Mac Performance (January 2009)

Welcome to the most recent installment of Primate Labs' Mac Performance chart, a carefully crafted compilation of Mac performance that's generated from the user-submitted results in the Geekbench Browser.

Like other updates, this update includes the latest Apple hardware (in this case the MacBook, the MacBook Air, and the MacBook Pro Apple released in November). Unlike other updates, this update doesn't just present all of the Macs together in one large chart; it also splits the Macs into four different categories making the results easier to view and understand:

Setup

Results were collected from the Geekbench Browser for Macs with standard processors (i.e., no processor upgrades, overclocked processors, or Hackintoshes) with at least 512MB of RAM.

I've reported the average overall score for each model and processor combination. If you're unfamiliar with Geekbench and how it measures performance, a score of 1000 is the score a Power Mac G5 @ 1.6GHz would receive. Higher scores are better.

Also, keep in mind that Geekbench 2 only measures processor and memory performance which is why, for example, MacBook and MacBook Pro scores are so similar, despite both having radically different graphics adapters.

Pro Laptop Performance

MacBook Pro (Late 2008)
Intel Core 2 Duo T9600 2.8 GHz (2 cores)
3598
 
MacBook Pro (Early 2008)
Intel Core 2 Duo T9500 2.6 GHz (2 cores)
3304
 
MacBook Pro (Mid 2007)
Intel Core 2 Duo T7800 2.6 GHz (2 cores)
3271
 
MacBook Pro (Late 2008)
Intel Core 2 Duo T9400 2.53 GHz (2 cores)
3254
 
MacBook Pro (Early 2008)
Intel Core 2 Duo T9300 2.5 GHz (2 cores)
3167
 
MacBook Pro (Late 2008)
Intel Core 2 Duo P8600 2.4 GHz (2 cores)
3090
 
MacBook Pro (Early 2008)
Intel Core 2 Duo T8300 2.4 GHz (2 cores)
3059
 
MacBook Pro (Mid 2007)
Intel Core 2 Duo T7700 2.4 GHz (2 cores)
3045
 
MacBook Pro (17-inch Core 2 Duo)
Intel Core 2 T7600 2.33 GHz (2 cores)
2949
 
MacBook Pro (Core 2 Duo)
Intel Core 2 T7600 2.33 GHz (2 cores)
2917
 
MacBook Pro (Mid 2007)
Intel Core 2 Duo T7500 2.2 GHz (2 cores)
2836
 
MacBook Pro (Core 2 Duo)
Intel Core 2 T7400 2.16 GHz (2 cores)
2734
 
MacBook Pro
Intel T2600 2.16 GHz (2 cores)
2656
 
MacBook Pro (17-inch)
Intel T2600 2.16 GHz (2 cores)
2626
 
MacBook Pro
Intel T2500 2.0 GHz (2 cores)
2444
 
MacBook Air (Late 2008)
Intel Core 2 Duo L9400 1.86 GHz (2 cores)
2382
 
MacBook Pro
Intel T2400 1.83 GHz (2 cores)
2261
 
MacBook Air (Late 2008)
Intel Core 2 Duo L9300 1.6 GHz (2 cores)
2229
 
MacBook Air
Intel Core 2 Duo P7700 1.8 GHz (2 cores)
2137
 
MacBook Air
Intel Core 2 Duo P7500 1.6 GHz (2 cores)
1981
 
PowerBook G4 (15-inch 1.67/1.5 GHz)
PowerPC G4 (7447A) 1.67 GHz (1 core)
851
 
PowerBook G4 (Double-Layer SD, 15-inch)
PowerPC G4 (7447A) 1.67 GHz (1 core)
850
 
PowerBook G4 (Double-Layer SD, 17-inch)
PowerPC G4 (7447A) 1.67 GHz (1 core)
843
 
PowerBook G4 (17-inch 1.67 GHz)
PowerPC G4 (7447A) 1.67 GHz (1 core)
822
 
PowerBook G4 (17-inch 1.5 GHz)
PowerPC G4 (7447A) 1.5 GHz (1 core)
774
 
PowerBook G4 (15-inch 1.5/1.33 GHz)
PowerPC G4 (7447A) 1.5 GHz (1 core)
741
 
PowerBook G4 (15-inch 1.67/1.5 GHz)
PowerPC G4 (7447A) 1.5 GHz (1 core)
740
 
PowerBook G4 (12-inch 1.5 GHz)
PowerPC G4 (7447A) 1.5 GHz (1 core)
721
 
PowerBook G4 (15-inch 1.5/1.33 GHz)
PowerPC G4 (7447A) 1.33 GHz (1 core)
694
 
PowerBook G4 (17-inch 1.33 GHz)
PowerPC G4 (7447/7457) 1.33 GHz (1 core)
693
 
PowerBook G4 (12-inch 1.33 GHz)
PowerPC G4 (7447A) 1.33 GHz (1 core)
677
 
PowerBook G4 (15-inch FW800)
PowerPC G4 (7447/7457) 1.25 GHz (1 core)
660
 
PowerBook G4 (17-inch)
PowerPC G4 (7445/7455) 1.0 GHz (1 core)
568
 
PowerBook G4 (1 GHz/867 MHz)
PowerPC G4 (7445/7455) 1.0 GHz (1 core)
547
 
PowerBook G4 (15-inch FW800)
PowerPC G4 (7447/7457) 1.0 GHz (1 core)
542
 
PowerBook G4 (1 GHz/867 MHz)
PowerPC G4 (7445/7455) 867 MHz (1 core)
507
 
PowerBook G4 (12-inch DVI)
PowerPC G4 (7447/7457) 1.0 GHz (1 core)
468
 
PowerBook G4 (DVI)
PowerPC G4 (7445/7455) 800 MHz (1 core)
462
 
PowerBook G4 (12-inch)
PowerPC G4 (7445/7455) 867 MHz (1 core)
427
 
PowerBook G4 (DVI)
PowerPC G4 (7445/7455) 667 MHz (1 core)
407
 
PowerBook G4 (Gigabit Ethernet)
PowerPC G4 (7441/7450/7451) 667 MHz (1 core)
353
 
PowerBook G4
PowerPC G4 (7410) 500 MHz (1 core)
322
 
PowerBook G4 (Gigabit Ethernet)
PowerPC G4 (7441/7450/7451) 550 MHz (1 core)
279
 
PowerBook G4
PowerPC G4 (7410) 400 MHz (1 core)
265
 
PowerBook G3 (FireWire)
PowerPC G3 (740/750) 500 MHz (1 core)
256
 
PowerBook G3 (FireWire)
PowerPC G3 (740/750) 400 MHz (1 core)
215
 

What strikes me every time I look at this chart is how stable (or stagnant, depending on how charitable you're feeling) PowerBook performance was after the introduction of the aluminum PowerBooks; it's a reminder of how out-of-date the PowerPC G4 was then. When Apple switched to Intel processors, Pro laptop performance almost tripled overnight. Even the slowest MacBook Air, which many people regard as "too slow" to do "real work" on, is over twice as fast as the fastest PowerBook.

Pro Desktop Performance

Mac Pro (Early 2008)
Intel Xeon X5482 3.2 GHz (8 cores)
8853
 
Mac Pro (8-core)
Intel Xeon X5365 3.0 GHz (8 cores)
8516
 
Mac Pro (Early 2008)
Intel Xeon X5472 3.0 GHz (8 cores)
8475
 
Mac Pro (Early 2008)
Intel Xeon E5472 3.0 GHz (8 cores)
8283
 
Xserve (Early 2008)
Intel Xeon E5462 2.8 GHz (8 cores)
8203
 
Mac Pro (Early 2008)
Intel Xeon E5462 2.8 GHz (8 cores)
8091
 
Mac Pro
Intel Xeon 5160 3.0 GHz (4 cores)
5508
 
Mac Pro (Early 2008)
Intel Xeon E5462 2.8 GHz (4 cores)
5395
 
Xserve (Late 2006)
Intel Xeon 5150 2.66 GHz (4 cores)
5107
 
Mac Pro
Intel Xeon 5150 2.66 GHz (4 cores)
4940
 
Xserve (Late 2006)
Intel Xeon 5130 2.0 GHz (4 cores)
3883
 
Mac Pro
Intel Xeon 5130 2.0 GHz (4 cores)
3847
 
Power Mac G5 (Late 2005)
PowerPC G5 (970MP) 2.5 GHz (4 cores)
3244
 
Power Mac G5 (June 2004)
PowerPC G5 (970FX) 2.7 GHz (2 cores)
2256
 
Power Mac G5 (June 2004)
PowerPC G5 (970FX) 2.5 GHz (2 cores)
2092
 
Power Mac G5 (Late 2005)
PowerPC G5 (970MP) 2.3 GHz (2 cores)
2075
 
Power Mac G5 (June 2004)
PowerPC G5 (970FX) 2.3 GHz (2 cores)
1953
 
Power Mac G5 (Late 2005)
PowerPC G5 (970MP) 2.0 GHz (2 cores)
1805
 
Power Mac G5 (June 2004)
PowerPC G5 (970FX) 2.0 GHz (2 cores)
1735
 
Power Mac G5 (June 2004)
PowerPC G5 (970) 2.0 GHz (2 cores)
1704
 
Power Mac G5
PowerPC G5 (970) 2.0 GHz (2 cores)
1684
 
Power Mac G5 (June 2004)
PowerPC G5 (970FX) 1.8 GHz (2 cores)
1581
 
Power Mac G5 (June 2004)
PowerPC G5 (970) 1.8 GHz (2 cores)
1571
 
Power Mac G5
PowerPC G5 (970) 1.8 GHz (2 cores)
1547
 
Power Mac G4 (Mirrored Drive Doors)
PowerPC G4 (7445/7455) 1.42 GHz (2 cores)
1167
 
Power Mac G5
PowerPC G5 (970) 1.8 GHz (1 core)
1078
 
Power Mac G4 (Mirrored Drive Doors)
PowerPC G4 (7445/7455) 1.25 GHz (2 cores)
1051
 
Power Mac G5 (Late 2004)
PowerPC G5 (970FX) 1.8 GHz (1 core)
1042
 
Power Mac G5
PowerPC G5 (970) 1.6 GHz (1 core)
950
 
Power Mac G4 (Mirrored Drive Doors)
PowerPC G4 (7445/7455) 1.0 GHz (2 cores)
867
 
Power Mac G4 (Quicksilver)
PowerPC G4 (7445/7455) 1.0 GHz (2 cores)
830
 
Power Mac G4 (Mirrored Drive Doors)
PowerPC G4 (7445/7455) 867 MHz (2 cores)
730
 
Power Mac G4 (Mirrored Drive Doors)
PowerPC G4 (7445/7455) 1.25 GHz (1 core)
704
 
Power Mac G4 (Quicksilver)
PowerPC G4 (7441/7450/7451) 800 MHz (2 cores)
650
 
Power Mac G4 (Mirrored Drive Doors)
PowerPC G4 (7445/7455) 1.0 GHz (1 core)
581
 
Power Mac G4 (Quicksilver)
PowerPC G4 (7445/7455) 933 MHz (1 core)
541
 
Power Mac G4 (Digital Audio)
PowerPC G4 (7410) 533 MHz (2 cores)
527
 
Power Mac G4 (Quicksilver)
PowerPC G4 (7441/7450/7451) 867 MHz (1 core)
478
 
Power Mac G4 (Gigabit Ethernet)
PowerPC G4 (7400) 450 MHz (2 cores)
458
 
Power Mac G3 (Blue and White)
PowerPC G3 (740/750) 449 MHz (1 core)
449
 
Power Mac G4 (Quicksilver)
PowerPC G4 (7441/7450/7451) 800 MHz (1 core)
428
 
Power Mac G4 (Quicksilver)
PowerPC G4 (7441/7450/7451) 733 MHz (1 core)
369
 
Power Mac G4 (Digital Audio)
PowerPC G4 (7410) 533 MHz (1 core)
354
 
Power Mac G4 (Digital Audio)
PowerPC G4 (7400) 467 MHz (1 core)
310
 
Power Mac G4 (AGP Graphics)
PowerPC G4 (7400) 450 MHz (1 core)
285
 
Power Mac G4 Cube
PowerPC G4 (7400) 450 MHz (1 core)
284
 
Power Mac G4 (Gigabit Ethernet)
PowerPC G4 (7400) 400 MHz (1 core)
256
 
Power Mac G4 (AGP Graphics)
PowerPC G4 (7400) 350 MHz (1 core)
233
 
Power Mac G3 (Blue and White)
PowerPC G3 (740/750) 349 MHz (1 core)
207
 

Pro desktops weren't held back by the PowerPC G4 because they were able to take advantage of IBM's PowerPC G5. While the PowerPC G5 never reached the 3GHz promised by Steve Jobs in 2003, they did provide better performance than the PowerPC G4 and served the PowerMac well until Apple switched to Intel.

Now, with the switch to Intel, the latest Mac Pro is the fastest Mac available (and one of the fastest computers available) thanks to its two quad-core processors.

Consumer Laptop Performance

MacBook (Early 2008)
Intel Core 2 Duo T8300 2.4 GHz (2 cores)
3093
 
MacBook (Late 2008)
Intel Core 2 Duo P8600 2.4 GHz (2 cores)
3088
 
MacBook (Late 2007)
Intel Core 2 Duo T7500 2.2 GHz (2 cores)
2862
 
MacBook (Late 2006)
Intel Core 2 T7400 2.16 GHz (2 cores)
2741
 
MacBook (Early 2008)
Intel Core 2 Duo T8100 2.1 GHz (2 cores)
2728
 
MacBook (Late 2008)
Intel Core 2 Duo P7350 2.0 GHz (2 cores)
2691
 
MacBook (Late 2007)
Intel Core 2 Duo T7300 2.0 GHz (2 cores)
2651
 
MacBook (Late 2006)
Intel Core 2 T7200 2.0 GHz (2 cores)
2566
 
MacBook
Intel T2500 2.0 GHz (2 cores)
2449
 
MacBook (Late 2006)
Intel Core 2 T5600 1.83 GHz (2 cores)
2355
 
MacBook
Intel T2400 1.83 GHz (2 cores)
2289
 
iBook G4 (Mid 2005)
PowerPC G4 (7447A) 1.42 GHz (1 core)
717
 
iBook G4 (Early 2004)
PowerPC G4 (7447A) 1.33 GHz (1 core)
709
 
iBook G4 (Mid 2005)
PowerPC G4 (7447A) 1.33 GHz (1 core)
668
 
iBook G4 (Early 2004)
PowerPC G4 (7447A) 1.2 GHz (1 core)
614
 
iBook G4 (Early 2004)
PowerPC G4 (7447A) 1.07 GHz (1 core)
560
 
iBook G4
PowerPC G4 (7445/7455) 933 MHz (1 core)
500
 
iBook G4
PowerPC G4 (7445/7455) 1.0 GHz (1 core)
486
 
iBook G4
PowerPC G4 (7445/7455) 800 MHz (1 core)
425
 
iBook (Opaque 16 VRAM)
PowerPC 750FX 800 MHz (1 core)
379
 
iBook (Opaque 16 VRAM)
PowerPC 750FX 700 MHz (1 core)
362
 
iBook (Dual USB)
PowerPC G3 (740/750) 500 MHz (1 core)
226
 
iBook (FireWire)
PowerPC G3 (740/750) 467 MHz (1 core)
223
 

Much like Apple's pro laptops, Apple's consumer laptops were held back by the out-of-date PowerPC G4; switching to Intel almost tripled MacBook performance overnight.

Consumer Desktop Performance

iMac (Early 2008)
Intel Core 2 Duo E8435 3.06 GHz (2 cores)
3984
 
iMac (Early 2008)
Intel Core 2 Duo E8235 2.8 GHz (2 cores)
3714
 
iMac (Mid 2007)
Intel Core 2 Extreme X7900 2.8 GHz (2 cores)
3626
 
iMac (Early 2008)
Intel Core 2 Duo E8335 2.66 GHz (2 cores)
3553
 
iMac (Early 2008)
Intel Core 2 Duo E8135 2.4 GHz (2 cores)
3190
 
iMac (Mid 2007)
Intel Core 2 Duo T7700 2.4 GHz (2 cores)
3138
 
iMac (24-inch)
Intel Core 2 T7600 2.33 GHz (2 cores)
3007
 
iMac (Late 2006)
Intel Core 2 T7600 2.33 GHz (2 cores)
2957
 
iMac (Late 2006)
Intel Core 2 T7400 2.16 GHz (2 cores)
2817
 
iMac (24-inch)
Intel Core 2 T7400 2.16 GHz (2 cores)
2792
 
iMac (Mid 2007)
Intel Core 2 Duo T7300 2.0 GHz (2 cores)
2665
 
iMac (Late 2006)
Intel Core 2 T7200 2.0 GHz (2 cores)
2615
 
Mac mini (Mid 2007)
Intel Core 2 T7200 2.0 GHz (2 cores)
2580
 
iMac (Early 2006)
Intel T2500 2.0 GHz (2 cores)
2509
 
iMac (17-inch Late 2006 CD)
Intel Core 2 T5600 1.83 GHz (2 cores)
2390
 
Mac mini (Mid 2007)
Intel Core 2 T5600 1.83 GHz (2 cores)
2376
 
iMac (Early 2006)
Intel T2400 1.83 GHz (2 cores)
2324
 
Mac mini (Early 2006)
Intel T2300 1.67 GHz (2 cores)
2138
 
Mac mini (Early 2006)
Intel T1200 1.5 GHz (1 core)
1393
 
iMac G5 (iSight)
PowerPC G5 (970FX) 2.1 GHz (1 core)
1200
 
iMac G5 (Ambient Light Sensor)
PowerPC G5 (970FX) 2.0 GHz (1 core)
1110
 
iMac G5 (iSight)
PowerPC G5 (970FX) 1.9 GHz (1 core)
1103
 
iMac G5 (Ambient Light Sensor)
PowerPC G5 (970FX) 1.8 GHz (1 core)
1032
 
iMac G5
PowerPC G5 (970FX) 1.8 GHz (1 core)
1006
 
iMac G4 (20-inch Flat-Panel)
PowerPC G4 (7447A) 1.92 GHz (1 core)
1002
 
iMac G5
PowerPC G5 (970FX) 1.6 GHz (1 core)
839
 
Mac mini (Late 2005)
PowerPC G4 (7447A) 1.5 GHz (1 core)
829
 
Mac mini
PowerPC G4 (7447A) 1.42 GHz (1 core)
789
 
eMac (USB 2.0)
PowerPC G4 (7447A) 1.42 GHz (1 core)
773
 
Mac mini (Late 2005)
PowerPC G4 (7447A) 1.33 GHz (1 core)
756
 
eMac
PowerPC G4 (7445/7455) 1.4 GHz (1 core)
718
 
eMac (USB 2.0)
PowerPC G4 (7447/7457) 1.25 GHz (1 core)
713
 
Mac mini
PowerPC G4 (7447A) 1.25 GHz (1 core)
704
 
eMac (USB 2.0)
PowerPC G4 (7447A) 1.25 GHz (1 core)
691
 
iMac G4 (USB 2.0)
PowerPC G4 (7445/7455) 1.25 GHz (1 core)
662
 
iMac G4 (20-inch Flat-Panel)
PowerPC G4 (7445/7455) 1.25 GHz (1 core)
633
 
eMac
PowerPC G4 (7445/7455) 1.0 GHz (1 core)
534
 
iMac G4 (USB 2.0)
PowerPC G4 (7445/7455) 1.0 GHz (1 core)
532
 
eMac
PowerPC G4 (7441/7450/7451) 800 MHz (1 core)
405
 
iMac (Flat-Panel)
PowerPC G4 (7441/7450/7451) 800 MHz (1 core)
405
 
iMac G4 (17-inch Flat-Panel)
PowerPC G4 (7441/7450/7451) 800 MHz (1 core)
404
 
eMac
PowerPC G4 (7441/7450/7451) 700 MHz (1 core)
360
 
iMac (Flat-Panel)
PowerPC G4 (7441/7450/7451) 700 MHz (1 core)
351
 
iMac G3 (Early 2001)
PowerPC G3 (740/750) 600 MHz (1 core)
287
 
iMac G3 (Early 2001)
PowerPC G3 (740/750) 500 MHz (1 core)
255
 
iMac (Summer 2000)
PowerPC G3 (740/750) 500 MHz (1 core)
245
 
iMac (Slot Load)
PowerPC G3 (740/750) 400 MHz (1 core)
206
 

While the switch to Intel brought performance benefits to consumer desktops thanks to faster processors, they also brought performance benefits thanks to multi-core processors. Think about it; none of Apple's PowerPC-based consumer desktops are multi-core, while almost all of Apple's Intel-based consumer desktops are multi-core. With so much multi-core aware software available today for Mac OS X, running a single-core Mac seems almost quaint.

Mac Performance

Mac Pro (Early 2008)
Intel Xeon X5482 3.2 GHz (8 cores)
8853
 
Mac Pro (8-core)
Intel Xeon X5365 3.0 GHz (8 cores)
8516
 
Mac Pro (Early 2008)
Intel Xeon X5472 3.0 GHz (8 cores)
8475
 
Mac Pro (Early 2008)
Intel Xeon E5472 3.0 GHz (8 cores)
8283
 
Xserve (Early 2008)
Intel Xeon E5462 2.8 GHz (8 cores)
8203
 
Mac Pro (Early 2008)
Intel Xeon E5462 2.8 GHz (8 cores)
8091
 
Mac Pro
Intel Xeon 5160 3.0 GHz (4 cores)
5508
 
Mac Pro (Early 2008)
Intel Xeon E5462 2.8 GHz (4 cores)
5395
 
Xserve (Late 2006)
Intel Xeon 5150 2.66 GHz (4 cores)
5107
 
Mac Pro
Intel Xeon 5150 2.66 GHz (4 cores)
4940
 
iMac (Early 2008)
Intel Core 2 Duo E8435 3.06 GHz (2 cores)
3984
 
Xserve (Late 2006)
Intel Xeon 5130 2.0 GHz (4 cores)
3883
 
Mac Pro
Intel Xeon 5130 2.0 GHz (4 cores)
3847
 
iMac (Early 2008)
Intel Core 2 Duo E8235 2.8 GHz (2 cores)
3714
 
iMac (Mid 2007)
Intel Core 2 Extreme X7900 2.8 GHz (2 cores)
3626
 
MacBook Pro (Late 2008)
Intel Core 2 Duo T9600 2.8 GHz (2 cores)
3598
 
iMac (Early 2008)
Intel Core 2 Duo E8335 2.66 GHz (2 cores)
3553
 
MacBook Pro (Early 2008)
Intel Core 2 Duo T9500 2.6 GHz (2 cores)
3304
 
MacBook Pro (Mid 2007)
Intel Core 2 Duo T7800 2.6 GHz (2 cores)
3271
 
MacBook Pro (Late 2008)
Intel Core 2 Duo T9400 2.53 GHz (2 cores)
3254
 
Power Mac G5 (Late 2005)
PowerPC G5 (970MP) 2.5 GHz (4 cores)
3244
 
iMac (Early 2008)
Intel Core 2 Duo E8135 2.4 GHz (2 cores)
3190
 
MacBook Pro (Early 2008)
Intel Core 2 Duo T9300 2.5 GHz (2 cores)
3167
 
iMac (Mid 2007)
Intel Core 2 Duo T7700 2.4 GHz (2 cores)
3138
 
MacBook (Early 2008)
Intel Core 2 Duo T8300 2.4 GHz (2 cores)
3093
 
MacBook Pro (Late 2008)
Intel Core 2 Duo P8600 2.4 GHz (2 cores)
3090
 
MacBook (Late 2008)
Intel Core 2 Duo P8600 2.4 GHz (2 cores)
3088
 
MacBook Pro (Early 2008)
Intel Core 2 Duo T8300 2.4 GHz (2 cores)
3059
 
MacBook Pro (Mid 2007)
Intel Core 2 Duo T7700 2.4 GHz (2 cores)
3045
 
iMac (24-inch)
Intel Core 2 T7600 2.33 GHz (2 cores)
3007
 
iMac (Late 2006)
Intel Core 2 T7600 2.33 GHz (2 cores)
2957
 
MacBook Pro (17-inch Core 2 Duo)
Intel Core 2 T7600 2.33 GHz (2 cores)
2949
 
MacBook Pro (Core 2 Duo)
Intel Core 2 T7600 2.33 GHz (2 cores)
2917
 
MacBook (Late 2007)
Intel Core 2 Duo T7500 2.2 GHz (2 cores)
2862
 
MacBook Pro (Mid 2007)
Intel Core 2 Duo T7500 2.2 GHz (2 cores)
2836
 
iMac (Late 2006)
Intel Core 2 T7400 2.16 GHz (2 cores)
2817
 
iMac (24-inch)
Intel Core 2 T7400 2.16 GHz (2 cores)
2792
 
MacBook (Late 2006)
Intel Core 2 T7400 2.16 GHz (2 cores)
2741
 
MacBook Pro (Core 2 Duo)
Intel Core 2 T7400 2.16 GHz (2 cores)
2734
 
MacBook (Early 2008)
Intel Core 2 Duo T8100 2.1 GHz (2 cores)
2728
 
MacBook (Late 2008)
Intel Core 2 Duo P7350 2.0 GHz (2 cores)
2691
 
iMac (Mid 2007)
Intel Core 2 Duo T7300 2.0 GHz (2 cores)
2665
 
MacBook Pro
Intel T2600 2.16 GHz (2 cores)
2656
 
MacBook (Late 2007)
Intel Core 2 Duo T7300 2.0 GHz (2 cores)
2651
 
MacBook Pro (17-inch)
Intel T2600 2.16 GHz (2 cores)
2626
 
iMac (Late 2006)
Intel Core 2 T7200 2.0 GHz (2 cores)
2615
 
Mac mini (Mid 2007)
Intel Core 2 T7200 2.0 GHz (2 cores)
2580
 
MacBook (Late 2006)
Intel Core 2 T7200 2.0 GHz (2 cores)
2566
 
iMac (Early 2006)
Intel T2500 2.0 GHz (2 cores)
2509
 
MacBook
Intel T2500 2.0 GHz (2 cores)
2449
 
MacBook Pro
Intel T2500 2.0 GHz (2 cores)
2444
 
iMac (17-inch Late 2006 CD)
Intel Core 2 T5600 1.83 GHz (2 cores)
2390
 
MacBook Air (Late 2008)
Intel Core 2 Duo L9400 1.86 GHz (2 cores)
2382
 
Mac mini (Mid 2007)
Intel Core 2 T5600 1.83 GHz (2 cores)
2376
 
MacBook (Late 2006)
Intel Core 2 T5600 1.83 GHz (2 cores)
2355
 
iMac (Early 2006)
Intel T2400 1.83 GHz (2 cores)
2324
 
MacBook
Intel T2400 1.83 GHz (2 cores)
2289
 
MacBook Pro
Intel T2400 1.83 GHz (2 cores)
2261
 
Power Mac G5 (June 2004)
PowerPC G5 (970FX) 2.7 GHz (2 cores)
2256
 
MacBook Air (Late 2008)
Intel Core 2 Duo L9300 1.6 GHz (2 cores)
2229
 
Mac mini (Early 2006)
Intel T2300 1.67 GHz (2 cores)
2138
 
MacBook Air
Intel Core 2 Duo P7700 1.8 GHz (2 cores)
2137
 
Power Mac G5 (June 2004)
PowerPC G5 (970FX) 2.5 GHz (2 cores)
2092
 
Power Mac G5 (Late 2005)
PowerPC G5 (970MP) 2.3 GHz (2 cores)
2075
 
MacBook Air
Intel Core 2 Duo P7500 1.6 GHz (2 cores)
1981
 
Power Mac G5 (June 2004)
PowerPC G5 (970FX) 2.3 GHz (2 cores)
1953
 
Power Mac G5 (Late 2005)
PowerPC G5 (970MP) 2.0 GHz (2 cores)
1805
 
Power Mac G5 (June 2004)
PowerPC G5 (970FX) 2.0 GHz (2 cores)
1735
 
Power Mac G5 (June 2004)
PowerPC G5 (970) 2.0 GHz (2 cores)
1704
 
Power Mac G5
PowerPC G5 (970) 2.0 GHz (2 cores)
1684
 
Power Mac G5 (June 2004)
PowerPC G5 (970FX) 1.8 GHz (2 cores)
1581
 
Power Mac G5 (June 2004)
PowerPC G5 (970) 1.8 GHz (2 cores)
1571
 
Power Mac G5
PowerPC G5 (970) 1.8 GHz (2 cores)
1547
 
Mac mini (Early 2006)
Intel T1200 1.5 GHz (1 core)
1393
 
iMac G5 (iSight)
PowerPC G5 (970FX) 2.1 GHz (1 core)
1200
 
Power Mac G4 (Mirrored Drive Doors)
PowerPC G4 (7445/7455) 1.42 GHz (2 cores)
1167
 
iMac G5 (Ambient Light Sensor)
PowerPC G5 (970FX) 2.0 GHz (1 core)
1110
 
iMac G5 (iSight)
PowerPC G5 (970FX) 1.9 GHz (1 core)
1103
 
Power Mac G5
PowerPC G5 (970) 1.8 GHz (1 core)
1078
 
Power Mac G4 (Mirrored Drive Doors)
PowerPC G4 (7445/7455) 1.25 GHz (2 cores)
1051
 
Power Mac G5 (Late 2004)
PowerPC G5 (970FX) 1.8 GHz (1 core)
1042
 
iMac G5 (Ambient Light Sensor)
PowerPC G5 (970FX) 1.8 GHz (1 core)
1032
 
iMac G5
PowerPC G5 (970FX) 1.8 GHz (1 core)
1006
 
iMac G4 (20-inch Flat-Panel)
PowerPC G4 (7447A) 1.92 GHz (1 core)
1002
 
Power Mac G5
PowerPC G5 (970) 1.6 GHz (1 core)
950
 
Power Mac G4 (Mirrored Drive Doors)
PowerPC G4 (7445/7455) 1.0 GHz (2 cores)
867
 
PowerBook G4 (15-inch 1.67/1.5 GHz)
PowerPC G4 (7447A) 1.67 GHz (1 core)
851
 
PowerBook G4 (Double-Layer SD, 15-inch)
PowerPC G4 (7447A) 1.67 GHz (1 core)
850
 
PowerBook G4 (Double-Layer SD, 17-inch)
PowerPC G4 (7447A) 1.67 GHz (1 core)
843
 
iMac G5
PowerPC G5 (970FX) 1.6 GHz (1 core)
839
 
Power Mac G4 (Quicksilver)
PowerPC G4 (7445/7455) 1.0 GHz (2 cores)
830
 
Mac mini (Late 2005)
PowerPC G4 (7447A) 1.5 GHz (1 core)
829
 
PowerBook G4 (17-inch 1.67 GHz)
PowerPC G4 (7447A) 1.67 GHz (1 core)
822
 
Mac mini
PowerPC G4 (7447A) 1.42 GHz (1 core)
789
 
PowerBook G4 (17-inch 1.5 GHz)
PowerPC G4 (7447A) 1.5 GHz (1 core)
774
 
eMac (USB 2.0)
PowerPC G4 (7447A) 1.42 GHz (1 core)
773
 
Mac mini (Late 2005)
PowerPC G4 (7447A) 1.33 GHz (1 core)
756
 
PowerBook G4 (15-inch 1.5/1.33 GHz)
PowerPC G4 (7447A) 1.5 GHz (1 core)
741
 
PowerBook G4 (15-inch 1.67/1.5 GHz)
PowerPC G4 (7447A) 1.5 GHz (1 core)
740
 
Power Mac G4 (Mirrored Drive Doors)
PowerPC G4 (7445/7455) 867 MHz (2 cores)
730
 
PowerBook G4 (12-inch 1.5 GHz)
PowerPC G4 (7447A) 1.5 GHz (1 core)
721
 
eMac
PowerPC G4 (7445/7455) 1.4 GHz (1 core)
718
 
iBook G4 (Mid 2005)
PowerPC G4 (7447A) 1.42 GHz (1 core)
717
 
eMac (USB 2.0)
PowerPC G4 (7447/7457) 1.25 GHz (1 core)
713
 
iBook G4 (Early 2004)
PowerPC G4 (7447A) 1.33 GHz (1 core)
709
 
Mac mini
PowerPC G4 (7447A) 1.25 GHz (1 core)
704
 
Power Mac G4 (Mirrored Drive Doors)
PowerPC G4 (7445/7455) 1.25 GHz (1 core)
704
 
PowerBook G4 (15-inch 1.5/1.33 GHz)
PowerPC G4 (7447A) 1.33 GHz (1 core)
694
 
PowerBook G4 (17-inch 1.33 GHz)
PowerPC G4 (7447/7457) 1.33 GHz (1 core)
693
 
eMac (USB 2.0)
PowerPC G4 (7447A) 1.25 GHz (1 core)
691
 
PowerBook G4 (12-inch 1.33 GHz)
PowerPC G4 (7447A) 1.33 GHz (1 core)
677
 
iBook G4 (Mid 2005)
PowerPC G4 (7447A) 1.33 GHz (1 core)
668
 
iMac G4 (USB 2.0)
PowerPC G4 (7445/7455) 1.25 GHz (1 core)
662
 
PowerBook G4 (15-inch FW800)
PowerPC G4 (7447/7457) 1.25 GHz (1 core)
660
 
Power Mac G4 (Quicksilver)
PowerPC G4 (7441/7450/7451) 800 MHz (2 cores)
650
 
iMac G4 (20-inch Flat-Panel)
PowerPC G4 (7445/7455) 1.25 GHz (1 core)
633
 
iBook G4 (Early 2004)
PowerPC G4 (7447A) 1.2 GHz (1 core)
614
 
Power Mac G4 (Mirrored Drive Doors)
PowerPC G4 (7445/7455) 1.0 GHz (1 core)
581
 
PowerBook G4 (17-inch)
PowerPC G4 (7445/7455) 1.0 GHz (1 core)
568
 
iBook G4 (Early 2004)
PowerPC G4 (7447A) 1.07 GHz (1 core)
560
 
PowerBook G4 (1 GHz/867 MHz)
PowerPC G4 (7445/7455) 1.0 GHz (1 core)
547
 
PowerBook G4 (15-inch FW800)
PowerPC G4 (7447/7457) 1.0 GHz (1 core)
542
 
Power Mac G4 (Quicksilver)
PowerPC G4 (7445/7455) 933 MHz (1 core)
541
 
eMac
PowerPC G4 (7445/7455) 1.0 GHz (1 core)
534
 
iMac G4 (USB 2.0)
PowerPC G4 (7445/7455) 1.0 GHz (1 core)
532
 
Power Mac G4 (Digital Audio)
PowerPC G4 (7410) 533 MHz (2 cores)
527
 
PowerBook G4 (1 GHz/867 MHz)
PowerPC G4 (7445/7455) 867 MHz (1 core)
507
 
iBook G4
PowerPC G4 (7445/7455) 933 MHz (1 core)
500
 
iBook G4
PowerPC G4 (7445/7455) 1.0 GHz (1 core)
486
 
Power Mac G4 (Quicksilver)
PowerPC G4 (7441/7450/7451) 867 MHz (1 core)
478
 
PowerBook G4 (12-inch DVI)
PowerPC G4 (7447/7457) 1.0 GHz (1 core)
468
 
PowerBook G4 (DVI)
PowerPC G4 (7445/7455) 800 MHz (1 core)
462
 
Power Mac G4 (Gigabit Ethernet)
PowerPC G4 (7400) 450 MHz (2 cores)
458
 
Power Mac G3 (Blue and White)
PowerPC G3 (740/750) 449 MHz (1 core)
449
 
Power Mac G4 (Quicksilver)
PowerPC G4 (7441/7450/7451) 800 MHz (1 core)
428
 
PowerBook G4 (12-inch)
PowerPC G4 (7445/7455) 867 MHz (1 core)
427
 
iBook G4
PowerPC G4 (7445/7455) 800 MHz (1 core)
425
 
PowerBook G4 (DVI)
PowerPC G4 (7445/7455) 667 MHz (1 core)
407
 
eMac
PowerPC G4 (7441/7450/7451) 800 MHz (1 core)
405
 
iMac (Flat-Panel)
PowerPC G4 (7441/7450/7451) 800 MHz (1 core)
405
 
iMac G4 (17-inch Flat-Panel)
PowerPC G4 (7441/7450/7451) 800 MHz (1 core)
404
 
iBook (Opaque 16 VRAM)
PowerPC 750FX 800 MHz (1 core)
379
 
Power Mac G4 (Quicksilver)
PowerPC G4 (7441/7450/7451) 733 MHz (1 core)
369
 
iBook (Opaque 16 VRAM)
PowerPC 750FX 700 MHz (1 core)
362
 
eMac
PowerPC G4 (7441/7450/7451) 700 MHz (1 core)
360
 
Power Mac G4 (Digital Audio)
PowerPC G4 (7410) 533 MHz (1 core)
354
 
PowerBook G4 (Gigabit Ethernet)
PowerPC G4 (7441/7450/7451) 667 MHz (1 core)
353
 
iMac (Flat-Panel)
PowerPC G4 (7441/7450/7451) 700 MHz (1 core)
351
 
PowerBook G4
PowerPC G4 (7410) 500 MHz (1 core)
322
 
Power Mac G4 (Digital Audio)
PowerPC G4 (7400) 467 MHz (1 core)
310
 
iMac G3 (Early 2001)
PowerPC G3 (740/750) 600 MHz (1 core)
287
 
Power Mac G4 (AGP Graphics)
PowerPC G4 (7400) 450 MHz (1 core)
285
 
Power Mac G4 Cube
PowerPC G4 (7400) 450 MHz (1 core)
284
 
PowerBook G4 (Gigabit Ethernet)
PowerPC G4 (7441/7450/7451) 550 MHz (1 core)
279
 
PowerBook G4
PowerPC G4 (7410) 400 MHz (1 core)
265
 
Power Mac G4 (Gigabit Ethernet)
PowerPC G4 (7400) 400 MHz (1 core)
256
 
PowerBook G3 (FireWire)
PowerPC G3 (740/750) 500 MHz (1 core)
256
 
iMac G3 (Early 2001)
PowerPC G3 (740/750) 500 MHz (1 core)
255
 
iMac (Summer 2000)
PowerPC G3 (740/750) 500 MHz (1 core)
245
 
Power Mac G4 (AGP Graphics)
PowerPC G4 (7400) 350 MHz (1 core)
233
 
iBook (Dual USB)
PowerPC G3 (740/750) 500 MHz (1 core)
226
 
iBook (FireWire)
PowerPC G3 (740/750) 467 MHz (1 core)
223
 
PowerBook G3 (FireWire)
PowerPC G3 (740/750) 400 MHz (1 core)
215
 
Power Mac G3 (Blue and White)
PowerPC G3 (740/750) 349 MHz (1 core)
207
 
iMac (Slot Load)
PowerPC G3 (740/750) 400 MHz (1 core)
206
 

Final Thoughts

I'm always amazed at the performance drought the PowerPC G4 inflicted on Apple in general and on Apple laptops in particular before the switch to Intel; laptop performance is generally unchanged between 2003 and 2006 (desktops were at least able to use the PowerPC G5).

Once Apple switched to Intel, performance has increased (and increased significantly) with almost every update. Apple shouldn't have to worry about getting stuck in another performance drought again.


 
John Poole is the founder of Primate Labs and lives in Toronto, Ontario with his wife Deborah. You can find John on Twitter or .