“As the replacement for Apple’s consumer-level iBook line, the new 13-inch MacBook isn’t being marketed toward creative professionals. Nevertheless, packed with one of the most powerful mobile processors on the market–a 2.0 GHz Intel Core Duo–this little notebook offers amazing rendering and encoding performance. But is it good enough to compete with the MacBook Pros and with desktop G5 systems? Surprisingly, yes, it is,” Dave Nagel reports for CreativeMac.
“For this first round of benchmarks tests, we’ll compare the 13-inch MacBook with a dual 2.0 GHz G5 and a 2.16 GHz MacBook Pro running various rendering and encoding tests in Final Cut Studio 5.1. The applications in Studio are, of course, Universal Binaries, so they’re designed to run natively on PowerPC and Intel hardware. The results are surprising. Like the 15-inch MacBook Pro, the 13-inch MacBook surpasses the performance of a dual 2.0 GHz G5 in many cases. But it also holds its own against the MacBook Pro, coming in just slightly slower in most tests. Some components of Mac OS X have been updated since we ran our MacBook Pro benchmarks, and, as a result, the MacBook comes in faster in some tests–significantly in some Compressor encoding tests,” Nagel reports.
Full article with much more plus benchmarks here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Greg” and “LinuxGuy” for the heads up.]
Related MacDailyNews articles:
Temperature Test: Apple MacBook vs. Dell Latitude D620 – July 18, 2006
Washington Times: If you want a stylish, great, capable portable, buy an Apple MacBook – July 18, 2006
AP: Apple’s MacBook should give makers of Windows-only notebooks nightmares – July 07, 2006
Survey shows big jump in consumer interest in buying Apple Mac; Dell takes steep slide – July 06, 2006
Boston Herald: Apple MacBook superior to iBook predecessor in every way – July 03, 2006
Report: Apple MacBook shipments stronger than expected; 15-inch MacBook (not Pro) model planned? – July 03, 2006
MSNBC’s Krakow: Apple’s MacBook ‘the best notebook computer I’ve ever used’ – June 28, 2006
The Washington Times: Apple’s new 13-inch MacBook ‘is one powerful, affordable Mac portable’ – June 23, 2006
Apple offers special deal prices on select Apple Certified MacBook, MacBook Pro models – June 20, 2006
Review: Tom Bihn ‘Smart Alec’ backpack for Apple MacBook and MacBook Pro models – June 19, 2006
IT Business Net reviews Apple 13-inch MacBook: ‘Insanely great value, Strong Buy recommendation’ – June 13, 2006
Computeract!ve: Apple MacBook ‘the best of both worlds’ – 5 out of 5 stars – June 13, 2006
Washington Post: Apple MacBook leaves iBook in the dust – June 11, 2006
Mossberg: Apple’s new MacBook surprisingly inexpensive, offers vastly superior Mac OS X – June 08, 2006
Time Magazine on Apple’s 13-inch MacBook: ‘Dell and HP should be very worried’ – June 07, 2006
Thurrott: Look at Apple’s MacBook and ‘you might just find your perfect notebook’ – May 31, 2006
Personal Computer World review: Apple MacBook – May 22, 2006
Amazon offers US$100 and $150 rebates on Apple MacBook and MacBook Pro models – May 22, 2006
Ars Technica reviews Apple MacBook – May 19, 2006
iTWire’s Beer: My next notebook is an Apple MacBook – May 18, 2006
Analyst: MacBooks are best consumer notebooks Apple has created, sure to be big winners – May 18, 2006
Apple’s new MacBooks are mobile HDTV media centers – May 17, 2006
Analysts expect Apple’s new MacBook to drive market share gains in near future – May 17, 2006
PC World: Hands on with Apple’s new black MacBook running Mac OS X and Windows – May 17, 2006
Analyst: Apple’s new MacBook costs a bit more than iBook, but will sell strongly – May 16, 2006
Close-up Apple MacBook photos (keyboard, glossy screen, and more) – May 16, 2006
Apple debuts new 13.3-inch widescreen MacBook; replaces both iBook and 12-inch PowerBook – May 16, 2006
All of a sudden my DP 2.0 G5 feels like an Amish butter churner *sniffle*
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”smile” style=”border:0;” />
Scary how fast it is. I can’t wait to get one this week. It’s perfect for traveling.
F1rst post!
But it’s hot! whaaaaaaaaaa. I’m going back to my Pismo. sniffle. I can’t edit video with this MacBook sitting on my nuts.
I love my MacBook even more now. Nothing like benchmark fetishism.
{looks at dual 2ghz G5, sighs, and joins Frank in Amish butter making class at local community college}
That’s a great article and nice how David answers questions in feedback. Anxious to read his upcoming Rosetta take, etc.
Dude: Get an EZ-Lap from Cyberguys.com. It’s only $10 and it will protect your privates. Your ‘nads will thank you.
Frank, I feel your pain. Well, some of it – mine is a 2.3 and churns butter a bit faster … but …
My next system purchase must be an iMac upgrade for my wife. Her G4 is showing its age while our G4 iBook just soldiers along. Still … that iMac will have much the same benchmarks as the MacBook.
But I wants one, I WANTS one!
Fast eh? Lets try to benchmark anything from Adobe and try this again. These machines are dead slow and overpriced. Apple is screwing over the user base by lying about the performance of their computers. Hopefully the government will sue Apple for this type of behavior. If you want a machine that is as fast as advertised stick with Dell or HP running fast and reliable Microsoft Windows.
I just bought a new MacBook 13″ to replace a G5 iMac 1.6. The results are in and the G5 just got smoked. I love this little machine.
Mac Realist, you do know that, even tho some may read your posts nobody cares, right?
Because see, you can’t run OS X on a Dell really, and see that’s why we use Macs. Because of the OS. OK dumbass? If I really needed to run Adobe products that fast I wouldn’t buy an Intel Mac yet. OK dumbass?
Dear Dear MacRealist
You are a lying ….. (actually here I would have said ass hole, but the fact of the matter is, you are not an ass hole, you are the shit that comes out of the ass hole. So, you cannot be an ass hole. No ass hole for you MacRealist. You are not an ass hole, you are shit. You are dirty, smelly, stinky, smoldering shit. And you know why? Cause. Just cause. No other reason.
Mac Realist is also an idiot, but that’s a different story and thus a different post.
Please don’t link to that site again. Damn difficult to read and it’s like walking in a yard full of sh*t. No matter where you put your foot down you’ll always step on crap.
Mac Realist (actually Windows Delusionist) –
Adobe software? It’s not UB yet. Duh. Double-duh. Tiny-nutted 13-year-old dingbat.
Actually, I’m happy to see that the G5 dual of roughly equivalent clock speed holds its own. I have the newer dual-core Power Mac G5 (2.0 GHz) in the house, and it seems plenty fast. My wife uses it mostly, but when I mess with it, I get a kick out of seeing two HD Quicktime movies playing simultaneously. When the Mac Pro is released, I’d be very curious to see Intel Quad versus PPC Quad…
Because of the non-Universal apps from Adobe, I’ll bet Apple will keep one model of the Power Mac G5 around a bit longer. Apple kept the Mac OS 9 compatible version of the Power Mac G4 around for quite some time after the G5 came out.