Does the Intel Core Duo processor best a Quad G5?
Not even close. We performed several of the Photo Mechanic and iPhoto tests on a Power Mac Quad G5/2.5GHz, and the G5-based computer performed a lot faster. For example, previewing 100 EOS-1D Mark II photos in Photo Mechanic is accomplished in about 18 seconds on the Quad G5, compared to 42 seconds for the Intel Core Duo iMac. Importing 20 EOS 5D CR2’s into iPhoto takes 40 seconds on the G5, compared to 76 seconds on the Intel. And this is when the applications are running natively on each processor type. Running PowerPC-coded Photoshop CS2 on both machines widens the gap that much more because, as we’ve noted, of the required on-the-fly Rosetta translation. For example, applying Smart Sharpen to a 16-bit EOS-1Ds Mark II file takes 33 seconds on the Intel, but only 7.5 seconds on the Quad G5. Noise Ninja filtering of the same file clocks in at 30 seconds on the Intel, and 7.1 seconds on the Quad G5. The introduction of the Intel Core Duo processor into the Apple lineup means a lot more
