2019 iMac 27-inch 8-core i9 versus
OLD Mac Pros
April 25th, 2019 by rob-ART morgan, mad scientist
Can a 2019 iMac i9 replace your 'legacy' Mac Pro? It depends on what you run.
GRAPH LEGEND
iMac 8-core i9 + Vega 48 = 2019 iMac 27-inch, 3.6GHz 8-core Intel Core i9 processor, 32GB 2666MHz DDR4 memory, AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 (8G) GPU, 1TB flash storage
iMac Pro 8-core + Vega 64 = 2017 iMac Pro, 3.2GHz 8-core Intel Xeon W-2140B processor, 32GB 2666MHz DDR4 ECC memory, AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64 (16G) GPU, 1TB flash storage
nMP 8-core + D700s = 2013 Mac Pro, 3.0GHz 8-core Intel Xeon E5-1680 processor, 64GB 1866MHz DDR4 ECC memory, dual AMD FirePro D700 (6G) GPUs, 1TB flash storage, LG Ultrafine 5K 27-inch display
cMP 12-core + Vega 56 = 2010 Mac Pro, 3.3GHz 12-core Intel Xeon X5680 processor, 96GB 1333MHz DDR3 ECC memory, AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 (8G) GPU, 512G Samsung 970 NVMe M.2 flash storage on Amfeltec M.2 carrier board, Dell UltraSharp 27-inch Ultra HD 5K UP2715K display
GFXBENCH METAL
The 1440p Aztec Ruins (High Tier) was run in Offscreen mode. (HIGHER frames per second = FASTER.)
DAVINCI RESOLVE 15
One Node of Noise Reduction was applied to the Candle Project "Parrot" clip. The effect is rendered on the fly during looping playback. (HIGHER frames per second = FASTER.)
AFTER EFFECTS CC 2019
Render the TestComp sample project. (LOWER time in seconds = FASTER.)
LIGHTROOM CLASSIC CC
We exported 100 Sony camera images (7952x5304) as full sized JPEG. (LOWER time in seconds = FASTER.)
PHOTOSHOP CC 2019
Ran diglloydHuge, an Action file that generates a 56GB scratch file using a 40,000-pixel-wide image and gobbles up 23GB of memory. (LOWER time in seconds = FASTER.)
FINAL CUT PRO X 10.4.6
Export BruceX 5K sample project to ProRes 4444 XQ. (LOWER time in seconds = FASTER.)
MOTION
Using the Atmospheric 600 frame HD template, we rendered a RAM preview while doing playback. (HIGHER frames per second = FASTER.)
COMPRESSOR
From Final Cut Pro, we sent the BruceX 5K project to Compressor and transcoded it to 4K HEVC 10-bit. (LOWER time in seconds = FASTER.)
BLENDER 2.79b
Render the BMW (bmw27_cpu.blend) demo scene using only CPU. (LOWER time in seconds = FASTER.)
PHOTOZOOM 7
Render 400% upscale of image. (LOWER time in seconds = FASTER.)
TOTAL WAR: WARHAMMER II
The built-in "Skaven" benchmark was used. (HIGHER frames per second means FASTER.)
WHAT WE LEARNED
The 2019 iMac i9 beat the 2010 Mac Pro tower in 8 out of 11 tests. It beat the 2013 Mac Pro cylinder in 9 out of 11 tests.
Some of us stubbornly cling to our Mac Pro tower. There are plenty of ways to upgrade it as you see from the specs quoted in the GRAPH LEGEND.
Before you dump your Mac Pro tower or cylinder for an iMac or iMac Pro, you may want to hold off until June (WWDC) to see if Apple announces the 2019 (or 2020) Modular Mac Pro.
BTW, the iMac i9 exhibited some thermal throttling, dropping below the base 3.6GHz frequency when we were running the LuxMark CPU + GPU OpenCL render test. Not only did the iMac Pro NOT throttle but it maintained 3.9GHz -- clearly above the base 3.2GHz. The Mac Pro cylinder not only maintained Turbo Boost but was dead silent.
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