“I closed out my 10-core iMac Pro Review back in December wondering how an 18-core model would perform, and happily, one finally showed up for testing!” Craig A. Hunter writes for Hunter Research and Technology. “As the two machines are otherwise very similar, refer back to that original review for a general overview of the iMac Pro (and background on my various benchmarks). Here, I am focusing on performance differences between the 10-core and 18-core models, as I suspect most buyers eyeing the 18-core juggernaut will be doing so for performance.”
“This new 18-core test unit has an Intel Xeon W-2195 CPU running at 2.3GHz (Turbo boost up to 4.3GHz) with a single 24.8MB L3 cache, 1MB L2 cache per core, 128GB of 2666MHz DDR4 ECC memory, a 4TB SSD, and an AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64 graphics chipset with 16GB of VRAM,” Hunter writes. “For reference, the 10-core test unit has an Intel Xeon W-2155 CPU running at 3.0GHz (Turbo boost up to 4.5GHz), a single 13.8MB L3 cache, 1MB of L2 cache per core, 128GB of 2666MHz DDR4 ECC memory, a 2TB SSD, and the same AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64 graphics chipset with 16GB of VRAM. For the purposes of my tests, the only notable difference between these two machines is the CPU.”
“In summary, we see performance increases ranging from 27% to 79% for the 18-core iMac Pro when compared to the 10-core model,” Hunter writes. “Based on pricing from Apple’s website, it costs $1,600 more to go from a 10-core model to an 18-core model. My 10-core test unit prices out at $9,599, and a comparable 18-core unit would be $11,199, a 17% increase in cost. Those are both lofty prices for sure, but considering the performance increases we’ve seen here, the upcharge for the 18-core model is a bargain. If you’re mainly interested in performance, looking at dollars per GFLOPS is a good way to compare the two machines, and confirms that the 18-core machine is indeed a better deal.”
Much more in the full review – recommended – here.
MacDailyNews Take: For those who need true workstation class Macs, the answer, for now, is clear.
SEE ALSO:
Apple begins shipping 18-core iMac Pro units to customers – January 31, 2018
Apple’s monstrously potent iMac Pro is for these professional computer users – December 14, 2017
Aerospace engineer Dr. Craig Hunter reviews Apple’s new iMac Pro: Strong performance, productivity, and a stunning display – December 12, 2017