OS X Performance Question

[rrawat02]

When it comes to operating system performance does Mountain Lion work any better on Core i7 versus Core i5 chip? Any feedback would be appreciated. I'm looking to buy a new iMac.

 

[shenfrey]

Im using a 3.06 C2D and it runs almost flawlessly in terms of performance/animations.

I doubt you would have any problem with either i5/i7. Infact I know you don't as I own an i5 MBP.

 

[colloc]

When it comes to operating system performance does Mountain Lion work any better on Core i7 versus Core i5 chip? Any feedback would be appreciated. I'm looking to buy a new iMac.

If you are talking about i5 vs i7 on a 13" MBP then:
Performance on normal daily usage: you won't be able to tell the difference
Performance on CPU Intensive app: 15-20% faster (if I remember the benchmark results correctly). That means if i5 takes 10 sec the i7 will take around 8-8.5 secs
Battery life: worse on i7. About 15-20 mins
If you use your macbook on battery then the CPU will also be clocked down by OS X to save battery to an almost identical level between i5 and i7

You can search for more performance benchmark on the Internet!

 

[rrawat02]

Im using a 3.06 C2D and it runs almost flawlessly in terms of performance/animations.

I doubt you would have any problem with either i5/i7. Infact I know you don't as I own an i5 MBP.

Thanks for the info.

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If you are talking about i5 vs i7 on a 13" MBP then:
Performance on normal daily usage: you won't be able to tell the difference
Performance on CPU Intensive app: 15-20% faster (if I remember the benchmark results correctly). That means if i5 takes 10 sec the i7 will take around 8-8.5 secs
Battery life: worse on i7. About 15-20 mins
If you use your macbook on battery then the CPU will also be clocked down by OS X to save battery to an almost identical level between i5 and i7

You can search for more performance benchmark on the Internet!

Thanks for the info. I'll be buying an iMac, so battery life shouldn't be an issue.