2016 Apple MacBook: Photoshop Benchmarks

2016 Apple MacBook

Get Apple MacBook> and Save on AppleCare at B&H Photo.

B&H Photo loaned MPG the latest top-end MacBook with 1.3 GHz processor, 8GB memory, 512GB PCIe flash drive along with a USB-C to USB adapter (even better: Apple USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter and most users will want both).

√ Get the OWC USB-C Dock for MacBook.

diglloydSpeed1 Photoshop Benchmark

The diglloydSpeed1 Benchmark does not stress the memory limits and thus represents a fair CPU and GPU performance comparison across systems.

Given its slow 1.3 GHz clock speed, the dual-core 2016 Macbook Pro does a remarkable job that is roughly proportional to its clock speed difference. In this sense it shows how poor Photoshop is at using CPU cores, since the 2013 MacBook Pro Retina has twice the CPU cores at twice the clock speed. The GPU is also involved.

diglloydSpeed1 Photoshop benchmark on 2016 MacBook 1.3 GHz / 512GB

diglloydMedium Photoshop Benchmark

The diglloydMedium Benchmark utilizes more memory (more than an 8GB machine can offer), and thus incorporates (in this particular case) a blend of CPU and GPU and SSD speed, because Photoshop is forced to swap to disk.

The lack of memory impairs performance with the 2016 MacBook, as it takes more than 2.6X as long to complete the test as the 2013 MBP Retina, as compared to 1.8X as long for the diglloydSpeed1 test. Still it has done a fine job given its clock speed. That the results are not worse is a testament to compressed virtual memory in OS X and the improved SSD speed in the 2016 model.

diglloydMedium Photoshop benchmark on 2016 MacBook 1.3 GHz / 512GB