MacPro 6,1 8-core vs iMac 5k for software dev

[wtholliday]

I do Mac/iOS app development and would like to compile code faster. My app has a lot of C++ so compilation takes a while. Would also be nice to run tests faster (though I don't think that is multicore).

Has anyone done real-world Xcode compilation benchmarks of an 8-core Mac Pro and top-of-the-line iMac?

I saw this article which compares the Mac Pro and 2013 MacBook Pro (close to what I currently have): http://ikennd.ac/blog/2014/07/mac-pro-review-developer-edition/

thanks!

 

[wtholliday]

I found a benchmark: https://macperformanceguide.com/iMac5K_2015-XCodeBuildDiglloydTools.html

So the Mac Pro seems comparable to the iMac 5k for compilation. And the iMac is considerably less expensive.

 

[poematik13]

Is compiling primarily a multi-core thing or single core thing? If single core, get iMac as it's fastest at 4ghz. If multi-core, go for mac pro as you get 8 cores.

 

[redheeler]

I found a benchmark: https://macperformanceguide.com/iMac5K_2015-XCodeBuildDiglloydTools.html

So the Mac Pro seems comparable to the iMac 5k for compilation. And the iMac is considerably less expensive.

Not to mention the 5K Retina display included in the iMac. A comparable display would add another $1K to the Mac Pro's price.

 

[wtholliday]

Is compiling primarily a multi-core thing or single core thing? If single core, get iMac as it's fastest at 4ghz. If multi-core, go for mac pro as you get 8 cores.

It's a combination of both. The individual files are compiled in parallel, but then there are some single-threaded operations at the end (linking, code-signing). So, if you're building a project from scratch, it tends to be rather multicore (for a large project at least). But once the project is compiled, subsequent compilations are more single-core.

 

[h9826790]

Only a small part of the whole work flow able to utilise the core count of the nMP. And the expensive dual GPU basically only sits there and doing nothing. I don't think nMP is a good choice for this purpose.

The Achilles heel of the 5k iMac is the cooling system. However, by considering you are not going to put CPU / GPU constantly under stress. I think that will be fine for you. And as you said, the price already include a decent 5k monitor. I just can't see why the nMP can be a better choice in this particular case.

 

[wtholliday]

Only a small part of the whole work flow able to utilise the core count of the nMP. And the expensive dual GPU basically only sits there and doing nothing.

Well, I neglected to mention that I'm writing 3d graphics software, so it would be nice to have a high-end GPU, but certainly not essential. I spend most of the time optimizing the iOS version anyway.