iMac 5K vs Mac Pro: Make Multi Resolution Image Series

Adobe Photoshop CC 20141014.r257

iMac 5K 4.0 GHz, 32GB, 1TB SSD, AMD Radeon R9 M295X 4GB GDDR5 -versus-
2013 Mac Pro 3.3 GHz 8-core, 64GB, 1TB SSD, D700

The two machines tested here are the fastest possible models for this type of work (as of late 2014).

Create multi-resolution image series

Create a series across a camera aperture range for regular (1280), HD (2560) and UltraHD (3840) image sizes. Resizing and sharpening are the main operations.

This particular task is near and dear to your author, for it is one performed on an almost daily basis for presenting images in his publications, and repeatedly. And it takes significant time. Thus, more than any test, it is the most “real world” relevant test possible for your author’s work in Photoshop.

In spite of a 3.3 GHz 8-core Mac Pro (faster than any 2013 Mac Pro model that Apple sells), the iMac wins by about 7%.

Create multi-resolution image series
iMac 5K 4 GHz Radeon M295X vs 2013 Mac Pro 3.3 GHz 8-core D700