted to a DV Stream ready for import into iMovie. Default setting was used (Dual processor usage 57%)

iTunes 4.0.1 - AAC Encode From CD

Machine iBook G4/800MHz iBook G4/933MHz iBook G4/1GHz
Absolute Scores - seconds NA 159.31 121.64
Percentages NA 100% 124%

All three machines read CDs at 24X. Four songs totaling 16.5 minutes in length were converted in this test.

StuffIt Expand

Machine iBook G4/800MHz iBook G4/933MHz iBook G4/1GHz
Absolute Scores - seconds 81.70 77.84 72.30
Percentages 100% 105% 112%

This is straight processor intensive work. This test was performed on a 23 MB StuffIt file that contained thousands of individual files

Multitasking

QuickTime Encode + Fractal (Multitasking)

Machine iBook G4/800MHz iBook G4/933MHz iBook G4/1GHz
Absolute Scores - seconds 118 106.34 101.85
Percentages 100% 110% 114%

QuickTime Encode and Fractal render are both carried out at the same time. This test involves heavy processor activity.

QuickTime DV + iMovie Effect Render (Multitasking)

Machine iBook G4/800MHz iBook G4/933MHz iBook G4/1GHz
Absolute Scores - seconds 388.50 350.27 325.95
Percentages 100% 110% 116%

QuickTime DV Encode and iMovie Effect are performed at the same time

AAC Encode + Photoshop Normal + Word Macro (Multitasking)

Machine iBook G4/800MHz iBook G4/933MHz iBook G4/1GHz
Absolute Scores - seconds NA 421.58 398.59
Percentages NA 100% 105%

The AAC Encode, Photoshop Normal and Word Macro tests are all run at the same time

Gaming

Giants Highest Frame Rates

Machine iBook G4/800MHz iBook G4/933MHz iBook G4/1GHz
Absolute Scores - frames per second 38 45 47
Percentages 100% 118% 124%

. In this test the Power Mac G5/1.6 GHz had a score of 88 fps, a 87% performance improvement over the 1 GHz iBook

Giants Average Frame Rates

Machine iBook G4/800MHz iBook G4/933MHz iBook G4/1GHz
Absolute Scores - frames per second 16.5 17.5 18
Percentages 100% 106% 109%

Giants Lowest Frame Rates

Machine iBook G4/800MHz iBook G4/933MHz iBook G4/1GHz
Absolute Scores - frames per second 8.3 9.5 10
Percentages 100% 114% 120%

It is the processing capability which is making the difference here. Our testing with the Giants game has shown that it responds well to faster processors. To obtain frame rates we take the character out for a jog around a predetermined route and measure the frame rates at the same intervals.

4x4 EVO 2 Average Frame Rates- High Quality Setting

Machine iBook G4/800MHz iBook G4/933MHz iBook G4/1GHz
Absolute Scores - frames per second 14 15 15
Percentages 100% 107% 107%

4x4 EVO 2 Average Frame Rates- Medium Quality Setting

Machine iBook G4/800MHz iBook G4/933MHz iBook G4/1GHz
Absolute Scores - frames per second 19 20 21
Percentages 100% 109% 111%

4x4 EVO 2 Average Frame Rates- Low Quality Setting

Machine iBook G4/800MHz iBook G4/933MHz iBook G4/1GHz
Absolute Scores - frames per second 27 29 27
Percentages 100% 107% 100%

4x4 EVO 2 is a very demanding game. It would appear that the graphics card is doing most of the work here

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