iMac 2015 27'' 5k base model or MacBook Pro 2015 15'' base model?

[kgenova]

Hi everyone! I'm trying to decide between the iMac 2015 5k base model ($1999) and the MacBook Pro 2015 15 inch base model ($1999). I bought the iMac a few days ago and it has a gorgeous screen from farther away, but I am having trouble using it in a normal desktop manner. I have progressive glasses and they are optimized for reading slightly downward, and the iMac is higher up than the MacBook Pro would be. I already tried the MacBook Pro 13 inch 2015 mid range model and determined that the screen was too small for my needs, plus I thought it would be nice to have a more powerful processor because I do a lot of photo and video editing. How do the processors in the new iMac and the new 15 inch MacBook Pro compare? They are both quad core, as opposed to the dual core processor that the 13 inch MacBook Pro has, but are Haswell as opposed to Broadwell? I'm so confused! Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Kristin

 

[jonisign]

Hi everyone! I'm trying to decide between the iMac 2015 5k base model ($1999) and the MacBook Pro 2015 15 inch base model ($1999). I bought the iMac a few days ago and it has a gorgeous screen from farther away, but I am having trouble using it in a normal desktop manner. I have progressive glasses and they are optimized for reading slightly downward, and the iMac is higher up than the MacBook Pro would be. I already tried the MacBook Pro 13 inch 2015 mid range model and determined that the screen was too small for my needs, plus I thought it would be nice to have a more powerful processor because I do a lot of photo and video editing. How do the processors in the new iMac and the new 15 inch MacBook Pro compare? They are both quad core, as opposed to the dual core processor that the 13 inch MacBook Pro has, but are Haswell as opposed to Broadwell? I'm so confused! Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Kristin

It turns out that both the 5K iMac and the 15 inch MacBook Pro are Haswell chips, it's only the 13 inch retina MacBook Pro that has the newer Broadwell chips. This is just because intel hasn't ramped up production of quad-core Broadwell chips yet.

In terms of performance, both the 5K iMac and the 15 inch MacBook pro are going to be better for photo and video editing given that they have the extra cores even though the 13 inch MacBook is a newer architecture.

Given that these models have the same Haswell architecture and have the same number of cores, you can roughly look at the clock speed to get a sense of relative performance.

Here's a comparison of the two CPUs in the models you mentioned:

http://cpuboss.com/cpus/Intel-Core-i7-4770HQ-vs-Intel-Core-i5-4590

On the left is the CPU in the 15 inch MacBook Pro, the right the 5K iMac.

The more important things to consider are probably whether you want to carry this machine around, or a 5K display is worth it to you. Both should be fine for basic photo and video editing, and the performance edge would go to the iMac!

 

[kgenova]

Thanks! That's very helpful!

Kristin