I was looking over the benchmarks for the MacBook Air on Macworld when I suddenly realized something about these benchmarks; for the most part, the benchmarks were against the somewhat more current models of Mac. While this is a useful thing to benchmark with, considering the other currently available options, and it makes sense to gauge the MacBook Air against the current MacBook, but I find that comparison rather pointless; we know already the MacBook Air is going to be slower than any other Mac currently on the market. But what if you're in a situation where one has an older computer and wants to know how much faster the Air is compared to their old computer? The results are rather surprising (and in the extended); in short, the MacBook Air is slower than a majority of the Intel Macs ever released, but faster than most single processor PowerPC Macs. Many of the tasks on their benchmark are very CPU intensive and are a good marker for processing performance, making the Air more powerful if the Mac you own is over two years old, and only has a single processor.
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Speedmark 5 | Adobe Photoshop CS3 | Cinema 4D XL 10.5 | Compr. 3 | iMovie HD | iTunes 7.5 | Unreal Tourn. 2004 | Finder | Handbrake | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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OVERALL SCORE | SUITE | RENDER | MPEG2 ENCODE | AGED EFFECT | MP3 ENCODE | FRAME RATE | ZIP ARCHIVE | H.264 ENCODE | |
| MacBook Air/1.6GHz Core 2 Duo | 124 | 1:43 | 1:36 | 3:25 | 1:21 | 1:52 | 19.3 | 7:49 | 5:00 | |
MacBook/2GHz Core 2 Duo | 170 | 1:30 | 1:06 | 2:25 | 0:58 | 1:16 | 22.2 | 5:16 | 3:10 | |
MacBook Pro/2.2GHz Core 2 Duo | 185 | 1:24 | 1:00 | 2:16 | 0:54 | 1:09 | 76.8 | 5:37 | 3:14 | |
Mac mini/1.83GHz Core 2 Duo | 161 | 1:25 | 1:13 | 2:37 | 1:05 | 1:23 | 21.7 | 6:01 | 3:34 | |
PowerBook/1.67GHz G4 | 92 | 2:59 | 3:52 | 7:43 | 1:58 | 2:26 | 22.2 | 7:13 | 16:55 | |
| MacBook Core 2 Duo/2.2GHz (black) | 186 | 1:17 | 1:00 | 2:05 | 0:51 | 1:12 | 25.4 | 5:13 | 3:14 | |
| MacBook Core 2 Duo/2.2GHz (white) | 185 | 1:17 | 1:01 | 2:11 | 0:53 | 1:11 | 23.3 | 5:09 | 3:14 | |
| MacBook Core 2 Duo/2GHz (white) | 172 | 1:26 | 1:06 | 2:22 | 0:57 | 1:16 | 24.1 | 5:42 | 3:15 | |
| MacBook Core 2 Duo/2.16GHz (white) | 179 | 1:16 | 1:04 | 2:17 | 0:53 | 1:13 | 18.5 | 5:11 | 3:18 | |
| MacBook Core 2 Duo/2GHz (white, May 2007) | 165 | 1:31 | 1:11 | 2:37 | 0:59 | 1:16 | 18.5 | 5:51 | 3:31 | |
| 15-inch MacBook Pro Core 2 Duo/2.2GHz | 185 | 1:24 | 1:00 | 2:16 | 0:55 | 1:09 | 78 | 5:37 | 3:14 | |
| 15-inch MacBook Pro Core 2 Duo/2.4GHz | 199 | 1:17 | 0:55 | 2:08 | 0:50 | 1:06 | 69.9 | 5:01 | 3:02 | |
| 17-inch MacBook Pro Core 2 Duo/2.4GHz | 204 | 1:20 | 0:55 | 2:07 | 0:50 | 1:03 | 76.6 | 5:03 | 3:01 | |
| 20-inch iMac Core 2 Duo/2GHz | 210 | 1:03 | 1:05 | 2:17 | 0:56 | 1:09 | 73.7 | 5:13 | 3:21 | |
| 20-inch iMac Core 2 Duo/2.4 GHz | 245 | 0:54 | 0:54 | 1:57 | 0:47 | 0:59 | 88.7 | 4:24 | 2:56 | |
| 24-inch iMac Core 2 Duo/2.4 GHz | 245 | 0:55 | 0:54 | 1:57 | 0:47 | 0:59 | 88.6 | 4:25 | 2:56 | |
|
24-inch iMac Core 2 Duo/2.8 GHz | 262 | 0:47
| 0:47 | 1:42 |
0:41 | 0:51 | 31.1 | 3:46
| 2:39 | |
| Mac Pro Xeon/2.66 GHz Quad Core | 260 | 0:51 | 0:28 | 1:19 | 0:39 | 0:52 | 93.5 | 4:16 | 1:55 | |
| Mac Pro Xeon/3 GHZ Quad Core |
274 | 0:47 | 0:25
| 1:16 | 0:35 | 0:48 | 51.5 | 3:56 | 1:38 | |
Mac Pro Xeon/Dual 2.8GHz Quad Core | 314 | 0:49 | 0:16 | 0:46 | 0:30 | 0:47 | 100.8 | 3:51 | 0:54 | |
Mac Pro Xeon/2.66GHz Quad Core |
258 | 0:51 | 0:28 | 1:20 | 0:39 | 0:52 | 87.8 | 5:15 | 1:55 | |
|
Mac Pro Xeon/Dual 3GHz Quad Core | 317 | 0:44 | 0:15 | 1:02 | 0:34 | 0:51 | 95.4 | 3:41 | 0:57 | |
24-inch iMac Core 2 Duo/2.8GHz* | 268 | 0:48 | 0:47 | 1:45 | 0:41 | 0:50 | 97.8 | 3:46 | 2:39 | |
MacBook Pro Core 2 Duo/2.6GHz* | 209 | 1:14 | 0:51 | 1:56 | 0:47 | 1:02 | 79.1 | 4:45 | 2:53 | |
| Mac mini Core 2 Duo/2 GHz | 172 | 1:19 | 1:07 | 2:21 | 0:56 | 1:09 | 23.4 | 5:29 | 3:22 | |
| Mac mini Core 2 Duo/1.83GHz | 159 | 1:24 | 1:14 | 2:37 | 1:02 | 1:25 | 23.6 | 5:57 | 3:34 | |
| Mac mini Core Solo/1.5GHz | 100 | 2:16 | 3:00 | 8:03 | 2:09 | 2:50 | 19.2 | 7:47 | 9:28 | |
15-inch PowerBook G4/ 1.67Ghz
| 92 | 3:00 | 3:53 | 7:52 | 1:58
| 2:26 | 22.3 | 7:12 | 16:58
| |
Power Macintosh G5/Quad 2.5GHz | 225 | 1:12 | 0:32 |
1:28 | 0:37 | 0:48 | 32.6 |
4:47 | 2:25 | |
Power Macintosh G5/Dual 2.7GHz | 204 | 1:19
| 0:53 | 2:12 |
0:47 | 0:55 | 49.8
| 4:43 |
4:36 | |
Power Macintosh G5/Dual 2.5GHz |
193 | 1:22 | 0:57
| 2:18 | 0:47 |
0:58 | 47.3 | 4:45 | 4:57 | |
Power Macintosh G5/Dual 2.0GHz | 166 |
1:49 | 1:11 | 2:34
| 0:56 | 1:10 |
38.8 | 5:44
| 6:04 | |
Power Macintosh G5/1.8GHz-single
| 112 | 2:25 |
2:33 | 5:40 | 1:31
| 1:58 | 19.3 | 7:01 | 13:54
| |
| >Better | <Better | <Better | <Better | <Better | <Better | >Better | >Better | <Better | <Better |
Speedmark 5 scores are relative to those of a 1.5GHz Core Solo Mac mini, which is assigned a score of 100. Adobe Photoshop, Cinema 4D XL, iMovie, iTunes, and Finder scores are in minutes:seconds. All systems were running Mac OS X 10.5 with 2GB of RAM. The Photoshop Suite test is a set of 14 scripted tasks using a 50MB file. Photoshop-s memory was set to 70 percent and History was set to Minimum. We recorded how long it took to render a scene in Cinema 4D XL. We used Compressor to encode a 6minute:26second DV file using the DVD: Fastest Encode 120 minutes - 4:3 setting. In iMovie, we applied the Aged Film effect from the Video FX. menu to a one minute movie. We converted 45 minutes of AAC audio files to MP3 using iTunes- High Quality setting. We used Unreal Tournament 2004-s Antalus Botmatch average-frames-per-second score; we tested at a resolution of 1,024-by-768 pixels at the Maximum setting with both audio and graphics enabled. We ran Quake 4 timedemo at a resolution of 1,024 by 768 pixels at High Quality settings. We created a Zip archive in the Finder from a 2GB folder.-"MACWORLD LAB TESTING BY JAMES GALBRAITH, JERRY JUNG, AND BRIAN CHEN
Here are some older first generation Intel Systems which aren't on Macworld's SpeedMark 5:
| Adobe Photoshop CS2 | Cinema 4D XL 9.5.1 | iMovie 6.0.1 | iTunes 6.0.3 | Unreal Tournament 2004 | Zip Archive | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SUITE | RENDER | AGED FILTER | MP3 ENCODE | FRAME RATE | 1GB FOLDER | |
| MacBook Pro 2GHz Core Duo | 2:41 | 1:11 |
1:08 | 1:33 | 51.6 | 3:08 |
PowerBook G4 1.67GHz | 1:34
| 3:57 | 1:50 |
2:00 | 23.0 | 3:29
|
iMac 2GHz Core Duo | 2:31
| 1:11 | 1:02 | 1:25 |
51.6 | 2:33 |
| "x Factor" | 0.6x | 3.3x | 1.6x | 1.3x | 2.2x | 1.1x |
Best results in
bold.
Reference systems in
italic.
"X Factor" refers to the number of times faster the MacBook Pro 2GHz Core Duo is than the PowerBook G4 1.67GHz (1.0x = same speed.) Smaller numbers are better for all tests except Unreal Tournament.
All scores are in minutes:seconds except for Unreal Tournament results, which are in frames per second. All systems were running Mac OS X 10.4.5 with 1GB of RAM. The Photoshop Suite test is a set of 14 scripted tasks using a 50MB file. Photoshop-s memory was set to 70 percent and History was set to Minimum. We rendered a project in Cinema4D. In iMovie, we applied the Aged video effect to a 1-minute movie. We converted 45 minutes of AAC audio files to MP3 using iTunes- High Quality setting. We used Unreal Tournament 2004-s Antalus Botmatch average-frames-per-second score; we tested at a resolution of 1,024 by 768 pixels at the Maximum setting with both audio and graphics enabled. We created a Zip archive in the Finder from a 1GB folder-"Macworld Lab testing by James Galbraith and Jerry Jung
| Speedmark 4.5 | Adobe Photoshop CS2 | Cinema 4D XL 9.5.21 | Compressor 2.3 | iMovie 6.0.2 | iTunes 6.0.4 | Unreal Tournament 2004 | Finder | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OVERALL SCORE | SUITE | RENDER | MPEG-2 ENCODE | AGED EFFECT | MP3 ENCODE | FRAME RATE | ZIP ARCHIVE | |
| 15-inch MacBook Pro Core 2 Duo/ 2.16GHz | 209 | 1:16 | 1:01 | 2:17 | 0:54 | 1:11 | 63.9 | 2:48 |
| 15-inch MacBook Pro Core 2 Duo/ 2.33GHz (2GB RAM) | 226 |
1:10 | 0:57 | 2:07
| 0:51 | 0:58 |
72.9 | 2:22 |
|
15-inch MacBook Pro Core 2 Duo/ 2.33GHz (1GB RAM) | 222 | 1:11
| 0:57 | 2:07 | 0:51 |
0:58 | 72.1 |
2:39 |
15-inch MacBook Pro Core Duo/ 2.16GHz* |
190 | 1:40 | 1:06
| 3:02 | 0:58 |
1:38 | 59 | 2:37
|
13-inch MacBook Core Duo/2GHz (Black) | 167
| 1:48 | 1:12 |
3:18 | 1:03 | 1:34
| 17.7 | 3:03 |
15-inch PowerBook G4/1.67GHz | 132 |
1:35 | 3:57 | 6:59
| 1:51 | 1:53 |
19.9 | 3:30 |
| >Better | <Better | <Better | <Better | <Better | <Better | >Better | <Better |
Best results in
bold. Reference systems in I. Asterisk (*) denotes system tested with optional 7,200-rpm hard drive.
Speedmark is a suite of 15 tasks using the Finder and eight other applications. Only a portion of those tests are represented in this chart. The individual scores are relative to those of a 1.25GHz Mac mini, which is assigned a score of 100. Adobe Photoshop, Cinema 4D XL, iMovie, iTunes, and Finder scores are in minutes:seconds. All systems were running Mac OS X 10.4.7 with 1GB of RAM, with processor performance set to Highest in the Energy Saver preference pane when applicable. The Photoshop Suite test is a set of 14 scripted tasks using a 50MB file. Photoshop-s memory was set to 70 percent and History was set to Minimum. We recorded how long it took to render a scene in Cinema 4D XL. We used Compressor to encode a 6-minute and 26-second DV file using the DVD: Fastest Encode 120 minutes - 4:3 setting. In iMovie, we applied the Aged video effect to a 1-minute movie. We converted 45 minutes of AAC audio files to MP3 using iTunes- High Quality setting. We used Unreal Tournament 2004-s Antalus Botmatch average-frames-per-second score; we tested at a resolution of 1,024 by 768 pixels at the Maximum setting with both audio and graphics enabled. We created a Zip archive in the Finder from a 1GB folder. The Photoshop CS2 and Compressor tests are not part of Speedmark and do not factor into the Speedmark overall score. To compare Speedmark 4.5 scores for various Mac systems, visit our
Apple Hardware Guide
.-"Macworld Lab testing by James Galbraith and Jerry Jung
Sources:
Macworld: Review: MacBook Air
Macworld: First Look: Updating our Speedmark 5 results
Macworld: 15-inch MacBook Pro Core 2 Duo/2.16GHz and 2.33GHz
Macworld: From the Lab: Internal changes bolster latest Mac Pro
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