iMac Speed Benchmarks?

ScottW

ScottW

Founder
Staff member
I'd like to see some comparison benchmarks between the G4 iPod flatscreens and the new G5 iMacs. Anyone seen any such comparisons around the web?
 
The Dec 04 edition of Mac Addict arrived yesterday and they had a few 'real-world' tests on a 20" 1.8 G5 model.

Basic gist of their article is if you keep PowerStep enabled, then it can barely keep up with or outdo (less than 8% difference) a 1.25mhz G4 iMac on everything but games.

256MB RAM & Processor Performance set to Automatic
-------------------------------------------------------------
Export PDF from InDesign: 3% faster
50MB Photoshop Action File: 1% faster
Quicktime convert to MPEG-4: 1% faster
iTunes CD rip: 8% faster
Photoshop Action (25MB) file: 20% faster
UT2k3 flyby: 12% faster
UT2k3 botmatch: 12% faster


"When we set Processor Performance to Highest, however, the iMac G5 stopped embarrassing itself."​


60% increase with InDesign, 28% with 25MB Photoshop Action file, 70% with Quicktime conversion, 19% for UT2K3 flyby, 85% for UT2K3 botmatch.

In tests that stressed the hard drive (duplicating 2GB file, save 100MB & 50MB Photoshop files) the iMac G4 was consistently faster then the iMac G5.
Click to expand...

Raising the RAM to 512MB made very minor difference for the most part in their tests, but I think it would be interesting to see what 1GB or more would do.
 
You'd expect at least a 50% increase in speed since the iMac G5 is clocked about 50% faster than the iMac G4. Add the increased clockspeed to the enhancements that the G5 has, it *must* perform better or it's pretty worthless.
 
the G5 chip itself is not much faster than a G4 mhz for mhz. its the G5 bus/logic board architecture that really speeds it up. if you could put a G4 cpu on a G5 board I bet the G4 wouldn't be much slower.
 
Hate to say it, but for a consumer Mac, an 1.8 GHz PPC 7448 (G4) would probably have been a much better choice - or so would the benchmarks have us believe... That said, I think there must be something wrong with those benchmarks - no?...
 
The link you'll want to look at at barefeats is http://www.barefeats.com/imacg5.html ... I think we looked at those before: Does 'okay' against the iMac G4, but I think it's still embarassing how the iMac G5 compares to, say, the PB G4 1.5. On the other hand, a PowerBook user might find that attractive, since he's using the latest professional notebook Apple's currently offering, rather than 'that consumer machine' from 'the creators of iPod'.
 
I'm thinking it's to do with the way the elements in the computer are organised, in terms of the system bus:

Maybe the iMac G5's design isn't as spectacular as it's hailed to be.


I'm sure it would be noticeably faster than my PB :p. But that's OK, because my PB is getting old now, admittedly. 1GHz - feh :p.
 
Has anyone ever taken in an application to test run it on a demo machine in a store... any luck with being allowed to do that?
 
I thought about it. I've pretty much got the powers-that-be at the office convinced to upgrade our darkside computers now...and they're ready to make the switch to the Mac too. My biggest concern is how usable VPC 7 is on one of the new iMacs.

If I remember right, all the computers at the Kenwood (Cincinnati, OH) Apple Store are running in limited/simplified mode. So you'd have to get an employee willing to let you run it. I'll have to give the store a call later today and see what they say.
 
ScottW said:
I'd like to see some comparison benchmarks between the G4 iPod flatscreens and the new G5 iMacs. Anyone seen any such comparisons around the web?
Click to expand...

I think the G5 iMac would trounce the 4th gen iPod. I'm not really sure what software you'd use to compare them though.
 
lnoelstorr said:
I think the G5 iMac would trounce the 4th gen iPod. I'm not really sure what software you'd use to compare them though.
Click to expand...

hahahaha! What a funny typo on my part.
 
G5 iMac = McLaren F1 supercar
G4 iPod = Rusty old ford pickup on blocks in a hill-billy's back yard

If I remember right, somebody did do a G5 Imac 1.8 vs. original G5 PowerMac 1.8 single comparison. Not sure where I saw it though...sorry. I know I did see it...maybe someone else might remember where it was done.
 
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