Initial Benchmarks for 'late 2012' iMac

[barefeats]

Just posted results from Cinebench, Geekbench, Luxmark, and Heaven benchmarks for:
'late 2012' 21.5-inch iMac Core i5 2.9GHz
'late 2012' Mac mini Core i7 2.6GHz
'mid 2012' Retina MacBook Pro Core i7 2.7GHz

http://barefeats.com/imac12b.html

Not a full representation of the new iMac options, but the model I tested is the most popular one currently in the stores and shipping.

I'm working on real world tests and anxiously waiting to test the high-end 27" model I ordered -- hopefully before Christmas.

 

[Siderz]

Woah, can't believe the rMBP beats the iMac in 75% of them and the mini beats the iMac in 50% of them.

I guess that kinda sets it then; i7 is worth the upgrade if you really need the speed. Amirite? A lot of people are saying the i7 isn't worth the upgrade.

Well I'm glad I went for the i7 then. Going to use it for video editing.

 

[WilliamG]

Woah, can't believe the rMBP beats the iMac in 75% of them and the mini beats the iMac in 50% of them.

I guess that kinda sets it then; i7 is worth the upgrade if you really need the speed. Amirite? A lot of people are saying the i7 isn't worth the upgrade.

Well I'm glad I went for the i7 then. Going to use it for video editing.

Yeah I went for the i7 with the 2GB 680. I can't wait to see the benches on that.

 

[Mac32]

The Unigine Heaven 3-benchmark has a BIG difference in speed when using hyperthreading and i7 (vs. i5). This contradicts pretty much every other gaming benchmark I've seen.
Why would this graphics engine run much faster on a i7 CPU? Is it because it's a "passive" demo, and not an interactive game?

 

[Chupa Chupa]

Interesting stuff. By what % less powerful would you say the entry 21" is than the top end you benchmarked?

 

[stretch80]

Stupid question but does the 21.5" iMac have a disc drive for burning cd's and dvd's? I was looking at the gallery pics and don't see where one would be located. Thanks.

 

[cirus]

Stupid question but does the 21.5" iMac have a disc drive for burning cd's and dvd's? I was looking at the gallery pics and don't see where one would be located. Thanks.

No optical drives in any imacs now.

 

[Lankyman]

Why or why are people still obsessed by computer geek bench scores etc. Let's face it apart from gamers, for the vast vast majority of consumers be it Apple Windows or Linux even today's low end computers are more than fast enough and capable enough of performing any task one might throw at them.

It reminds me very much of car specs, consumers buy into the hype of whether a car has a 0 to 60 figure of x seconds or if it will do x miles an hour. In reality how many motorist drive their vehicles flat out and on the edge all the time? It has far more to do with bragging rights than usage - for both.

Of course manufacturers have a vested interest in persuading everyone to buy into this constant cycle of so called must have upgrades. However, speaking for myself I'm rapidly tiring of all the hype and with that comes a contentment with what I already have.

 

[bbkr]

Looks like folks calling new iMac tablet on a stick were right

I was so excited to get my hands on 21", checking iMac news every day since last 6 months. But benchmarks shattered those dreams, performance is terrible.

My old and rusty Quad Core 2.4 GHz, 4GB RAM DDR2, GF GTX 460 1GB hackintosh just did score of 53 in Heaven 3 (same default settings on 1440x900), ~40% faster than new iMac!

Since I love gaming this is a deal breaker. I love the new design but I won't pay tremendously high "Apple tax" to actually... downgrade my 4years old home machine.

 

[mushroomtip]

Why or why are people still obsessed by computer geek bench scores etc. Let's face it apart from gamers, for the vast vast majority of consumers be it Apple Windows or Linux even today's low end computers are more than fast enough and capable enough of performing any task one might throw at them.

It reminds me very much of car specs, consumers buy into the hype of whether a car has a 0 to 60 figure of x seconds or if it will do x miles an hour. In reality how many motorist drive their vehicles flat out and on the edge all the time? It has far more to do with bragging rights than usage - for both.

Of course manufacturers have a vested interest in persuading everyone to buy into this constant cycle of so called must have upgrades. However, speaking for myself I'm rapidly tiring of all the hype and with that comes a contentment with what I already have.

I believe a lot of these questions and comments from newbs are geared towards annoying long time members and Apple Fans. most of the questions about features of the new Imac line can be easily answered with little to no effort by looking Through threads.

 

[Siderz]

Why or why are people still obsessed by computer geek bench scores etc. Let's face it apart from gamers, for the vast vast majority of consumers be it Apple Windows or Linux even today's low end computers are more than fast enough and capable enough of performing any task one might throw at them.

It reminds me very much of car specs, consumers buy into the hype of whether a car has a 0 to 60 figure of x seconds or if it will do x miles an hour. In reality how many motorist drive their vehicles flat out and on the edge all the time? It has far more to do with bragging rights than usage - for both.

Of course manufacturers have a vested interest in persuading everyone to buy into this constant cycle of so called must have upgrades. However, speaking for myself I'm rapidly tiring of all the hype and with that comes a contentment with what I already have.

Well...I'm sure from a consumer's point of view...you look at benchmarks because you want a computer to last longer.

----------

benchmarks shattered those dreams, performance is terrible.

My old and rusty Quad Core 2.4 GHz, 4GB RAM DDR2, GF GTX 460 1GB hackintosh just did score of 53 in Heaven 3 (same default settings on 1440x900), ~40% faster than new iMac!

You're comparing a custom built PC to an iMac.

Are you being serious?

This is a laptop on a stick, not a tablet on a stick. It simply looks like a tablet on a stick...

 

[stretch80]

No optical drives in any imacs now.

I see. Thanks

 

[cirus]

You're comparing a custom built PC to an iMac.

Are you being serious?

This is a laptop on a stick, not a tablet on a stick. It simply looks like a tablet on a stick...

I think he means its disappointing that it can't match a 3 year old mid-high end computer.

 

[sectime]

Looks like folks calling new iMac tablet on a stick were right

I was so excited to get my hands on 21", checking iMac news every day since last 6 months. But benchmarks shattered those dreams, performance is terrible.

My old and rusty Quad Core 2.4 GHz, 4GB RAM DDR2, GF GTX 460 1GB hackintosh just did score of 53 in Heaven 3 (same default settings on 1440x900), ~40% faster than new iMac!

Since I love gaming this is a deal breaker. I love the new design but I won't pay tremendously high "Apple tax" to actually... downgrade my 4years old home machine.

IMacs since day one, only noobs say that

 

[rnb2]

Looks like folks calling new iMac tablet on a stick were right

I was so excited to get my hands on 21", checking iMac news every day since last 6 months. But benchmarks shattered those dreams, performance is terrible.

Terrible? Really?

You're getting that performance from a custom-built tower with lots of room for heat dissipation and expansion cards. The 21.5" iMac is barely larger than a standalone display.

I just ran the same benchmarks on my 2009 27" i7 iMac - the 2.9GHz i5 21.5" is marginally faster in CPU performance (both in Geekbench and Cinebench), almost 70% faster in Luxmark 2, and about the same performance in Heaven 3.

I've already ordered a 2.9GHz 21.5" w/16GB & Fusion Drive. Since I'm not buying this machine for better performance than what I have (I'm more interested in better connections to external storage), the benchmarks look pretty good to me.

 

[bbkr]

I think he means its disappointing that it can't match a 3 year old mid-high end computer.

Exactly. This is desktop class after all, so I'm comparing performance within desktop segment.

In this case GT 640 is to blame, I still hope that GTX series in 27" will show some teeth.

 

[Lankyman]

Terrible? Really?

You're getting that performance from a custom-built tower with lots of room for heat dissipation and expansion cards. The 21.5" iMac is barely larger than a standalone display.

I just ran the same benchmarks on my 2009 27" i7 iMac - the 2.9GHz i5 21.5" is marginally faster in CPU performance (both in Geekbench and Cinebench), almost 70% faster in Luxmark 2, and about the same performance in Heaven 3.

I've already ordered a 2.9GHz 21.5" w/16GB & Fusion Drive. Since I'm not buying this machine for better performance than what I have (I'm more interested in better connections to external storage), the benchmarks look pretty good to me.

You're not buying for better performance but simply for better connections and storage - really, all that money? What's wrong with something like a NAS geez a lou.