Expert’s Rating
Pros
Cons
Our Verdict
We ’ve already shared the answer of our benchmark tests for the $ 1999 27 - in 3.1GHz Core i5 iMac , one offour fresh iMac configurations give up by Applethis hebdomad . We ’ve had the chance to finish testing the remaining three standard - conformation models , with our consequence showing a pregnant boost for the new iMacs over the models they replace . However , not much differentiates the performance of the four unexampled iMacs among each other .
The Modern debut - level iMac is a 21.5 - inch , $ 1199 model with a 2.5GHz Core i5 space centre processor , a 500 GB hard drive , and AMD Radeon HD 6750 grand graphic with 512 MB of video recording memory . The other 21.5 - inch iMac has a 2.7GHz Core i5 quadruplet substance processor , a 1 TB hard drive , and AMD Radeon HD 6770 M graphics with 512 MB of video computer storage for $ 1499 . A 27 - inch iMac with otherwise identical stipulation to the $ 1499 iMac cost $ 1699 . And finally , the antecedently benchmarked 27 - inch iMac is a $ 1999 organization with a 3.1GHz Core i5 quad core processor , a 1 TB hard effort , and AMD Radeon HD 6970 M artwork with 1 GB of television retention . All four organisation range onSandy Bridgeprocessors from Intel .
Macworld Lab ’s overall system performance test suite , Speedmark 6.5 , show these four new Sandy Bridge iMacs to be considerably faster than the systems they replace . The new $ 1199 21.5 - inch , 2.5GHz Core i5 quad core iMac was nearly 24 per centum quicker overall than last year ’s ingress - level 21.5 - column inch iMac , which had a 3.06GHz Core i3 dual meat central processor . As you would expect , the unexampled iMac showed the most improvement in applications that could take advantage of four processing cores . The new ledger entry - storey system was 37 percentage faster in our Handbrake encoding test , 34 percent quicker in our Cinebench CPU test , and 64 percent faster in MathematicaMark .
Call of Duty 4 results are based on framerate; higher results are better. All other test results in the above chart are in seconds; lower results are better. References models initalics. Best result inbold.
The fresh $ 1199 iMac was even faster than last year ’s high - remnant stock configuration model , a 27 - inch 2.8GHz Core i5 quad core iMac , by nigh 10 per centum . In this case , the processor - intensive tests were very near , but the file duplication , zipping and unzipping a folder and opening a Word document in Pages were all considerably faster on the new $ 1199 iMac .
Compared to the 27 - inch 3.2GHz Core i3 dual core iMac from last class , the raw $ 1699 iMac was 25 percent faster . The older 3.2GHz Core i3 iMac also execute better than the new 2.7GHz Core i5 iMac in its file duplication and unzip project , but everything else was faster — sometimes much faster — on the new 2.7GHz system of rules . Handbrake was 40 per centum quicker on the new model , Cinebench CPU tests were 37 percent faster , and MathematicaMark scored 70 percent higher .
iMac (Mid-2011) benchmarks
Higher score are better . consultation models initalics . expert result inbold .
Surprisingly , when compared to each other , the unexampled iMacs logged standardized operation numbers . In fact , only 12 Speedmark points separate the entry - stage $ 1199 21.5 - inch 2.5GHz Core i5 iMac and the top - of - the - line $ 1999 27 - in 3.1GHz Core i5 iMac .
Looking at the unexampled $ 1699 27 - column inch 2.7GHz Core i5 quadriceps core iMac , we see that it outperforms the entry - level $ 1199 system by just 4 pct , overall . The close scads can be attribute to the 500 GB hard drive in the $ 1199 model which was faster at file gemination and unzip folders than the other three good example with their 1 TB backbreaking drives . iMovie , iTunes , Photoshop , Handbrake , Cinebench , and Mathematica were degenerate on the $ 1699 system of rules .
The Modern 27 - column inch 2.7GHz system — which employ the same processor , graphics and hard drive as the 21.5 - column inch 2.7GHz iMac — perform virtually identically to that model .
We initially completed all of our tests before Apple give up theMac OS X 10.6.7 Update for iMac and the iMac EFI Update 1.6 . We retested with the update instal , and receive no difference in performance with our examination .
Speedmark 6.5 individual application test results:
New iMacs (Mid 2011)
result are in seconds . Lower results are better . address models initalics . good result inbold .
Call of Duty 4 results are establish on framerate ; higher results are adept . All other test consequence in the above chart are in seconds ; lower event are better . References models initalics . Best result inbold .
CineBench R11.5 Graphics upshot are a score ; high results are better . All other test results in the above chart are in second ; lower results are good . Reference models initalics . good result inbold .
MathematicaMark 7 answer are scores ; gamy results are good . All other test results in the above chart are in seconds ; lower results are ripe . Reference modeling initalics . Best result inbold .
How we try . Speedmark 6.5 scores are relative to those of a 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo Mac mini ( Mid 2010 ) with 2 GB of RAM , which is assign a score of 100 . We twin a 1 GB Indian file , created a Zip archive in the Finder from the two 1 GB files and then unzipped it . We converted 135 minutes of AAC audio files to MP3 using iTunes ’ High Quality setting . In iMovie ’ 09 , we imported a camera archive and exported it to iTunes using the Mobile Devices setting . We break away a Timedemo at 1024 - by-768 with 4X anti - aliasing on in Call of Duty 4 . We imported 200 JPEGs into iPhoto ’ 09 . The Photoshop Suite test is a bent of 23 scripted task using a 50 MB Indian file . Photoshop ’s retention was coiffure to 70 per centum and History was set to Minimum . For our multitasking test , we clock the Photoshop test again , but with the iTunes MP3 encoding and file compression tests running in the ground . We used Handbrake to encode four chapters from a DVD previously pull to the hard drive to H.264 . We recorded how long it took to provide a scene with multiprocessor in Cinebench and run that coating ’s OpenGL , frame per 2nd test . We scarper the Evaluate Notebook test in MathematicaMark 7 . We lam the WorldBench 6 multitasking run on a Parallels 6 VM running Windows 7 Professional . We time the significance and processing time for 200 photos in Aperture.—Macworld Lab testing by James Galbraith , William Wang , and Mauricio Grijalva
Keep in mind we ’ve only essay the standard conformation so far . The unexampled iMacs offer several build - to - orderliness options including fast processors and solid - commonwealth campaign ( either as a replacement for or complement to the master private road ) . That latter selection , in picky , could lead to some performance swings ; we plan on testing the construct - to - order iMacs as soon as we polish off review the base models .
Check back soon for Macworld ’s full review of the novel ancestry of iMacs , including more graphic tests .
[ James Galbraith is Macworld ’s lab director . ]
