So, I got my 2015 this morning (2.5Ghz i7, M370X) and could spend some time setting it up and doing some benchmarks. Specifically, I could compare it side to side to my first-gen 2012 rMBP (2.3Ghz i7, 16GB, 256GB SSD, 650M). There might be some people who also own the 2012 model and are considering to upgrade, and I hope that this mini-review could help them.
First of all, it should be clear that the 2015 15" refresh is, in many regards, a compromise. It still uses the same CPUs as the 2014 model (due to lack of new CPU releases) and besides that, Apple has decided to use a GPU which is not a leader in performance/watt category. So a popular opinion on the forum is to skip this model and wait until Skylake-based rMBP will be available.
My opinion on this, after getting my 2015: if you have a Haswell-based Mac, don't bother; if you have the 2012 rMBP, the 2015 one is a very nice upgrade.
Point by point:
If you have some request for benchmarks and they do not involve buying games that I do not own, leave them here
I will try to do my best. I will also try to find more about the GPU once I am in Windows. Interesting fact: the latest 10.4 beta reports that GPU as Venus XT prototype OpenCL engine, which again shows clearly we deal with an 8870M rebrand here.
First of all, it should be clear that the 2015 15" refresh is, in many regards, a compromise. It still uses the same CPUs as the 2014 model (due to lack of new CPU releases) and besides that, Apple has decided to use a GPU which is not a leader in performance/watt category. So a popular opinion on the forum is to skip this model and wait until Skylake-based rMBP will be available.
My opinion on this, after getting my 2015: if you have a Haswell-based Mac, don't bother; if you have the 2012 rMBP, the 2015 one is a very nice upgrade.
Point by point:
- First thing I noticed: the screen. Its just so much better. Blacks are darker and contrast is amazing.
- CPU performance: I have measured around 25-30% speed increases in impressionistic benchmarks using realistic statistical workflows (Monte-Carlo methods) in R. This is a huge thing for me personally, because that is what I do on a day-to-day basis.
- SSD: you have all seen the benchmarks, so I am not going to repeat them. This thing is scary. It is 4-5x faster then my 2012 model and that is definitely noticeable in normal operation (opening apps and files, reading in datasets)
- OpenCL compute: in Luxmark, the M370X scores 3406 vs. 941 (650M). This is a 360% increase. Iris Pro actually benchmarks faster, but the result is incorrect, so I am not including the results (there is probably a driver bug). Anyway, if you are doing video/image editing, and your application uses OpenCL, there are very good chances that M370X will fly for you.
- GPU performance under OS X: I have measured a 30% improvement in the Unigine Valley benchmark (1680x1050, Ultra settings) and 20% improvement in Unigine Heaven benchmark (1680x1050, Ultra settings, tessellation off). With tessellation on, the difference is very small, which is most likely a driver issue. Subjectively, the benchmarks ran much more fluently on the M370X. For people who play games occasionally this is a nice upgrade, even though not an earth-shattering one. I will also report some Windows benchmarks for the M370X once I get bootcamp up and running.
- (by popular demand) UI performance under OS X. From what I have seen, Iris Pro does an outstanding job. The interface appears more fluid than on my 2012 model (which is already quite fluid); I couldn't see any difference in UI performance comparing to a D700 MacPro with a full HD display (again, side by side). The most striking difference is Mission Control: it is clearly more smooth with the 2015 model. Of course, resizing App Store still lags as hell, but that is the issue with the application itself, not OS X.
- Windows gaming: so far, the only game I tried, due to lack of time and also some unexpected personal matters, is GTA V. It runs great at 1680x1050, with FXAA. The in-game FPS (impressionistic figure, based on the in-game Steam FPS counter) is around 40-50 for most scenes. Sometimes it drops to around 30. The gameplay is very smooth and the game looks stunning. A hardcore gamer would maybe complain about some jagged lines in the distance, but it doesn't bother me.
If you have some request for benchmarks and they do not involve buying games that I do not own, leave them here
I will try to do my best. I will also try to find more about the GPU once I am in Windows. Interesting fact: the latest 10.4 beta reports that GPU as Venus XT prototype OpenCL engine, which again shows clearly we deal with an 8870M rebrand here.
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