iMac 5K vs Mac Pro: Photoshop Filters

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).

Photoshop filters, various

These tests are all in-memory tests which do not involve disk I/O. The filters in Photoshop vary in CPU core and GPU usage.

The touted (by Apple) dual GPUs in the Mac Pro do essentially nothing over an iMac with the faster GPU option (when all tests are considerd). In total, the iMac is just as fast as the very fastest Mac Pro with dual D700 GPUs.

That said, the speeds are more of a reflection of the failure of Adobe to put dual GPU power to use (sofware coding/algorithms). Speed = hardware + software, so the results here are the only valid metric by which one can decide—theoretical GPU speed is irrelevant in the face of performance realities with particular software. Which makes the Lens Corrections tests (GPU intensive/required) all the more striking in that the iMc wins easily.

Photoshop Speed on Various Filters
iMac 5K 4 GHz Radeon M295X vs 2013 Mac Pro 3.3 GHz 8-core D700