The difference is that the Quad’s processors are a new version of the PowerPC that puts two G5 processing units. In fact, at 2.5GHz, the Quad’s two G5s actually run a shade slower than the 2.7GHz chips that powered the previous top-of-the-line Mac. The speed breakthrough is not the result of a sudden surge in G5 clock speed-two and a half years afterĪt speeds of up to 2GHz, IBM, Apple’s chip supplier, still hasn’t hit the 3GHz mark. The Quad excels at the computation-intensive, multiprocessor-savvy programs commonly used in fields such as scientific computing, professional audio and video and similarly demanding environments. , Apple has delivered the biggest jump in Mac performance in years-not for every application, but the type for which this machine was designed.
After Steve Jobs announced Apple’s plan to drop the PowerPC processor andįuture Macs, some performance-hungry pros feared they’d see no major advances in Mac processing speed until the arrival of an all-new, Intel-based line of high-end desktop models-something that could be a year or more away, according to the company’s transition timetable.Ĭross that one off your worry list.
