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iMac 5K and Mac Pro Workstation Rig Shootout

We put the iMac 5K, Mac Pro Silver Tower, and Mac Pro through their paces with different memory, storage, and/or video card options to see which workstation rigs would reign supreme.

TEST #1: diglloydMedium Photoshop Action Test
Generates a 15.7GB file using a 20,000 pixel wide image.

TEST #2: diglloydHuge Photoshop Action Test
A true torture test that generates a 56GB scratch file using a 40,000 pixel wide image. Machines that can handle this test are pretty darn fast!

These tests mimic working with large images, images with many layers, or many images at once, to show memory, storage, and GPU performance.

Note: We're currently testing the 2017 iMac models and will publish the results here when testing has completed

Toggle the installed memory tabs below to see how these different workstations stack up!   Also available: Test Results PDF
nav location arrow
8GB
SHOOTOUT WINNER!
1ST
PLACE
27-inch iMac with Retina 5K display - Late 2015
27-inch iMac with Retina 5K display
Late 2015 – iMac17,1
  • 8GB memory
  • 4-Core i7 4.0Ghz processor
  • 4GB AMD 395X video card
  • 1TB Fusion Drive (1TB HDD + 128GB SSD)
OBSERVATIONS
The top-end 5K iMac never fails to impress. These machines are screamers. This iMac configuration handily beats the pack on the massively challenging diglloydHuge test. Wow! Adding more memory makes the screamer of a Mac go even faster.
diglloydMedium test
20.32
seconds to complete
diglloydHuge test
164.49
seconds to complete
8GB
SHOOTOUT RUNNER-UP!
2ND
PLACE
Mac Pro - Late 2013
Mac Pro
Late 2013 – Mac Pro6,1
  • 8GB memory
  • 4-Core Xeon 3.7Ghz processor
  • 4GB Dual AMD Fire Pro D300 2GB video cards
  • 256GB Apple SSD
OBSERVATIONS
The 2013 is a fast Mac, period. But it's hugely surprising to see the latest top-end 5K iMac beat this Mac Pro model up so badly on the diglloydHuge test, and to see it run 30% slower on the diglloydMedium test was a surprise as well. Of course, adding more memory will speed this fast Mac Pro up even more.
diglloydMedium test
26.44
seconds to complete
diglloydHuge test
235.89
seconds to complete
3RD
PLACE
27-inch iMac with Retina 5K display - Late 2015
27-inch iMac with Retina 5K display
Mid 2015 – iMac15,1
  • 8GB memory
  • 4-Core i5 3.3Ghz processor
  • 2GB AMD M290 video card
  • 1TB Fusion Drive (1TB HDD + 128GB SSD)
OBSERVATIONS
While the latest top-end iMac is the winner of the pack, this mid-end, previous generation, 5K iMac is no slouch. It's 128GB SSD integrated into its stock Fusion Drive is really helping push this iMac up the performance rankings. To see what happens with a smaller SSD check out 8th place below. Add more memory and this iMac gets even faster!
diglloydMedium test
40.73
seconds to complete
diglloydHuge test
337.82
seconds to complete
4TH
PLACE
Mac Pro 2009-2010
Mac Pro
Mid 2010 – Mac Pro5,1
OBSERVATIONS
It's still amazing how well one of Apple's most upgradable Mac models ever created holds up as a solid workstation, even being 5+ years old. Of course, we love the performance combination of an upgraded video card coupled with a fast PCIe SSD. Adding more memory will only make this Mac Pro an even faster workhorse.
diglloydMedium test
45.80
seconds to complete
diglloydHuge test
338.17
seconds to complete
5TH
PLACE
Mac Pro 2009-2010
Mac Pro
Mid 2010 – Mac Pro5,1
OBSERVATIONS
The extra processors in this model didn't help in these tests, so the 2010 Mac Pro performs the same in 6-Core or 12-Core configurations with the upgraded video card and a fast PCIe SSD. Adding more memory makes this Mac an even faster workhorse.
diglloydMedium test
46.39
seconds to complete
diglloydHuge test
338.51
seconds to complete
6TH
PLACE
Mac Pro 2009-2010
Mac Pro
Early 2009 – Mac Pro4,1
OBSERVATIONS
While just a year older than the 2010 models, the 2009 Mac Pro is just as upgradable, makes for a solid workstation, and can pull about the same performance numbers as the 2010 models. Of course, we love the added performance combination of an upgraded video card coupled with a fast PCIe SSD. Adding more memory will only make this Mac an even faster workhorse.
diglloydMedium test
46.05
seconds to complete
diglloydHuge test
343.01
seconds to complete
7TH
PLACE
Mac Pro 2009-2010
Mac Pro
Early 2009 – Mac Pro4,1
OBSERVATIONS
While this 2009 model has less processor cores than the 6th place 2009 Mac Pro, its performance is a near tie in these tests. The combination of an upgraded video card coupled with a fast PCIe SSD make this older Mac Pro sing. Adding more memory makes it faster.
diglloydMedium test
47.33
seconds to complete
diglloydHuge test
344.54
seconds to complete
8TH
PLACE
27-inch iMac with Retina 5K display - Late 2015
27-inch iMac with Retina 5K display
Late 2015 – iMac17,1
  • 8GB memory
  • 4-Core i5 4.0Ghz processor
  • 2GB AMD M390 R9 video card
  • 1TB Fusion Drive (1TB HDD + 24GB SSD)
OBSERVATIONS
This iMac release features a smaller 24GB SSD in the 1.0TB fusion drive implementation than the previous generation which utilized a 128GB SSD. Thus, this iMac model ran out of memory and SSD capacity which made it page out data to the hard drive, resulting in it's abysmal score on the large test compared with the previous year's model. The good news is this iMac can take up to 64GB of memory which helps tremendously.
diglloydMedium test
80.72
seconds to complete
diglloydHuge test
1860.87
seconds to complete
nav location arrow
16GB
SHOOTOUT WINNER!
1ST
PLACE
27-inch iMac with Retina 5K display - Late 2015
27-inch iMac with Retina 5K display
Late 2015 – iMac17,1
  • 16GB memory upgrade
  • 4-Core i7 4.0Ghz processor
  • 4GB AMD 395X video card
  • 1TB Fusion Drive (1TB HDD + 128GB SSD)
OBSERVATIONS
Here you can see the perfomance gains that adding more memory makes versus the model only stocked with 8GB. The top-end 5K iMac never fails to impress. These machines are screamers. This iMac configuration handily beats the pack on the massively challenging diglloydHuge test. Wow! With 16GB of memory this iMac is:
  • Up to 1.4x faster versus having 8GB of memory
diglloydMedium test
14.90
seconds to complete
diglloydHuge test
150.88
seconds to complete
16GB
SHOOTOUT RUNNER-UP!
2ND
PLACE
Mac Pro - Late 2013
Mac Pro
Late 2013 – Mac Pro6,1
  • 16GB memory upgrade
  • 4-Core Xeon 3.7Ghz processor
  • 4GB Dual AMD Fire Pro D300 2GB video cards
  • 256GB Apple SSD
OBSERVATIONS
The 2013 is a fast Mac, period. But it's hugely surprising to see the latest top-end 5K iMac outperform this Mac Pro model. With 16GB of memory this Mac Pro is:
  • Up to 1.6x faster versus having 8GB of memory
diglloydMedium test
16.26
seconds to complete
diglloydHuge test
206.02
seconds to complete
3RD
PLACE
27-inch iMac with Retina 5K display - Late 2015
27-inch iMac with Retina 5K display
Mid 2015 – iMac15,1
  • 16GB memory upgrade
  • 4-Core i5 3.3Ghz processor
  • 2GB AMD M290 video card
  • 1TB Fusion Drive (1TB HDD + 128GB SSD)
OBSERVATIONS
While the latest top-end iMac is the winner of the pack, this mid-end, previous generation, 5K iMac is no slouch. It's 128GB SSD integrated into its stock Fusion Drive is really helping push this iMac up the ladder. Adding more memory makes this great performer even better! With 16GB of memory this iMac is:
  • Up to 1.8x faster versus having 8GB of memory
diglloydMedium test
23.11
seconds to complete
diglloydHuge test
291.16
seconds to complete
4TH
PLACE
Mac Pro 2009-2010
Mac Pro
Mid 2010 – Mac Pro5,1
OBSERVATIONS
It's still amazing how well one of Apple's most upgradable Mac models ever created holds up as a solid workstation, even with it being 5+ years old. Of course, we love the performance combination of an upgraded video card coupled with a fast PCIe SSD. With 16GB of memory this Mac Pro is:
  • Up to 1.8x faster versus having 8GB of memory
diglloydMedium test
25.68
seconds to complete
diglloydHuge test
289.77
seconds to complete
5TH
PLACE
Mac Pro 2009-2010
Mac Pro
Early 2009 – Mac Pro4,1
OBSERVATIONS
While just a year older than the 2010 models, the 2009 Mac Pro is just as upgradable, makes for a solid workstation, and pulls about the same performance numbers as the 2010 models. The upgraded video card coupled with a fast PCIe SSD makes this venerable Mac even more awesome. With 16GB of memory this Mac Pro is:
  • Up to 1.7x faster versus having 8GB of memory
diglloydMedium test
26.38
seconds to complete
diglloydHuge test
292.03
seconds to complete
6TH
PLACE
Mac Pro 2009-2010
Mac Pro
Early 2009 – Mac Pro4,1
OBSERVATIONS
While this 2009 model has less processor cores than the 5th place 2009 Mac Pro, its performance is a near tie in these tests. With 16GB of memory this Mac Pro is:
  • Up to 1.7x faster versus having 8GB of memory
diglloydMedium test
27.42
seconds to complete
diglloydHuge test
297.56
seconds to complete
7TH
PLACE
Mac Pro 2009-2010
Mac Pro
Mid 2010 – Mac Pro5,1
OBSERVATIONS
The extra processors in this model didn't help in these tests, so the 2010 Mac Pro performs about the same in 6-Core or 12-Core configurations with the upgraded video card and a fast PCIe SSD. With 16GB of memory this Mac Pro is:
  • Up to 1.6x faster versus having 8GB of memory
diglloydMedium test
29.89
seconds to complete
diglloydHuge test
300.01
seconds to complete
8TH
PLACE
27-inch iMac with Retina 5K display - Late 2015
27-inch iMac with Retina 5K display
Late 2015 – iMac17,1
  • 16GB memory upgrade
  • 4-Core i5 4.0Ghz processor
  • 2GB AMD M390 R9 video card
  • 1TB Fusion Drive (1TB HDD + 24GB SSD)
OBSERVATIONS
This iMac release features a smaller 24GB SSD in the 1.0TB fusion drive implementation than the previous generation which used 128GB SSD. Thus, this iMac model ran out of memory and SSD capacity which made it page out data to the hard drive, resulting in it's abysmal score on the large test compared with the previous year's model. The good news is more memory makes this Mac faster. With 16GB of memory this iMac is:
  • Up to 1.6x faster versus having 8GB of memory
diglloydMedium test
58.47
seconds to complete
diglloydHuge test
1183.84
seconds to complete
nav location arrow
24GB
SHOOTOUT WINNER!
1ST
PLACE
27-inch iMac with Retina 5K display - Late 2015
27-inch iMac with Retina 5K display
Late 2015 – iMac17,1
  • 24GB memory upgrade
  • 4-Core i7 4.0Ghz processor
  • 4GB AMD 395X video card
  • 1TB Fusion Drive (1TB HDD + 128GB SSD)
OBSERVATIONS
The top-end 5K iMac never fails to impress and gets even faster with 24GB of memory:
  • Up to 2.1x faster versus having 8GB of memory
  • Up to 1.5x faster versus having 16GB of memory
diglloydMedium test
9.65
seconds to complete
diglloydHuge test
82.85
seconds to complete
24GB
SHOOTOUT RUNNER-UP!
2ND
PLACE
27-inch iMac with Retina 5K display - Late 2015
27-inch iMac with Retina 5K display
Mid 2015 – iMac15,1
  • 24GB memory upgrade
  • 4-Core i5 3.3Ghz processor
  • 2GB AMD M290 video card
  • 1TB Fusion Drive (1TB HDD + 128GB SSD)
OBSERVATIONS
While the latest top-end iMac is the winner of the pack, this mid-end, previous generation, 5K iMac is no slouch. With 24GB of memory this iMac is:
  • Up to 3.8x faster versus having 8GB of memory
  • Up to 2x faster versus having 16GB of memory
It's 128GB SSD integrated into its stock Fusion Drive really helps make this iMac fast. Check out the 3rd place below, and you'll see the newest version of this machine is impacted by the smaller SSD used in its Fusion Drive.
diglloydMedium test
11.14
seconds to complete
diglloydHuge test
161.06
seconds to complete
3RD
PLACE
27-inch iMac with Retina 5K display - Late 2015
27-inch iMac with Retina 5K display
Late 2015 – iMac17,1
  • 24GB memory upgrade
  • 4-Core i5 4.0Ghz processor
  • 2GB AMD M390 R9 video card
  • 1TB Fusion Drive (1TB HDD + 24GB SSD)
OBSERVATIONS
With 24GB of memory this iMac starts pulling in good performance numbers though the diglloydHuge test much slower than the rest of the pack.
  • Up to 6.8x faster versus having 8GB of memory
  • Up to 5x faster versus having 16GB of memory
This iMac release features a smaller 24GB SSD in the 1.0TB fusion drive implementation than the previous generation which used 128GB SSD. Thus, this iMac model can run out of memory and SSD capacity which will make it page out data to the hard drive. The good news is more memory tremendously speeds up this iMac.
diglloydMedium test
11.82
seconds to complete
diglloydHuge test
434.75
seconds to complete
nav location arrow
32GB
SHOOTOUT WINNER!
1ST
PLACE
27-inch iMac with Retina 5K display - Late 2015
27-inch iMac with Retina 5K display
Late 2015 – iMac17,1
  • 32GB memory upgrade
  • 4-Core i7 4.0Ghz processor
  • 4GB AMD 395X video card
  • 1TB Fusion Drive (1TB HDD + 128GB SSD)
OBSERVATIONS
The top-end 5K iMac never fails to impress. These machines are screamers. The fact that it beats a Mac Pro 2013 is amazing. With 32GB of memory this iMac is:
  • Up to 2.1x faster versus having 8GB of memory
  • Up to 2x faster versus having 16GB of memory
  • Up to 9% faster versus having 24GB of memory
diglloydMedium test
11.11
seconds to complete
diglloydHuge test
75.45
seconds to complete
32GB
SHOOTOUT RUNNER-UP!
2ND
PLACE
Mac Pro - Late 2013
Mac Pro
Late 2013 – Mac Pro6,1
  • 32GB memory upgrade
  • 4-Core Xeon 3.7Ghz processor
  • 4GB Dual AMD Fire Pro D300 2GB video cards
  • 256GB Apple SSD
OBSERVATIONS
The 2013 is a fast Mac, period. It's hugely surprising to see the latest top-end 5K iMac outperform this Mac Pro model. Of course, adding more memory will speed this fast Mac Pro up even more. With 32GB of memory this Mac Pro is:
  • Up to 2.4x faster versus having 8GB of memory
  • Up to 2.1x faster versus having 16GB of memory
diglloydMedium test
14.93
seconds to complete
diglloydHuge test
98.36
seconds to complete
3RD
PLACE
27-inch iMac with Retina 5K display - Late 2015
27-inch iMac with Retina 5K display
Mid 2015 – iMac15,1
  • 32GB memory upgrade
  • 4-Core i5 3.3Ghz processor
  • 2GB AMD M290 video card
  • 1TB Fusion Drive (1TB HDD + 128GB SSD)
OBSERVATIONS
While the latest top-end iMac is the winner of the pack, this mid-end, previous generation, 5K iMac is no slouch. It's 128GB SSD integrated into its stock Fusion Drive really helps push this iMac up the performance rankings. With 32GB of memory this iMac is:
  • Up to 2.5x faster versus having 8GB of memory
  • Up to 2.2x faster versus having 16GB of memory
  • Up to 1.2x faster versus having 24GB of memory
diglloydMedium test
10.93
seconds to complete
diglloydHuge test
134.92
seconds to complete
4TH
PLACE
Mac Pro 2009-2010
Mac Pro
Mid 2010 – Mac Pro5,1
OBSERVATIONS
It's still amazing how well one of Apple's most upgradable Mac models ever created holds up as a solid workstation, even with being 5+ years old. An upgraded video card and a fast PCIe SSD keep this Mac Pro blazing fast, and with 32GB of memory this Mac Pro is:
  • Up to 2.1x faster versus having 8GB of memory
  • Up to 1.8x faster versus having 16GB of memory
diglloydMedium test
14.56
seconds to complete
diglloydHuge test
162.36
seconds to complete
5TH
PLACE
Mac Pro 2009-2010
Mac Pro
Early 2009 – Mac Pro4,1
OBSERVATIONS
While just a year older than the 2010 models, the 2009 Mac Pro is just as upgradable, makes for a solid workstation, and can pull about the same performance numbers as the 2010 models. Of course, we love the added performance combination of an upgraded video card coupled with a fast PCIe SSD. With 32GB of memory this Mac Pro is:
  • Up to 2x faster versus having 8GB of memory
  • Up to 1.8x faster versus having 16GB of memory
diglloydMedium test
14.96
seconds to complete
diglloydHuge test
166.02
seconds to complete
6TH
PLACE
Mac Pro 2009-2010
Mac Pro
Mid 2010 – Mac Pro5,1
OBSERVATIONS
Even with being 5+ years old this Mac Pro can sing with an upgraded video card coupled with a fast PCIe SSD. With 32GB of memory this Mac Pro is:
  • Up to 2x faster versus having 8GB of memory
  • Up to 1.7x faster versus having 16GB of memory
diglloydMedium test
11.66
seconds to complete
diglloydHuge test
166.90
seconds to complete
7TH
PLACE
Mac Pro 2009-2010
Mac Pro
Early 2009 – Mac Pro4,1
OBSERVATIONS
While this 2009 model has less processor cores than the 5th place 2009 Mac Pro, its performance is a near tie in these tests. The combination of an upgraded video card coupled with a fast PCIe SSD make this older Mac Pro a solid workhorse. With 32GB of memory this Mac Pro is:
  • Up to 3x faster versus having 8GB of memory
  • Up to 1.8x faster versus having 16GB of memory
diglloydMedium test
14.90
seconds to complete
diglloydHuge test
167.21
seconds to complete
8TH
PLACE
27-inch iMac with Retina 5K display - Late 2015
27-inch iMac with Retina 5K display
Late 2015 – iMac17,1
  • 32GB memory upgrade
  • 4-Core i5 4.0Ghz processor
  • 2GB AMD M390 R9 video card
  • 1TB Fusion Drive (1TB HDD + 24GB SSD)
OBSERVATIONS
This iMac release features a smaller 24GB SSD in the 1.0TB fusion drive implementation than the previous generation iMac. Thus, this iMac model can run out of memory and SSD capacity which makes it page out data to the hard drive, resulting in slower scores on the large test compared with the previous year's model.

With 32GB of memory this iMac starts to pull in respectable diglloydHuge test scores and is:
  • Up to 7.8x faster versus having 8GB of memory
  • Up to 5.7x faster versus having 16GB of memory
  • Up to 1.5x faster versus having 24GB of memory
diglloydMedium test
10.28
seconds to complete
diglloydHuge test
283.60
seconds to complete
nav location arrow
48GB
SHOOTOUT WINNER!
1ST
PLACE
27-inch iMac with Retina 5K display - Late 2015
27-inch iMac with Retina 5K display
Late 2015 – iMac17,1
  • 48GB memory upgrade
  • 4-Core i7 4.0Ghz processor
  • 4GB AMD 395X video card
  • 1TB Fusion Drive (1TB HDD + 128GB SSD)
OBSERVATIONS
The top-end 5K iMac never fails to impress. These machines are screamers. This iMac configuration handily beats the pack on the massively challenging diglloydHuge test. Wow! With 48GB of memory this iMac is:
  • Up to 2.7x faster versus having 8GB of memory
  • Up to 2.5x faster versus having 16GB of memory
  • Up to 2.7x faster versus having 24GB of memory
  • Up to 1.3x faster versus having 32GB of memory
diglloydMedium test
10.80
seconds to complete
diglloydHuge test
60.13
seconds to complete
48GB
SHOOTOUT RUNNER-UP!
2ND
PLACE
Mac Pro 2009-2010
Mac Pro
Mid 2010 – Mac Pro5,1
OBSERVATIONS
It's still amazing how well one of Apple's most upgradable Mac models ever created holds up as a solid workstation, even with being 5+ years old. Of course, we love the performance combination of an upgraded video card coupled with a fast PCIe SSD. With 48GB of memory this Mac Pro is:
  • Up to 2.8x faster versus having 8GB of memory
  • Up to 2.4x faster versus having 16GB of memory
  • Up to 1.4x faster versus having 32GB of memory
diglloydMedium test
11.60
seconds to complete
diglloydHuge test
119.11
seconds to complete
3RD
PLACE
Mac Pro 2009-2010
Mac Pro
Early 2009 – Mac Pro4,1
OBSERVATIONS
While just a year older than the 2010 models, the 2009 Mac Pro is just as upgradable, and makes for a solid workstation. The combination of an upgraded video card coupled with a fast PCIe SSD make this older Mac Pro sing. With 48GB of memory this Mac Pro is:
  • Up to 2.4x faster versus having 8GB of memory
  • Up to 2x faster versus having 16GB of memory
  • Up to 1.1x faster versus having 32GB of memory
diglloydMedium test
21.36
seconds to complete
diglloydHuge test
145.48
seconds to complete
4TH
PLACE
27-inch iMac with Retina 5K display - Late 2015
27-inch iMac with Retina 5K display
Late 2015 – iMac17,1
  • 48GB memory upgrade
  • 4-Core i5 4.0Ghz processor
  • 2GB AMD M390 R9 video card
  • 1TB Fusion Drive (1TB HDD + 24GB SSD)
OBSERVATIONS
This iMac release features a smaller 24GB SSD in the 1.0TB fusion drive implementation than the previous generation which used 128GB SSD. Thus, this iMac model can run out of memory and SSD capacity which makes it page out data to the hard drive. 48GB of memory helps alleviate those issues, and allows this iMac to produce some very respectible scores.
  • Up to 8.4x faster versus having 8GB of memory
  • Up to 5.4x faster versus having 16GB of memory
  • Up to 2x faster versus having 24GB of memory
  • Up to 1.3x faster versus having 32GB of memory
diglloydMedium test
10.90
seconds to complete
diglloydHuge test
220.48
seconds to complete
nav location arrow
64GB
SHOOTOUT WINNER!
1ST
PLACE
27-inch iMac with Retina 5K display - Late 2015
27-inch iMac with Retina 5K display
Late 2015 – iMac17,1
  • 64GB memory upgrade
  • 4-Core i7 4.0Ghz processor
  • 4GB AMD 395X video card
  • 2TB Fusion Drive (2TB HDD + 128GB SSD)
OBSERVATIONS
The top-end 5K iMac never fails to impress. These machines are screamers. This iMac configuration outperforms the pack on the massively challenging diglloydHuge test. Wow! With 64GB of memory this iMac is:
  • Up to 3.4x faster versus having 8GB of memory
  • Up to 3x faster versus having 16GB of memory
  • Up to 1.7x faster versus having 24GB of memory
  • Up to 1.5x faster versus having 32GB of memory
  • Up to 1.2x faster versus having 48GB of memory
diglloydMedium test
9.19
seconds to complete
diglloydHuge test
49.01
seconds to complete
64GB
SHOOTOUT RUNNER-UP!
2ND
PLACE
Mac Pro - Late 2013
Mac Pro
Late 2013 – Mac Pro6,1
  • 64GB memory upgrade
  • 4-Core Xeon 3.7Ghz processor
  • 4GB Dual AMD Fire Pro D300 2GB video cards
  • 256GB Apple SSD
OBSERVATIONS
The 2013 is a fast Mac, period. But it's hugely surprising to see the latest top-end 5K iMac beat this Mac Pro model on the diglloydHuge test, and to see it run 30% slower on the diglloydMedium test was a surprise as well. With 64GB of memory this Mac Pro is:
  • Up to 4x faster versus having 8GB of memory
  • Up to 3.5x faster versus having 16GB of memory
  • Up to 1.7x faster versus having 32GB of memory
diglloydMedium test
13.01
seconds to complete
diglloydHuge test
58.11
seconds to complete
3RD
PLACE
Mac Pro 2009-2010
Mac Pro
Early 2009 – Mac Pro4,1
OBSERVATIONS
While just a year older than the 2010 models, the 2009 Mac Pro is just as upgradable, makes for a solid workstation, and pulls similar performance numbers as the 2010 models. The added performance combination of an upgraded video card, a fast PCIe SSD, and 64GB more memory make this one fast Mac.
  • Up to 3.9x faster versus having 8GB of memory
  • Up to 3.3x faster versus having 16GB of memory
  • Up to 1.9x faster versus having 32GB of memory
diglloydMedium test
13.77
seconds to complete
diglloydHuge test
88.22
seconds to complete
4TH
PLACE
Mac Pro 2009-2010
Mac Pro
Mid 2010 – Mac Pro5,1
OBSERVATIONS
It's still amazing how well one of Apple's most upgradable Mac models ever created holds up as a solid workstation, even with it being 5+ years old. With 64GB of memory this Mac Pro is:
  • Up to 3.8x faster versus having 8GB of memory
  • Up to 3.3x faster versus having 16GB of memory
  • Up to 1.8x faster versus having 32GB of memory
diglloydMedium test
13.66
seconds to complete
diglloydHuge test
90.22
seconds to complete
5TH
PLACE
27-inch iMac with Retina 5K display - Late 2015
27-inch iMac with Retina 5K display
Late 2015 – iMac17,1
  • 64GB memory upgrade
  • 4-Core i5 3.2Ghz processor
  • 2GB AMD M390 R9 video card
  • 1TB Fusion Drive (1TB HDD + 24GB SSD)
OBSERVATIONS
This iMac release features a smaller 24GB SSD in the 1.0TB fusion drive implementation than the previous generation which used a 128GB SSD. Thus, this iMac model can run out of memory and SSD capacity which makes it page out data to the hard drive.

64GB of memory alleviates much of those issues, and allows this iMac to catch up the pack with some solid performance numbers.
  • Up to 13.9x faster versus having 8GB of memory
  • Up to 8.8x faster versus having 16GB of memory
  • Up to 3.2x faster versus having 24GB of memory
  • Up to 2.18x faster versus having 32GB of memory
  • Up to 1.6x faster versus having 48GB of memory
diglloydMedium test
10.61
seconds to complete
diglloydHuge test
134.20
seconds to complete
nav location arrow
96GB
SHOOTOUT WINNER!
1ST
PLACE
Mac Pro - Late 2013
Mac Pro
Late 2013 – Mac Pro6,1
  • 128GB memory upgrade
  • 4-Core Xeon 3.7Ghz processor
  • 4GB Dual AMD Fire Pro D300 2GB video cards
  • 256GB Apple SSD
OBSERVATIONS
The 2013 Mac Pro is a fast Mac, period. With 96GB of memory this Mac Pro is:
  • Up to 5.6x faster versus having 8GB of memory
  • Up to 4.8x faster versus having 16GB of memory
  • Up to 2.3x faster versus having 32GB of memory
  • Up to 1.4x faster versus having 64GB of memory
diglloydMedium test
10.81
seconds to complete
diglloydHuge test
42.18
seconds to complete
2ND
PLACE
Mac Pro 2009-2010
Mac Pro
Mid 2010 – Mac Pro5,1
OBSERVATIONS
It's still amazing how well one of Apple's most upgradable Mac models ever created holds up as a solid workstation, even with it being 5+ years old. The added performance combination of 96GB memory, upgraded video card coupled with a fast PCIe SSD make this Mac a workhorse.
  • Up to 6.4x faster versus having 8GB of memory
  • Up to 5.7x faster versus having 16GB of memory
  • Up to 3x faster versus having 32GB of memory
  • Up to 1.7x faster versus having 64GB of memory
diglloydMedium test
13.48
seconds to complete
diglloydHuge test
52.70
seconds to complete
3RD
PLACE
Mac Pro 2009-2010
Mac Pro
Early 2009 – Mac Pro4,1
OBSERVATIONS
While just a year older than the 2010 models, the 2009 Mac Pro is just as upgradable, makes for a solid workstation, and pulls about the same performance numbers as the 2010 models. The added performance combination of 96GB memory, upgraded video card coupled with a fast PCIe SSD make this a fast Mac.
  • Up to 6.6x faster versus having 8GB of memory
  • Up to 5.6x faster versus having 16GB of memory
  • Up to 3.2x faster versus having 32GB of memory
  • Up to 1.7x faster versus having 64GB of memory
diglloydMedium test
13.58
seconds to complete
diglloydHuge test
51.81
seconds to complete
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128GB
SHOOTOUT WINNER!
1ST
PLACE
Mac Pro - Late 2013
Mac Pro
Late 2013 – Mac Pro6,1
  • 128GB memory upgrade
  • 4-Core Xeon 3.7Ghz processor
  • 4GB Dual AMD Fire Pro D300 2GB video cards
  • 256GB Apple SSD
OBSERVATIONS
The 2013 Mac Pro is a fast Mac, period. With 128GB of memory this Mac Pro is:
  • Up to 5.5x faster versus having 8GB of memory
  • Up to 4.7x faster versus having 16GB of memory
  • Up to 2.3x faster versus having 32GB of memory
  • Up to 1.3x faster versus having 64GB of memory
diglloydMedium test
15.03
seconds to complete
diglloydHuge test
42.99
seconds to complete
128GB
SHOOTOUT RUNNER-UP!
2ND
PLACE
Mac Pro 2009-2010
Mac Pro
Mid 2010 – Mac Pro5,1
OBSERVATIONS
It's still amazing how well one of Apple's most upgradable Mac models ever created holds up as a solid workstation, even with it being 5+ years old. The added performance combination of 128GB memory, upgraded video card coupled with a fast PCIe SSD make this Mac Pro faster than a 2013 Mac Pro on the diglloydMedium test. Now that's some amazing performance numbers!
  • Up to 6.2x faster versus having 8GB of memory
  • Up to 5.5x faster versus having 16GB of memory
  • Up to 3x faster versus having 32GB of memory
  • Up to 1.7x faster versus having 64GB of memory
96GB versus 128GB results are about a wash with these tests on this model, but 128GB of memory will give you more headroom if your files or multitasking take you beyond the limits of these tests.
diglloydMedium test
14.34
seconds to complete
diglloydHuge test
54.05
seconds to complete
3RD
PLACE
Mac Pro 2009-2010
Mac Pro
Early 2009 – Mac Pro4,1
OBSERVATIONS
While just a year older than the 2010 models, the 2009 Mac Pro is just as upgradable, makes for a solid workstation, and pulls about the same performance numbers as the 2010 models. The added performance combination of 128GB memory, upgraded video card coupled with a fast PCIe SSD make this Mac Pro faster than a 2013 Mac Pro on the diglloydMedium test. Wow!
  • Up to 6.2x faster versus having 8GB of memory
  • Up to 5.3x faster versus having 16GB of memory
  • Up to 3x faster versus having 32GB of memory
  • Up to 1.6x faster versus having 64GB of memory
96GB versus 128GB results are about a wash with these tests on this model, but 128GB of memory will give you more headroom if your files or multitasking take you beyond the limits of these tests.
diglloydMedium test
14.91
seconds to complete
diglloydHuge test
54.56
seconds to complete