GRAPH LEGEND
E2015 rMB 12" 1.2 M = 'early 2015' Retina MacBook 12" with 1.2GHz Dual-Core Intel Core M processor (Turbo Boost to 2.6GHz), 8GB of 1600MHz LPDDR3 onboard memory, 512GB PCIe-based onboard Flash Storage, Intel HD Graphics 5300 GPU
M2012 mba 11" 2.0 i7 = 'mid 2012' MacBook Air 11" with 2.0GHz Dual-Core Intel Core i7 procesor (Turbo Boost to 3.2GHz), 8GB of 1600MHz DDR3 onboard memory, 256GB SATA SSD, Intel HD Graphics 4000 GPU
Both laptops were running OS X Yosemite 10.10.3.
Cinebench R15 -- Render 3D Model using a Single Core and then Multiple Cores with Hyperthreading. This is a hybrid benchmark since it uses the same rendering code as the full professional version of Cinema 4D R15. (RED graph bar means FASTEST CB Rating.)
Sunspider
This tests the performance of the Javascript "engine" of your Mac. It's run using your browser. We used Safari. (RED graph bar means FASTEST in MILLISECONDS.)
HandBrake 1.0.2
This free utility is useful for converting nearly any video formats to a selection of widely supported codecs. We used it to convert a two minute 1440x1080 Apple ProRes 422 clip to 960x720 H.264 MP4. (RED graph bar means FASTEST in SECONDS.)
LuxMark 2
This is an OpenCL benchmark. We rendered the Sala scene. (RED graph bar means FASTEST in Thousands of Samples per Second.)
GFXBench 3 has a "T-Rex HD" test a game simulation where a Tyrannosaurus chases a dirt bike rider. The "OFF-screen" mode runs the test at 1920x1080 offscreen, providing a way to compare results of Macs with varied screen resolution. (RED bar means FASTEST in Frames per Second.)
Unigine Heaven 4.0 is a GPU-intensive OpenGL benchmark that hammers graphics cards to the limits. The fly-by and walk-through immerses a user into a magical steampunk world of shiny brass, wood and gears. Nested on flying islands, a tiny village with its cozy, sun-heated cobblestone streets, an elaborately crafted dirigible above the expanse of fluffy clouds, and a majestic dragon on the central square gives a true sense of adventure. We chose the BASIC Preset. (RED bar means FASTEST in Frames per Second.)
LARGE SEQUENTIAL FLASH STORAGE TEST
We used AJA System Test to test file level sequential transfer speed using a 16GB test. (RED bar means FASTEST in Megabytes per Second.)
INSIGHTS
In the CPU intensive tests, the two year-old MacBook Air with its Core i7 processor beats the new Retina MacBook with its Core M processor. The GPU intensive tests results are mixed. The PCIe-based flash storage of the MacBook, though, is significantly quicker than the SATA based storage in the MacBook Air.
What is not measured here is the difference between a Retina and non-Retina screen. Nor did we quantify the redesigned keyboard and touch pad. Those three components give the 2015 Retina MacBook a clear advantage over the 2012 MacBook Air.
We will add test results for newer models of MacBook Air early next week.
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