Mag names Mac Pro 'fastest PC in UK'

Apple's four-core Intel-based Mac Pro desktop has been named the UK's fastest PC after it was lined up against a top-of-the-line Windows machine by British magazine PC Pro.

According to the publication's upcoming November issue, out in two weeks' time, the 3GHz Mac Pro was run alongside a Pentium D-based machine. The Mac Pro has two dual-core Xeon 5160 CPUs, 4GB of DDR 2 memory mounted on FB-DIMMs, a Quadro FX 4500 graphics card and 1.75TB of hard disk capacity. Windows XP was installed on the Mac using Apple's Boot Camp utility.

Pro said it ran a suite of tests based "demanding tasks" performed simultaneously by Microsoft Office, Adobe Photoshop and a music decoding application. The result was a benchmark score almost three times that of the reference Pentium D-based machine.

Testing the Mac Pro's 3D performance with 3d studio max, the magazine's rendering benchmark was completed in 34s - up til then, the fastest score achieved had been almost 1m.

A more interesting comparison will come when the Mac Pro is lined up against a PC fitted with more like-for-like processors - Xeon 5100 series chips or even Core 2 - rather than an older, two-core Pentium D machine. It's also worth bearing in mind the tested Mac Pro will set buyers back the best part of £5,000, though prices start at £1,699. ®

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