Apple News, Analysis and Podcasts

Historically, desktop computers have been faster and cheaper than laptops. Recently though, laptop prices have fallen to desktop levels, and laptop performance has caught up and surpassed the needs of today's software. This transformation in the PC industry has led to an explosion in laptop sales.

These same trends have also occurred in the Mac ecosphere, with many people switching from Mac Pros or Power Macs to MacBooks and MacBook Pros. Now that the latest iMacs are out, it is time to compare the performance of the latest product line-up coming out of Cupertino.

We at T-GAAP have been using the Geekbench scores to measure performance of today's Apple products from Mac Pros to iPhones. These benchmarks provide a comprehensive set of scores for the memory and processor. In the chart below, we give the Geekbench high and low scores for most of today's Mac products and a few of their past products. We also include the iPad for a comparison.

The following charts shows the high and low prices for most of today's Macs. Again, we also included the iPad for a comparison. The high prices only included upgraded processors and memory.

The chart shows the Mac Pro is more than twice as fast as the top of the line MacBook Pro or iMac. It should be since the price is about twice the cost of an iMac or MacBook Pro. Apple's desktop tower machines have gone from a standard Mac to a specialty machine. They have become high-end workstations used for specific tasks that require a huge amount of horsepower. If one does not need the expandability, upgradeability, or need multiple separate monitors, it is best to look at one of the other Mac products.

Even though the iMac uses laptop parts, it has become the main stream desktop computer for Apple. It has plenty of graphics and processor power to handle all but the most demanding software. The 27-inch display, which comes with the higher end iMac, is now Apple's biggest display. For those who keep their computers in one place, it offers the best price vs performance of the entire Mac line-up.

While the iMac has become Apple's main desktop computer, the MacBooks have been replacing desktop machines for several years now. The high-end MacBook Pros are almost as fast as their iMac counterparts, which have plenty of power. Even the base MacBook Pro 13-inch models have enough power to edit video with Final Cut Pro.

Those who are used to a desktop computer need to give a MacBook a try to see how easy they are to use around the office or house. It is truly a freeing experience to be able to move the computer from room to room instead having to keep the computer in one place. With the addition of an Apple Cinema display, the MacBook becomes the best of both worlds. If the price for Cinema seems to high, there are plenty of excellent displays on the market for a much cheaper price. An example would be the ViewSonic VP2365WB, which is a excellent 23-inch display that only costs $290.

Unless you need a Mac Pro, one should look at the iMac and MacBook models as offer enough options and features to suit most of the users today. Laptops have been replacing desktops for years since software demands have not kept up with hardware performance. The MacBooks have led the way with several models to choose from, but for those who like to keep their computer in one place, the iMac provides the best bang for the buck. Either way, Apple has a computer that is right for you.

Related Articles

• MacBook Buyers Guide 2011
• MacBook Air Solid State Drive Comparison
• MacBook Pro’s Next Step
• Macbook Graphics Face-off: Intel HD Graphics 3000 vs NVIDIA GeForce 320M
• Performance Face Off: iPad 2 vs MacBook Air
• Comparison: MacBook Air vs MacBook Pro

3 Comments

1. pete ~ May 10, 2011 15:00
   Where's the mini?
2. Robert ~ May 10, 2011 21:58
   Geekbench 2.1.13 32bit mode (have to pay for 64bit) Early 2010 Mac mini (I believe this is the latest model) Macmini4,1. Intel Core 2 Duo, 2.66 GHz, 8GB RAM, running 10.6.7 score 3651 Not terribly fast but this is my work computer, which isn't required to do that much.
3. Robert ~ May 10, 2011 22:05
   Forgot to mention my mini was installed with a Seagate 7200rpm drive. It's total cost was not that cheap but I already had an older 23-24" Cinema HD Display. The latest i-series CPUs knock the socks off the Core 2 Duos (both daughters have new MacBook Pros). I'd love to get a new iMac but mine isn't old enough to upgrade. I understand the desire to have portable computers but having a large screen in front of you really helps when running display-intensive applications. Also having a faster drive that's standard helps.

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