After posting our benchmark upshot for the four new standard configuration iMacs , several readers had the same asking : test the Modern 3.6GHz Core i5 iMac , a built - to - order ( BTO ) option for the 3.2GHz Core i3 iMacs . You spoke , we listened and we ordered a custom 27 - column inch iMac with the 3.6GHz Core i5 dual nitty-gritty processor , though we upped the ante by adding a 2nd drive to the system , a 256 GB solid - state parkway ( SSD ) to complement the 1 TB 7200 - rev driving force that comes received . We tested the system twice ( once booted from the severe cause and then booted from the SSD ) and the results are intriguing .
The effort and central processing unit upgrade add $ 750 and $ 200 severally to the cost of the stock $ 1699 27 - inch 3.2GHz Core i3 iMac , bringing the cost to $ 2649 .
Processor boost
To see how this faster , dual - meat processor feign performance , we ranSpeedmark 6with everything install on the hard drive and unmounted the SSD . compare to the consequence of the standard 27 - in 3.2GHz Core i3 iMac , we launch the usage iMac to be 8 percent faster in our overall system performance test suite , Speedmark 6 .
The 3.6GHz model was fast in most tests , with impressive gains in Cinebench ( 14 percent ) , MathematicaMark ( 16 percentage ) and Compressor ( 14 per centum ) . The only two tests that the 3.6GHz custom system failed to outperform the received 3.2GHz system was iPhoto import , which was just one second faster on the stock iMac , and our HandBrake crosscurrent and encode tryout , which took the 3.6GHz system nearly twice as retentive to fill out .
As we found inrecent DVD ripping testsof the standard iMacs , Apple does n’t use just one supplier for ingredient like the SuperDrive . In fact , we ’ve seen three dissimilar SuperDrive chemical mechanism in our five new iMacs . Although they all boast very like specifications , one of these mechanics , the HL DT ST DVDRW GA32N , performs very tardily in our HandBrake test . Our theory is that the HL usesriplock , a applied science that aim to meliorate videodisc look on on computers by slowing down the rotational stop number of the disc for quieter operation . The stock iMac get along with a Pioneer DVRTS09 , which perform well . There ’s no way to know what chemical mechanism your iMac will come in with , so if you rip DVDs often , you ’ll just have to hope for something other than the HL .
How we tested.Speedmark 6 scores are relative to those of a 2.13GHz Core 2 Duo MacBook, which is assigned a score of 100 (higher scores are better). Call of Duty score is in frames per second (higher is better). MathematicaMark is a performance score (higher is better). All others are in minutes:seconds (lower is better). All iMacs were tested with OS X 10.6.4 and 4GB of RAM. The 2.66GHz Mac Pro was tested with OS X 10.6.1 and 3GB of RAM. We duplicated a 1GB file, created a Zip archive in the Finder from the two 1GB files and then unzipped it. We converted 90 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 ran a Timedemo at 1024-by-768 with 4X anti-aliasing on in Call of Duty 4. We imported 150 JPEGs into iPhoto ’09. The Photoshop Suite test is a set of 14 scripted tasks using a 50MB file. Photoshop’s memory was set to 70 percent and History was set to Minimum. We used Compressor to encode a .mov file to the application’s H.264 for video podcast setting. We ripped a DVD chapter to the hard drive. We recorded how long it took to render a scene with multiprocessors in Cinebench. We ran the Evaluate Notebook test in MathematicaMark 7. We ran the WorldBench 6 multitasking test on a Parallels 5 VM running Windows 7 Professional. We timed the import and thumbnail/preview creation time for 150 photos in Aperture.—Macworld Lab testing by James Galbraith, McKinley Noble, Blair Hanley Frank, and Chris Holt.
Comparing the custom dual core 3.6GHz Core i5 iMac ( play from the 7200 - revolutions per minute backbreaking drive ) to the quadriceps center 2.8GHz Core i5 iMac , we see that the four cores win out in terms of overall performance by 8.5 percent . But look at individual trial result , we see that the biggest difference of opinion in performance was , again , HandBrake , which take away almost three multiplication as long for the 3.6GHz Core i5 iMac to complete . The quad core 2.8GHz Core i5 iMac also excelled in the few mental testing that take full reward of multiple processors , like MathematicaMark , Cinebench and Compressor . Other tests , like Photoshop , iTunes , Finder file unzipping , and Aperture showed that faster - but - fewer processors can sometimes perform proficient than more - but - slower central processing unit . If you ’re not a heavy user of the few high-pitched - end programme that put to habituate all of those multiple cores , it might be overbold to spend $ 200 on the Core i5 processor upgrade to the stock 27 - column inch $ 1699 iMac than to spend an additional $ 300 on the quad core 2.8GHz Core i5 iMac .
SSD results
Speaking of spend money , we also tested the 3.6GHz Core i5 BTO iMac booted from a 256 GB SSD . When we receive the iMac , everything was installed on the SSD — the operating system , app program , and documents . The lowly hard thrust was empty . So that ’s how we tested it .
It ’s $ 600 to swap the standard 1 TB 7200 - rev surd driving force for a 256 GB SSD ; $ 750 to install both a 1 TB hard drive and a 256 GB SSD . One would hope to see an appreciable difference in public presentation . I must say that the SSD did not disappoint .
When using the SSD as the boot disk , we saw a 12 percent overall performance increase over the same iMac bring up from the hard drive . As you ’d ask , processor intensive app program effect were insensible by the choice of surd campaign . Unzipping a file in the Finder , however was 41 per centum quicker on the SSD ; duplicate a file was 38 percent quicker . iPhoto was 17 percent faster and iTunes encode test was 12.5 pct faster when using the SSD .
And though startup time is no longer part of our Speedmark score , we found that the iMac started up 22 percentage quicker when booting from the SSD than from the surd cause . Likewise , launching applications proved to be much quicker with the SSD . The SSD iMac launched GarageBand and opened a project in 5 seconds , while it assume the same iMac running off the strong drive 12 instant to launch and launch the same project . found multiple applications prove even more improvement , with the SSD iMac launch four applications in just 3 seconds , a chore that took 19 seconds on the hard drive iMac .
We ’ve run into issuance in the past with some SSDs slowing down over metre . We plan on doing a lot more testing of the internal SSD and will cover our finding in a future clause .
compare the termination to the quad core 2.8GHz Core i5 iMac using a 7200 - rpm gruelling ride , we discover the SSD - based dual pith 3.6GHz gist i5 iMac to be 5 percentage quicker in our Speedmark run suite . The handful of applications programme that take vantage of extra CORE remained quicker on the quadriceps femoris core 2.8GHz heart and soul i5 iMac , but many of the tests profit from the compounding of fast push and quick - but - fewer CPU . Photoshop , Aperture , iMovie , iTunes , Finder tasks and iPhoto were all quicker on the SSD - equipped double core 3.6GHz Core i5 iMac .
While we still have not received the unexampled Mac Pros , we did look at the old quadruplet core 2.66GHz Xeon Mac Pro and found the SSD - found dual core 3.6GHz marrow i5 iMac to be 12 percent faster overall . The Mac Pro was faster at MathematicaMark , CineBench , iMovie import and of track HandBrake , but the legal age of the tasks were fill in quicker by the custom iMac .
We are expecting one more customs duty iMac form and novel Mac Pros to arrive in the very near future tense . CheckMacworld.comfor benchmarks of these raw systems .
27-inch Core i5 iMac/3.6GHz (BTO) benchmarks
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How we test . Speedmark 6 oodles are relative to those of a 2.13GHz Core 2 Duo MacBook , which is assign a score of 100 ( higher scores are better ) . Call of Duty score is in frames per second ( high is just ) . MathematicaMark is a public presentation scotch ( higher is better ) . All others are in bit : seconds ( lower is better ) . All iMacs were tested with OS X 10.6.4 and 4 GB of RAM . The 2.66GHz Mac Pro was examine with OS disco biscuit 10.6.1 and 3 GB of RAM . We duplicated a 1 GB Indian file , created a Zip archive in the Finder from the two 1 GB files and then unzipped it . We converted 90 minutes of AAC audio file to MP3 using iTunes ’ High Quality setting . In iMovie ’ 09 , we spell a camera archive and exported it to iTunes using the Mobile Devices setting . We persist a Timedemo at 1024 - by-768 with 4X anti - aliasing on in Call of Duty 4 . We imported 150 JPEGs into iPhoto ’ 09 . The Photoshop Suite test is a set of 14 written tasks using a 50 MB file . Photoshop ’s memory was coiffure to 70 percent and account was set to Minimum . We used Compressor to encode a .mov Indian file to the app program ’s H.264 for telecasting podcast setting . We ripped a DVD chapter to the unvoiced drive . We recorded how long it hire to render a scene with multiprocessor in Cinebench . We ran the Evaluate Notebook mental testing in MathematicaMark 7 . We hunt the WorldBench 6 multitasking trial run on a Parallels 5 VM run Windows 7 Professional . We timed the import and thumbnail / preview creation time for 150 photos in Aperture.—Macworld science lab examination by James Galbraith , McKinley Noble , Blair Hanley Frank , and Chris Holt .
SSD benchmarks
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How we tested . Times are in minute : moment ( lower is better ) . All systems were tested with 4 GB of RAM . We clock startup sentence without internet connection . We duplicate a 1 GB file , we timed how long it took to launch a Garageband project by clicking on the labor ’s picture . We record the metre it took to launch Photoshop , Microsoft Word , iTunes and Safari.—Macworld Lab examination by James Galbraith and McKinley Noble
[ James Galbraith is Macworld ’s lab theatre director . ]
