Ivy Bridge Macs

Posted 15 May 2012

Yesterday Geekbench results for two unknown Macs (an iMac13,2 and a MacBookPro9,1) were uploaded to the Geekbench Browser. Both results generated a lot of interest from the Mac community with people wondering if these results are from unreleased Macs. System information can be falsified under Mac OS X so it's possible these results are an elaborate prank.

I believe both results are legitimate and are from unreleased Macs. While it's certainly possible to falsify model information under Mac OS X, there are none of the tell-tale inconsistencies that suggest the information has been altered or faked. Also, both Macs are running unreleased builds of Mountain Lion, further suggesting that both results are from pre-release Macs undergoing testing.

Assuming both results are real, there's nothing too surprising revealed about either Mac. Both Macs have Ivy Bridge processors, which is what most people expect in the next Mac update. How much extra performance do the new Ivy Bridge processors provide?

The MacBook Pro sees the largest jump in performance thanks to both a modest increase in processor frequency (2.7GHz vs 2.5GHz) and the new Ivy Bridge architecture.

The iMac sees a smaller jump in performance since both iMacs have the same processor frequency (3.4GHz). However, the new Ivy Bridge architecture provides a 6% increase in performance over last year's Sandy Bridge architecture.

For me, the one thing that stands out is that both Macs are running Mountain Lion rather than Lion. This suggests that these Macs won't be released until Mountain Lion is released later this summer. Unfortunately, this means we still have a little while to wait for new iMacs and MacBook Pros.

Geekbench 2.3.1

Posted 12 Apr 2012

Geekbench 2.3.1 is now available for download from the Geekbench website. Geekbench 2.3.1 fixes the "ordinal 344 could not be located" error on Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 R2.

Geekbench 2.3.1 is a free update for all registered Geekbench 2 users.

Geekbench 2.3.0

Posted 10 Apr 2012

I'm excited to announce Geekbench 2.3.0 is now available for download from the Geekbench website. Geekbench 2.3.0 features the following changes:

• Discontinued support for PowerPC Macs.
• Removed offline result management from tryout mode.
• Added portable installs for Pro licenses.
• Added support for Ivy Bridge processors.
• Improved support for MacBook Pro (17-inch Mid 2009).
• Improved "internal timer error" diagnostic message.

Removing support for PowerPC Macs was a difficult decision. While most users have migrated to Intel Macs, there's still a small but vibrant community on PowerPC Macs. However with Apple's decision to discontinue PowerPC support in both its operating system and its developer tools, and the increasing scarcity of PowerPC hardware, it's becoming harder and harder to support PowerPC Macs. With this update I decided to focus my limited resources on the latest Mac hardware.

Users who want to use Geekbench on a PowerPC Mac can still download Geekbench 2.2.0 (which works on PowerPC Macs running Mac OS X 10.4 and later) from the Geekbench website.

Geekbench 2.3.0 is a free update for all registered Geekbench 2 users.

Geekbench 2.2.7

Posted 20 Feb 2012

Geekbench 2.2.7 has been released and is available for download from the Geekbench website. Geekbench 2.2.7 features the following changes:

• Fixed an unhandled exception on OS X 10.8 (Mountain Lion).
• Fixed a bug that prevented "Check for Updates..." from working properly.
• Fixed a bug that misidentified the iPhone 4 (CDMA).
• Improved processor frequency detection on Windows.
• Improved processor detection on Linux.

Geekbench 2.2.7 is a free update for all registered Geekbench 2 users.

Geekbench 2.2.6

Posted 19 Jan 2012

Geekbench 2.2.6 has been released and is available for download from the Geekbench website. Geekbench 2.2.6 features the following changes:

• Fixed a hang that could occur when running benchmarks on Windows.
• Fixed a bug that canceled benchmarks prematurely on Android.
• Fixed a bug that misidentified some late model MacBook Pros.
• Re-enabled multi-threaded tests on single-core systems.
• Improved compatibility with Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.
• Improved upload error messages on Windows and Linux.
• Improved handling of corrupted Geekbench files.

Geekbench 2.2.6 is a free update for all registered Geekbench 2 users.

Geekbench 2 for Android

Posted 14 Jan 2012

Happy 2012! To start off the new year I'm pleased to announce that Geekbench 2 for Android is now available on the Android Market.

Geekbench 2 for Android uses the same tests as other versions of Geekbench 2, meaning the results are comparable across platforms. Not only can you compare the performance of over 600 different Android devices, you can also compare the performance of Android phones against Apple iPhones, or Android tablets against Windows laptops.

Geekbench 2 for Android, like Geekbench 2 for other platforms, is also multi-core aware. This enables Geekbench to measure the performance of today's dual-core Android phones and tomorrow's quad-core Android tablets.

Finally, Geekbench 2 for Android works with the Geekbench Result Browser. You can upload, share, and compare your Android results with people all over the world.

Geekbench 2 for Android is available today in the Android Market for only $0.99.

Geekbench 2.2.3

Posted 02 Nov 2011

Geekbench 2.2.3 has been released and is available for download from the Geekbench website, and the iTunes App Store (it's currently under review for the Mac App Store). Geekbench 2.2.3 fixes most outstanding issues with Geekbench 2.2. A complete list of all changes can be found in the Geekbench release notes.

Geekbench 2.2.3 also removes support for Mac OS X 10.4. Users who need to run Geekbench on Mac OS X 10.4 can download Geekbench 2.2.0 or Geekbench 2.1.13.

Geekbench 2.2.3 is a free update for all registered Geekbench 2 users.

iPhone 4S Benchmarks

Posted 11 Oct 2011

While the iPhone 4S won't be released until Friday, Geekbench results for the iPhone 4S have started to appear on the Geekbench Result Browser. These initial benchmark results are quite promising; the iPhone 4S scores almost 70% higher than the iPhone 4. The iPhone 4S also compares favorably to both iPads; the score is less than 20% lower than the iPad 2, and almost 40% higher than the original iPad. See the following chart below to find out how the iPhone 4S performs compared against all of Apple's iOS devices.

These initial results also confirm that the iPhone 4S comes with 512MB.

iOS Performance

Geekbench 2.2

Posted 31 Aug 2011

I'm pleased to announce Geekbench 2.2 has been released and is available for download from the Primate Labs website. Geekbench 2.2 is a free update for all registered Geekbench 2 users.

Geekbench 2.2 contains a number of new features and bug fixes. While you can read about these features and fixes in the Geekbench release notes I'd like to highlight some of the new features I'm really excited about in this release.

The most noticeable change is that Geekbench is now one application instead of two or three separate applications. You can now run 32-bit and 64-bit benchmarks from the same application; it's no longer necessary to stop one version and start another version when you're analyzing your computer's performance.

Another change is noticeable after running the benchmarks; the result window has been redesigned. I worked with Matthew Skiles to come up with a fresh and vibrant look for the Geekbench results window.

The biggest new feature, though, is the new hardware stress tests (available under the "Benchmarks" menu). The stress tests load all of the available processors, cores, and threads to uncover any problems that might be lurking, undetected, in your computer.

The stress tests have been a huge help here at Primate Labs. I've used the stress tests to test new computers to ensure they're working properly, and I've also used them to track down an underperforming heat sink on an older workstation.

Finally, Geekbench 2.2 includes command-line tools on both Mac OS X and Windows. While most users will prefer the "traditional" graphical user interface, the command-line interface provides enterprise users a way to automate benchmarks.

You can find out about all the changes in Geekbench 2.2 from the Geekbench release notes. Geekbench 2.2 is the first major release since I went indie earlier this year, and I think it's the best release yet. I hope you think so, too.

July Mac Benchmarks

Posted 30 Jul 2011

There are enough results in the Geekbench Result Browser for last week's new Mac models that I can now update the Mac Benchmark charts. To highlight the performance of the new Mac mini and the new MacBook Air I've provided charts below that compare the new Macs against other Macs. This allows you to easily see the performance improvements with the new Macs.

The results below are based on 32-bit results from the Geekbench Result Browser (both 32-bit and 64-bit results are available on the Mac Benchmark page). Geekbench scores are calibrated using the original entry-level Power Mac G5 as a baseline with a score of 1,000 points. Higher scores are better, with double the score indicating double the performance.

Mac mini

I've compared the latest generation of Mac minis against the previous two generations of Mac Minis. Here are the results:

The Sandy Bridge processors in the new Mac mini provides a tremendous boost in performance: the quad-core Mac mini server is 2.3x faster than the previous Mac mini while the dual-core Mac minis are 1.6x to 1.9x faster.

Another interesting thing (not shown in the chart above) is that the Mac mini server has roughly the same performance as the entry-level Mac Pro. While this will not hold true after the next Mac Pro update (which is overdue), it's impressive to see Apple's smallest computer provide comparable performance to Apple's largest computer!

If processor performance is your primary concern, and if you don't mind limited internal upgrade options, the Mac mini provides a tiny, power-efficient, and reasonably priced alternative to the Mac Pro.

MacBook Air

I've compared the latest generation of MacBook Airs against not only the previous generations of MacBook Airs, but also against the current generation of MacBook Pros. Here are the results:

Like the Mac mini, the new Sandy Bridge processors provide a tremendous performance boost to the MacBook Air lineup: the 13-inch MacBook Air is 1.9x faster than the previous 13-inch MacBook Air, while the 11-inch MacBook Air is an incredible 2.6x faster.

The Core i7-based MacBook Air is almost as fast as the Core i5-based MacBook Pro ( only 20% slower). While there has always been a (sometimes sizable) gap between the fastest MacBook Air and the slowest MacBook Pro, this update eradicates that gap. Now it's no longer a question of whether users want a light laptop or a fast laptop; it's a question of whether users want a light laptop or a heavy laptop.

Unfortunately, users who don't just want a fast laptop but the fastest laptop still have to pick the "heavy" 15- or 17-inch MacBook Pro.

What About Arrandale?

Looking at these results I'm surprised at how long Apple stuck with the Core 2 processor. Intel's Core i5 and Core i7 "Arrandale" processors have been out for for 18 months, and have models suitable for both the Mac mini and Macbook Air. Why did Apple wait for the release of the Core i5 and Core i7 "Sandy Bridge" processors in order to make the switch?

It turns out the answer lies with graphics chips. Mac OS X relies heavily on graphics chips, or GPUs, and needs a graphics chip that performs well. While the other Macs can use discrete GPUs, both the Mac mini and MacBook Air have space constraints that rule out discrete GPUs. This means Apple can only use integrated graphics in these models.

Thanks to Intel's lawsuits against NVIDIA, Apple couldn't use NVIDIA's integrated chipset graphics. The only option Apple had was Intel's integrated chipset graphics, which are known for their poor performance. So while the Arrandale processors would've provided a performance boost the integrated graphics would've provided a performance drop.

Sandy Bridge, however, ships with integrated graphics that are "good enough"; Apple can use Sandy Bridge to provide processor performance improvements while assuring decent graphics.

Final Thoughts

Overall I'm really impressed with the updates to the Mac mini and MacBook Air. Now that Apple has moved away from Intel's aging Core 2 architecture, users have great performance across the entire Mac lineup.