2017 iMac 5K: Lightroom Import and Export

MPG recommends 64GB OWC memory (big savings!) in: 27" Retina 5K Display, 4.2 GHz Intel Core i7 (Skylake), 1TB Flash, 8GB memory, AMD Radeon Pro 580 Graphics Card (8GB).

View iMac 5K at B&H Photo and see MPG’s computer gear wishlist. Not sure which Mac to get or how to configure it? Consult with MPG.

A note on the 8-core 3.3 GHz Mac Pro

These tests use a 2013 Mac Pro 3.3 GHz 8-core, the fastest Mac Pro available, and one that Apple does not sell—it needs to be an upgraded CPU. Apple offers a 3.0 GHz 8 core (slower than 3.3 GHz), and it would be a bit slower than the 3.3 GHz 8-core Mac Pro tested here.

Lightroom import with 1:1 previews

Import without moving 156 high resolution raw files with 1:1 previews.

The 2017 iMac 5K handily beats its 2015 predecessor (14% slower), and takes the speed crown, outrunning the 8 core 3.3 GHz Mac Pro.

The 14% speed difference between the 2015 iMac 5K and 2017 iMac 5K is just one more good thing about the 2017 model; it is one of the most impressive Mac revisions in many a year for the consistent speed gains versus the prior model.

Which demonstrates just how poorly Adobe uses CPU cores: twice as many cores, each running somewhat more slowly but it is still 8 cores versus 4 and dual GPUs versus a single GPU.

2017 iMac 5K vs others: Lightroom mport 52 raw files and generate 1:1 previews

Lightroom export full-res high quality JPEG

The 8-core 3.3 GHz Mac Pro shows a decisive advantage, with the 2017 iMac 5K taking 19% longer.

The 2015 iMac 5K takes 15% longer than the 2017 iMac 5K.

2017 iMac 5K vs others: Lightroom export 52 to full-res high quality JPEG